The history of Soul Clap’s “Misty” dates back four years ago to a 48-hour recording session held at Marcy Hotel in Brooklyn with Crew Love cohorts including Wolf + Lamb’s Gadi Mizrahi, No Regular Play’s Greg Paulus, Deniz Kurtel and Lee Curtiss. When Eli and Charlie of Soul Clap met legendary house singer/songwriter/DJ legend Robert Owens at the Garden Festival in Croatia in 2011, the song had found a singer. One thing led to another and — voilà — “Misty” is finally here.
Despite the long and winding road the song has taken, “Misty” arrives right on time. Owens once again plays the lovelorn protagonist to maximum effect, recalling the lyrical themes he explored on his seminal tracks with Larry “Mr. Fingers” Heard. Owens’ trademark velvet croon is in tip-top shape and it’s tailor-made for the Clap’s expertly crafted groove.
In contrast to the original downtempo version, the Louie Vega Roots NYC Mix and Louie Vega Swirl Bass Mix both up the tempo just enough for dance floor consumption. They’re both sublime offerings and are as deep as the Atlantic Ocean. Tanner Ross’s remix featuring Greg Paulus on trumpet is stripped down, spare and is not to be missed.
Available only on vinyl, the Louie Vega Way Back Mix is dark, brooding and sexy. Vega keeps Owens’ voice front and center and lets Owens’ swagger flow (“Where you been girl/Why you playin’ me like that?”). The master retrofits the song with a walking baseline a la Bobby Konders circa 1990, allowing us all to imagine for a moment what Nu Groove Records would sound like in 2014.
Track of the moment!