Moody House and Vocals with Ploy

This is the selection that kicked off the idea for moody vocal house, it’s probably my favorite type of house. The eeriness in the melodies compliment the soul vocals. On the whole vocal house can be too uplifting / happy for me to want to hear in clubs, it’s not really the aesthetic I like in dance music these days. Also it attracts too many Brits in bucket hats wafting. However when the tone gets a bit dark and moody but still sexy and rolling, then that’s the sweet spot for me.

This is an all time favourite for me. I don’t think I’ll ever get bored of it. My best mate Kit loves it too, I’d say it’s our tune. It’s just about moody enough but slightly uplifting with a perfect use of guitar. I’m a huge fan of guitars in dance music when it’s done right, that’s another category in itself though. Hard to put my finger on the vibe as it’s laid back but has this burning intensity, progresses perfectly and creates a real moment when the beat comes back towards the end. I hope one day I’ll find the perfect setting to play this.

I love Miami and once I’d visited all of this old Murk stuff, it made a lot more sense. Lots of their music feels quite sleezey, hot and sluggish but oozing groove. This is one of my favourite remixes from them which I used to play a lot when DJing with Bruce years ago at university. Holds lots of great memories for me, it nails the moody vocal house category and is a big singalong favourite.

I think I heard brawther play this at a secretsundaze about a decade ago, or something along those lines. Very subtle changes throughout and a perfect use of the vocal. It looks like there was pretty much nothing else made under this alias which is a crying shame / makes it more of a gem. Top comment from Biff 69 nails it. Definitely a goosebump raiser, I want to hear it on a beach somewhere hot.

Biff 69
3 years ago (edited)
I’ve not listened to this for 10 years but it still raises goosebumps.

I’m not religious but if god was a DJ he (or she) would definitely rinse this one. It’s very simple but executed well and just on the right side of cheese in the production. Pads/ bass and melody do just enough to uplift the vocals because they’re the excellence of the tune really. I think it’s one of the few gospel tech house tunes I like, Floorplan did some bangers also but this ones a bit more understated. Makes me want to play it in the car late at night cruising around a city somewhere.

More Murk as I think they were kings of this genre. Irresistibly groovy, more sexy than moody but it had to make the list. Quite mad how much music these guys made tbh, a fair bit of shite towards the end but you can’t hold it against them due to all the hits.

Norma Jean Bell has to make the list as she’s probably the voice behind some of the best vocal house tunes. The kenny dixon jr remix of this makes it a more moody version of the original.

Less rowdy and a little more moody than the West Coast mix. Ravey without being cliche with a bumpy groove and an infectious bassline. There aren’t many records from 1997 that I’d still play now alongside contemporary productions but this is an exception.

Pretty much all the tension and dynamics that make this tune great come from the vocal and a bit from the organ. It’s 12 minutes and doesn’t feel like it’s too long at any point, testament to when a minimal tech house tune is executed well. Listening to it now is making me want to buy a bucket hat and drink a cocktail. More church vibes from the organ and preachy style vocals. This is probably the most uplifting out of the bunch but still moody enough to make the list. D’Angelo-esque style in the vocals too which makes it a winner for me.

When the top /only comment is ‘yes lad’ followed by a series of emojis including the football indicates that maybe a bucket hat Brit wafter might be onto this tune. Undeniably though it is magnificent so who can blame him. Perfect after hours jazzy vocal number. YES LAD