A rare commercially issued mix by
Theo Parrish,
DJ-Kicks (subtitled Detroit Forward) is entirely dedicated to the Motor City's homegrown music scene. Apart from one artist (the Chicago-based
Specter, who has released some of the most acclaimed records on
Parrish's
Sound Signature label), all of the artists are from Detroit, and nearly every selection is previously unreleased. Before the mix was released in 2022,
Parrish started a residency at the recently established Detroit club/bar/gallery Spot Lite, and many of the musicians frequently perform there (or their music can be found on the shelves of the venue's record shop).
Parrish's mixing is unobtrusive, letting the songs play out in full with minimal segues, and the tracks vary in tempo and style, but all feel at home in the company of each other. The beginning of the mix moves from organic neo-soul to broken beat to deep house, with
Parrish's own contribution being a drumless abstraction with
Duminie DePorres titled "The Real Deal." The fractured techno of
Deon Jamar's "North End Funk" precedes a simmering live jam by keyboardist
Ian Fink, and
Meftah and
John C represent the city's hip-hop underground. From there, we hear beatless hip-hop poetry (
mBtheLight), electric gospel (
De'Sean Jones), wonky dub (
Raj Mahal), and a spoken reflection that evolves into crunchy drum'n'bass (
Kesswa and
Nova Zaii). Not to mention top-flight house from
Jon Dixon,
Whodat,
Raybone Jones, and others.
H-Fusion's "Experiment 10" is four minutes of tense and insistent beats, and once it lets up,
Sterling Toles' easygoing "Janis" closes out the mix, filled with rattling drums and wide-armed handclaps.
Parrish's
DJ-Kicks is simply an incredible showcase of an inspiring creative community. ~ Paul Simpson
