Mike Grant – My Soul, My Spirit (Mr G’s Freedom Train Mix)

Born in Derby but now local to London, Mr. G is a true legend of the game. With releases on Rekids, Defected, Bass Culture, Holic Traxx, as well as his own label Phoenix G, the number of his releases is astronomical. None of these come at the cost of quality however. Cassy best sums up his production style in her description of his remix of Fred P‘s ‘Mystery of Fantasy’. ‘He’s in between house and techno, so for me, whichever direction I want to go in, he gets me there. Often if I’m unsure what to play next, it’s the ever-reliable Mr. G I turn to‘ she told fabric. His productions are the archetype for those which straddle House and Techno, much like Radio Slave & Joris Voorn. In their Machine Love feature Resident Advisor crowned him as ‘the literal definition of tech-house‘. His sound is as tough & punchy as MMA fighter Anderson “The Spider” Silva on the world’s most potent steroids. G’s output is consistently heavy on the drums to keep the jack moving like a marching band. At times, upon first listen of some of his tracks you would be forgiven for thinking you were listening to any Detroit producer of the Rick Wade and Delano Smith cloth. This remix of ‘My Soul, My Spirit’ is yet another capstone of his treasured discography.

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Released in 2003 on Grant’s own Mood & Grooves label, it was G’s second remix of the very same track. ‘The Struggle of My People (Mr. G’s There’s Hope Mix)‘ was an inspirational call echoing the pulpits sourced from the DJ booth. A preaching from the biblical text James 1 so to speak. ‘My Soul, My Spirit’ is an effigy on freedom. Sublime swelling horns radiate providing an instant buoyant air. Coming from a West Indian background, G has a love for heavy sound-systems. This can be heard on the tough as a nail sub-bass. A dedicated fan of Akai MPC’s and Korg MS2000’s, the hats are capacious and built for Big Room play. Speaking with Ibiza Voice about his time spent working in the Derby record shop R.E.Records, he recalls opening up to music styles that included jazz, blues, boogies, soul, funk and disco. Saturated in funk, the bassline is one that The Sylvesters or Boney M would be proud of. A stringed pad that floats on top adds rays of sunlight. The breakdown features a whispering female vocalist preaching about liberty that compliments a dolloping of arpped keys, before shuttling back into the kick and bassline. A truly uplifting track. Continue reading →