Jordan Fields & Friends: Jordan Fields & Friends
Yore
Chicago house producer Jordan Fields has recorded a staggering number of albums, singles, and EPs since 1994 and has issued them under an equally staggering number of aliases. Mo Wax, SSR, Headphoniq, SOM Underground, and Underground Trax are but a handful of the labels on which his music's appeared, and now it's Yore's turn. Andy Vaz's imprint has been a fabulous outlet for classic and forward-thinking house music by figures such as Terrence Dixon, Rick Wade, Bodycode, Alton Miller, and Fields is a natural fit.
Featuring five productions, the half-hour release offers a solid account of where Fields is at. Polished production values, funky house grooves, and artful craft are on full display, and the tunes swing with effervescent abandon. On the A-side's opener, the material's jazzy bounce is brightened by smooth electric piano and undergirded by bass synthesizer lines and a frothy drum pulse. Imagine Stevie Wonder jamming out a joyful studio instrumental during his glorious ‘70s period and you'll have a pretty good idea of the vibe. Changing things up slightly, the second's a dynamic house roller replete with sensual female coos and rollicking acoustic piano figures.
On the flip side, “Wanna Feel the Music” brings the ecstatic side of Fields' soul-house style to the forefront, the locomotive, vocal-sweetened “Keep it Going” struts with laser-focused intent, and Fields' “Synthetic Jazz Version” of “Needs Love” exemplifies all the joy and high production values of the release in general. Yore seems to bring out the best in its producers, Fields no exception. After three decades of releases, the tracks capture him operating at a high.August 2022