KAI ALCE Schallplatten & CDs

Review: It's been a quiet year for Kai Alce, but finally the Atlanta house hero returns with a new pair of tracks that will surely satisfy any fans of his instinctive, expressive take on club-ready deep house. This latest drop comes on Sounds Of The City, which has also supported the likes of Walt J and Brian Harden. "Just Wanna" is a sure and steady workout peppered with woozy chords and a nagging vocal lick, but "Movin Thru" is surely the record's stand-out moment. With just the right balance between the edgy chords and the rounded bassline, it's a simple cocktail that plays to Alce's strengths perfectly.

Review: Detroit house hero Kai Alce inaugurates People Of Earth with a stellar EP showcasing his knack for the most soulful of modern, Motor City deep house. First up "Quiet Revenge" has that classic Three Chairs kind of vibe; all soulful deepness that this circle and their extended cast of peers have the knack for, complete with smooth Rhodes piano and dusty rhythms. On the flip "Sunday Transit" is a more straight up deep house jam with female vocals shouting out the lowdown loud and clear; wicked groove on this one. The dub version of this surpasses the vocal for those less keen, but why would you! Great start for a label with serious potential.

Review: YES! We hadn't heard anything from Detroit's Kai Alce in a while so it's an absolute joy to see him back on our shelves and doing what he does best. This, of course, is a reissue of the "Dirty South Dirt" anthem that came out as a 7" on Omar S' FXHE label a while back but it hasn't been around for a while and some of us still hadn't picked up this absolute gem! Slow-building percussion and funky yet minimal melodies make up the track, and you also get a string-heavy version, too! On the flip, you have "Late Night Theme" and the bumpy "Work The Dub" to swing you from side to side. Highly recommended and downright essential.

Review: Big release here for the Kolour Limited series who've scooped up three feel good house cuts from NDATL Music boss Kai Alice. Based around a self explanatory vocal motif "Ahh!" is the sort of euphoric house track you can drop mid set and stand back and watch as a sea of arms are raised in response. The deft track titling continues apace on "Be-Bop" where skat vocals are the perfect accompaniment to the deep chord progressions and metallic percussion, whilst the B Side plays host to just the one track in "Spring (KZR main)" where Alce gets funkier than a mosquito's tweeter thanks to some psychedelic guitar licks, chiming pads and refined 909 sequencing.

Review: Kai Alce's first release of 2013 - only his second in two years - comes via his own NDATL imprint. Naturally the EP draws inspirations from the cities the label is named after: New York-Detroit-Atlanta. With tinges of dub, the A-side is reminiscent to the looping deep house of Norm Talley's music on Pariter, while the scrappy hats, popping snares and all-round rough fidelity of "Rabbit's Hole" rank up with the productions of Delroy Edwards on New York label L.I.E.S. Alce then brings some of his own home spun Atlanta funk to the EP with the title track "World Causes".

Review: Kai Alcé is an Atlanta-based DJ and producer with previous releases on Track Mode (including a collaboration with Ron Trent), Late Night Essentials and KDJ/Moodymann's Mahogani Music. Over a short run of releases Kai has quickly established a raw, soulful sound, combined with a refreshingly loose, experimental approach to his productions. "Corner Manuvers" is a dark & dusty, brooding piece with distorted, moody spoken vocals. "TO"s Track' has a lighter atmosphere and combines rolling layered percussion with clipped vocal samples and smooth minimal jazz chords. Born in New York, Kai Alcé spent his early years on the Caribbean island of St Croix. His parents moved back to NY just in time for Kai to experience the birth of hip-hop, a movement he associates with the beginning of his relationship with music independent of that of his parents. After moving to Detroit in 1980 Kai began listening to influential radio DJs The Electrifying Mojo and The Wizard (aka Jeff Mills). When The Music Institute opened in Detroit in 1987, it quickly became the city's premier underground dance music location. Kai began working there at the age of 16 and subsequently witnessed the evolution of house music through DJs Derrick May, Kevin Saunderson, D Wynn, Alton Miller and Chez Damier. After completing high school, Kai moved to Atlanta to attend Morehouse College. He began DJing at Club Velvet while still attending college and for several years was the main resident at Deep, Saturday nights at MJQ Concourse. At the same venue Kai developed a direct link between the South and his Detroit roots by creating Deep Detroit House Sessions, featuring the likes of Chez Damier, Alton Miller, Brett Dancer, Moodymann, Mike Huckaby and Theo Parrish.

Review: ***B-STOCK: Creasing on outer sleeve, also the record has light surface marks/smudges, but otherwise in excellent working condition***


When it comes to producing deep, sophisticated, musically rich deep house, few are quite as capable as Kai Alce. Even so, there's still something extra-special about "Take A Chance", a thoroughly deep, soulful and lilting excursion full of rolling, African-influenced percussion, eyes-closed trumpet solos and warm, evocative vocals. Alce's hero Larry Heard provides the remixes, firstly under his given name (a typically deep, soulful and dreamy interpretation) and secondly as Mr Fingers. It's these "Ambient Acid" versions - built around restless, lopped electronics and the original's sublime trumpet - that really stand out. Brilliant from start to finish.

Review: All proceeds and profits from this new drop on Selections will be donated to Black Lives Matter charities, making it an even more appealing offer beyond the sheer quality of the house heads gathered together here. The mighty Kai Alce leads the charge with the sweet and bumping 'Hear The Waves', which is followed up by the punchy but warm 'Furacao Dento' by Demuir. Nick Holder opens the B side up with a killer slice of broken beat house, all crooked percussion locked into a deep, rolling groove. 83 West finishes the record off with a teasing, slow-release heater that keeps the energy simmering throughout - a masterfully executed cut to hold the dancefloor under a spell.

Review: With the new cycle of transformation that the change in the ancient Mayan calendar has supposedly brought, it seems fitting for NDATL to release a track namechecking a lost Mexican civilization. "Olmec Save Us" sees R&B powerhouse Donnie on vocals, while NDATL boss Kai Alce provides production; characterized by a typically classic style that nevertheless feels fresh, its high-end synth tones conveying the weird and otherworldly sense of Donnie's strange tale. On the flip, Osunlade provides his "Yoruba Soul Mix", providing a slightly deeper version of the original which provides a nice contrast to Alce's jazzier original. Instrumentals of both tracks are included for those who like their tracks sans vocal.

Review: It says something about the production qualities of Omar S that he can make a stripped-back drum track sound like an essential purchase. This limited 7" offers two deliciously simple but bombastically effective drum tracks that should appeal to those who like to pepper their mixes with cute percussive interludes. Both tracks are stripped-down, 808-heavy grooves based on a pair of collaborations with Kai Alce that first appeared on the Jive Time 12" in December 2010. The percussion is of course spot on, with plenty of repetitive claps, 808 cowbells and, on flipside "Incognigro (Bonus Beats)", the most subtle of deep house chords. Excellent.