Miguel Migs - Get Salted, Volume 1 (2013 Update)

Salted Music: 2005

(Click here to read my original TranceCritic review.)

I must be getting old. It's the only explanation for how I somehow enjoy this CD more than when I first wrote a review for it. When was that, six or seven years ago now? My God, can one's taste in music really change that much from their late twenties to mid-thirties? I mean, I heard the rumours of it being so, the anecdotes, the old-wives' tales, but now that I've experienced it myself, I'm astounded to find the legends are true. It's not like I didn't have an appreciation for deep house when I was younger. Even in my early twenties, I enjoyed the output of chaps like Mark Farina and such. This is a different feeling though, a soul feeling, a- Oh dear, I'm turning into one of those house heads, aren't I.

Yeah, yeah, I quipped a whole bunch about that in my original TranceCritic review of Get Salted, Vol. 1, which sure makes my writing come off immature now that I look back at it (not to mention the overlong, pointless 'angle' of whether Miguel Migs should get an artist credit or not – inappropriate, leftover snark-rant regarding DJs and the spotlights they seek, t’was). Folly of youth, I guess, but it’s not like this CD’s an overlooked gem that my lack of maturity couldn’t comprehend at the time. All that’s happened is the bumpin’ funk and soul vibes that’s long been a deep house trademark now resonate stronger than they did before, and there’s any number of reasons for this other than ‘getting older’.

For instance, the music that passed for popular ‘deep house’ following Get Salted, Vol. 1’s release was, for the most part, boring as shit. Minimal deep-tech? For the love of... What happened to the funk and soul? Hell, what even happened to the artsy European flavour? But whatever, that fad thankfully came to an end, to which we now have the nu-‘deep house’. It’s... well, just boring house for the most part, like 2002-era prog, but with all the plod and a distinct lack of spaciousness. Well sure then, Get Salted, Vol. 1’s gonna sound brilliant compared to those contemporary offerings of ‘deeper than thou’ house.

Props to Mr. Migs, then, for ignoring such trends while maintaining his Salted Music label to this day. Though sporadic in releases, it still peddles in that West Coast summery disco-funk style that OM and Naked made their names on. He even released a second volume of Get Salted in 2009, though I’m not compelled to check that one out, which brings me to a final point.

Get Salted, Vol. 1 may sound better to my aged ears in the here and now compared to the then and before, but the stylistic and pacing problems I mentioned in that old review also persist, especially the drag in the middle of the set. Despite Mr. Mig’s brand of deep house hitting those classic soul notes better than most, it still has its flaws too.

House Of Om Presents: Get Salted, Vol. 1 - Mixed by Miguel Migs (Original TC Review)

OM Records: Cat. # OM 195
Released September 27, 2005

Track List:
1. Chuck Love - Back In My Life (Miguel Migs Un-Released Bump Mix)
2. Kings Of Tomorrow featuring Haze - Thru (Simon Grey Dub Rework)
3. The Little Big Band featuring Simon Green - If You Don't Know Me By Now (Dub)
4. Orange Muse - Keep The Funk Alive (Andy Holder Remix)
5. Shik Stylko - House The Joint? (Original Mix)
6. The Realm And V - One Chance (The Realm House Mix)
7. LiSha Project - Feel (Miguel Migs Salted Dub Deluxe)
8. Chuck Love - Spread The Love (Miguel Migs Salted Bump The Tech Remix)
9. Miguel Migs - Remember (Dub)
10. Special Interest - Like This
11. The Sunburst Band - We Will Turn You On (Joey Negro Mix)
12. The Littlemen - Down With It
13. Only Freak - Tiny Forces
14. Recloose - Dust (Main Mix)
15. Sean Dimitrie featuring Tim Fuller - So Hot (Swag Remix)
16. Ron Basejam - For The People By The People (Schmoov! Remix)


(2010 Update:
Remember when this was the sound folks associated the term 'deep house' with? Compared to the material that passes for it today, this is a downright vibrant, bouncy set. It's still a rather generic release though, as the market continues to be flooded with 'soulful' San-Fran house music of this sort -is that the unofficial tag now?)


IN BRIEF: So much soul to give.

Whenever I'm handed a mixed compilation, I usually have an easy time deciding which angle to approach it from. If the DJs name is bigger than the title of the compilation, chances are he or she is the attention grabber, thus folks will get the release because of them regardless of the music it contains. As such, I tend to rate a mixed compilation more on the DJ's work rather than the music, and vice versa if the title's more prominent than the name.

However, every so often, I'm faced with a problem. If the size of the title is just as big as the DJ's name, which gets more attention: the DJ performance, or the music on hand? Why couldn't Miguel Migs have made my life easier? Why?

Eh, what's that? You've never heard of Miguel Migs? No, you're kidding, right? Well, if you've only followed trancey music for most of your EDM beginnings (and I'd wager a good chunk of TranceCritic's readers have), then I suppose a prominent deep house DJ might pass you by unnoticed. Without getting too detailed about it, Miguel Migs (or Miguel Steward, to his parents) has become a highly respected house DJ and producer out of San Francisco. Probably the easiest comparison would be to Mark Farina, though Migs often brings jazzier elements to his tracks thanks to a musical background in reggae. With the brief background out of the way, let's get back to this compilation.

Salted Music is Miguel Migs' own label but there's hardly any material from it on here. Heck, Salted Music only has about half a dozen releases anyways. Instead, this appears to be a straight-forward deep house mix of songs Migs would like to share for our listening pleasure. Such a nice guy, he is, but I'm here to review, not judge character, so if this compilation isn't up to snuff...

Mind, it's virtually impossible to make a bad deep house set. There's something about the music that connects with all of our psyches, moving and grooving us no matter how we feel. It warms the soul even in the coldest of environments.

Yes, indeed, house with soul is the common thread in Get Salted Vol. 1. Sometimes it's a little funkier, sometimes a little jazzier, and sometimes a little dubbier, but no matter the track, there's bound to be a hint of soul in there. So, if you have no room for soul in yo' soul, you'd best just go, bro'.

Migs opens up with an exclusive mix of Chuck Love's Back In My Life. So exclusive, in fact, this CD is the only place you’re going to find it! (Be sure to rub this fact in house vinyl purists faces every chance you get. Go on, I know you’ve been wanting to) Of course, such bragging rights are useless if the track is no good but it delivers as a nice bit of funky, bumpin' music to get us off on the right foot.

We move into dubby territory after the opener. Bits of soulful funk manage to peak in by way of guitars or lyrics, but the dubbed out atmosphere rules for these next two tracks. They provide a pleasant, laid-back warm-up for the compilation but Migs doesn't dwell on it for long. With a vocal sample declaring "y'all gotta keep the funk alive", Andy Holder's remix of Orange Muse's track does just that. Even during a few dubby interludes, the rhythms are guaranteed to move and groove you. And, while Shik Stylko's House The Joint? isn't quite as much of a mover, it's a perfect follow-up to Keep The Funk Alive, letting the dubby atmosphere suck you in.

However, Migs doesn't seem interested in rocking a party, as we move into the vocal number One Chance. It's undoubtedly more soulful, and there's still some groove to it, but considering where we just were, this track is a step down in the funk department. Mind, it's not too surprising since many of these are Migs’ productions, and he's admitted he prefers producing music for listening rather than dancing despite four-to-the-floor beats.

I wouldn't mind this too much if for one glaring problem. Around mid-way through Miguel Migs' own Remember, my mind tends to wander due to the music just not being interesting enough. The previous couple tracks before it manage to provide a few noticeable lyrics or rhythms but not enough to really excite me for the next track. By the time Remember hits, my mind's starting to drift, and when Special Interest's Like This hits, I can honestly say I have never, ever recalled listening to it. Yes, it only lasts a couple minutes but there isn't a single memorable moment in this song, and without the lead-up to it keeping me attentive, I've always found myself thinking about other things rather than the music on hand. This is not a good sign, as it places such music into muzak territory -music that is there, but does absolutely nothing to spark interest. Is it the lacking rhythms? Or uninspired alto sax licks? Whatever the case, no matter how many times I've forced myself to actually pay attention to the middle of Get Salted, I get distracted by the tiniest random thought, as it's so much more interesting than what's being played.

Thankfully, The Sunburst Band always snaps me out of my daze during Get Salted's play-through thanks to the good ol' disco funk exuberance on hand. Singing divas, funky guitar licks, and energetic house rhythms give me hope this mix can be salvaged from merely okay to incredibly riveting.

Alas, it is not to be. Right afterwards, we are thrust back into interesting but ultimately unexciting deep house with The Littlemen's Down With It. While I do like some of the juicy soul and funk on hand with this next little run of tracks, much like the run of Migs productions earlier there just isn't anything to elevate this beyond 'just fine' music.

It's not until we get into Recloose's Dust that things get interesting again thanks to some unique rhythms. We're delving into pure funk here, with skippy beats that'll get the ladies hips moving no problem. Follow-up So Hot takes it further, bringing this compilation to a down and dirty close, but not before we go out on a bit of disco-y delight in Schmoov!'s remix of For The People By The People.

So all in all, Get Salted Vol. 1 is a tasty little appetizer for deep house fans. There's nothing revolutionary to be had here but the genre has managed to get away with this fact for over a decade now and still produce quality with all the quantity -as mentioned earlier, you'd have to be an incredibly inept producer to mess it up. Yes, there's a bit of a lag in the middle but it doesn't distract from the music on hand for long. With the exception of Like This, even if you aren't paying attention to what's playing the chances of some part of your body moving to the music are good.

As for whether I rate this a mixed compilation or a DJ mix, I'd say this is more of the former. Migs' DJing is as smooth as deep house gets but aside from a substantial tease in the beginning to the contrary, Get Salted seems more interested in showing off a collection of soulful tunes rather than building a set.


Score: 6/10
ACE TRACKS:
Orange Muse - Keep The Funk Alive (Andy Holder Remix)
Sean Dimitrie featuring Tim Fuller - So Hot (Swag Remix)


Written By Sykonee. Originally published 2005 for TranceCritic.com.© All rights reserved.