Rocky Mountain Funk
Artist: Paul Keeley
Released: 2004
Label: EpsilonLab
Genre: Deep House
Track listing:
I Can’t (Stop) (7:20)Paul Keeley is a Montreal-based DJ and producer whom you cannot just put in one genre box. Being a man of exquisite electronic dance music, he has perfected the concoctions of many fashions of EDM including deep house, progressive house, minimal house or microhouse, and tech house music. Paul’s creativity allowed him to hop from label to label in the music circuit as the years passed. His music of various styles has been feasted upon in numerous record labels like Anjunadeep, Baroque, EQ Grey, Epsilonlab, Thinner, and Morrison. Last April, I was able to interview him online. I was lucky enough to ask him his secrets behind his versatility of music, and he shared:
New Seclusion (5:49)
Communiqué (6:36)
Neutron Funk (6:20)
Really, the only motivation I have to make music is an intangible need to create. Music just happens to be my medium of choice. In all art forms, I tend to get bored with convention very quickly, so my music needs to keep continuously evolving in order for me to stay interested
and passionate about what I do, which is very important to me.
Like what I have said, Paul Keeley has a long list of musical masterpieces; from singles that will submerge you underwater, to remixes that will sooth your soul, and to albums and Extended Plays that will take you to another dimension. There is Keeley’s Blunt Etiquette mixed album that caters sophisticated deep house music to unadulterated tech house tunes. Another personal favorite of mine is his Sunset Boulevard track from the Sunset at Midnight EP that is remarkably one of the best deep house tunes I have ever heard. Something from another dimension, Life Aquatic, the infamous aquatic-influenced progressive house wonder was also released by Paul Keeley under Anjunadeep earlier this year.
Revisiting his 2004 releases, I was astonished when my ears feasted upon one of his most unique releases ever—the Rocky Mountain Funk EP. From the title itself, eager listeners can already have a preview on how this treat will be like: cool, funky, and calming. Use whatever adjectives you like, but I am sure that this four-track Extended Play will leave you in awe. Paul Keeley’s Rocky Mountain Funk was released under Epsilonlab back in 2004, and it contains four uniquely-crafted tunes namely: I Can’t (Stop), New Seclusion, Communique, and Neutron Funk.
I Can’t (Stop) is a melting pot of jazz, minimal house, and glitch music. In this record, you will be able to listen to a colorful track exploding with saxophone samples, atmospheric synthesizers, vocal bits, and topped off with hip kick patterns. I Can’t (Stop) prepares its listeners for a music journey like no other.
There is a sudden change of atmosphere as New Seclusion plays. Compared to the first track, this one is milder and more downbeat in composition. New Seclusion is true chilly-lounge music: blunt bass, progressive beats, and hushed synths—this record makes each day a laid-back snowy day.
Track three, Communiqué, sums up the whole mood of the EP. The track begins with warm atmosphere accompanied by walking percussions, and after a while, that soul-penetrating deep house synth, which was influenced by Deep Detroit Techno [if I remember it right] , gives life to the whole record. The unmatched deep sound of Communiqué is indeed a reward to the avid ears of aficionados.
You might have been wondering where the “funk” in the Rocky Mountain Funk is, well, it is all in this fourth and final track, Neutron Funk. Being a loyal fan of Paul Keeley, I really favor this track among other deep house tracks in my music library because its fresh melodies put together in a way such that they make you want to listen to this again and again. Neutron Funk carries the energy of the EP through its very alluring, jazzy, and funky bassline. On the other hand, its temperate sound still complements the rest of the tracks in the EP. All components of the record fit in perfectly; it makes me wonder if there really is a perfect formula in creating music. Paul Keeley’s Neutron Funk is really exceptional, and when I say exceptional, I really mean it.
Put Paul Keeley in the tech house box and he will leave you in wonder. Lock him in the progressive house box, he will innovate. There is no use in classifying the sound of Paul for it is so diverse and unmatched. With his Rocky Mountain Funk EP, Paul Keeley is indeed a man of exceptional music—no genre classifying, just that.
*Note: Miguel Libre / Motionmigs is no longer affiliated with trancecommunity.com and does not get in touch with the moderators of the forum anymore effective 2010. Please guided accordingly.
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