I get sent a lot of records that aren’t particularly innovative, have no new ideas and no fresh approach but that are still eminently playable — and, with absolutely no shade intended — Steve Mill’s God Given EP on Dirt Crew definitely falls into this category. Originality, I may have mentioned before in these pages, is a vastly overrated quality when it comes to getting a dancefloor to move.
The God Given EP is four track, smooth, slightly-disco-ish deep house affair, featuring spoken word vocals from Bongani Mehlomakhulu on the catchy, highly-efficient, chunky conga house groove title track. It’s got this niggly little three-note riff all the way through it that I love, the kind of unassuming little riff that maybe a quarter of the room will just lock in to. Track 4 is a dub of the main track and performs the same trick sans vocals. The mood is at the light, bright and breezy end of the deep house spectrum, as opposed to the introverted, intimate and devotional end, and a similar vibe continues across the other two tracks “Copenhagen Drive” and “Dye The Bip,” which possess a similar sparkling, and light aesthetic, with a slight Italo disco bent to the latter and an almost-’80s-soul sheen to the former.
As a DJ you don’t always have to go to your gig and provide “edutainment,” you can also just drop some party jams and let your crowd enjoy themselves, and if that’s your plan this weekend, then this EP could work for you.
⚪️ God Given Tracklisting
Steve Mill: God Given EP (Dirt Crew / Digital)
1. God Given Feat. Bongani Mehlomakhulu (06:08)
2. Copenhagen Ride (05:29)
3. Dye the Bip (06:29)
4. God Given Feat. Bongani Mehlomakhulu (Dub Mix) (06:08)
⚪️ Disclosure Statement
This record was submitted as a promo.
⚪️ Previous Coverage
⚪️ When 5 Mag Met Steve Mill (Again) (2022)
⚪️ Discograph: The Story of Dirt Crew Recordings (2020)
⚪️ Premiere: Steve Mill ft. Geraldine: THE MISTAKE (2022)
⚪️ 15 Years of Dirt Crew – A 5 Mag Mix vol 90 (2020)
⚪️ Steve Mill’s Higher State Impressions (2012)
5 Mag Issue 208
Out July 2023
WE STILL CALL IT HOUSE: This was originally published in 5 Mag Issue #208 featuring the story of Chicago house music collective 3 Degrees Global, a tribute to DJ Deeon, a cover mix by and profile of Gratts, Detroit vocalist Diviniti, John Davis of the disco’s scariest orchestra, the great vanishing of pirate sites more. Help keep our vibe alive by becoming a member for $2/month and get every issue in your inbox right away!
