Marcus Barnes
Nov 22, 2024
Following the release of the Beatport Films documentary ‘House Music Royalty: The Story of King Street Sounds,’ we dive in deep with 20 of the tracks that explore the legendary label's deep-rooted house music history.
One of the undisputed giants of house music, King Street Sounds (and its offshoots Street King and Nite Grooves) has held firm as a first-class source of the genre since 1993. 31 years is a long time in music, but owner Hisa Ishioka has invested loving energy, passion and determination into the label, maintaining a core ethos centred around the continuation of the “soulful-spiritual house music” that was cultivated at the legendary Paradise Garage.
The label’s heart beats to the grooves laid down by Larry Levan at the now-infamous NYC nightspot, a place that is widely acknowledged as being key to the development of dance music. 84 King Street was the location of the Paradise Garage and Hisa found inspiration for his iconic label at that very address. Three decades on, and with a multitude of highly influential releases in its discography, King Street Sounds remains a respected go-to label for house music.
Across its entire lifespan, King Street has always been a home to electronic music with depth and nuance, joining the dots between its predecessors; soul, funk, disco and jazz. You only have to spend a few minutes scanning through the long list of classics this label has put out to hear exactly where the roots of house music can be traced back to. That energy emanating from so many releases is the energy of house music heritage, spliced with the sounds of the modern age. From Mood II Swing’s iconic "Closer (Swing II Mood Dub)" to Mondo Grosso’s 17-minute epic "Star Suite," Dennis Ferrer’s mid-2000s run of ubiquitous hits or Ananda Project’s famed late nineties cuts, there are so many choice gems to delve into. Each one drawing on the rich well of inspiration from the history of black music, while alchemising those roots into contemporary productions.
The word classic can be overused in today’s terminology, but King Street Sounds can rightfully lay claim to a catalogue littered with classics that have inspired many of today’s house music producers. The calibre of artists who’ve released with the label, too, reads like a hall of fame: Masters At Work, Frankie Knuckles, Mood II Swing, Ultra Nate, Lil’ Louis, Barbara Tucker, Kathy Brown, Kerri Chandler and many more house music luminaries.
Now, a new generation is taking on the mantle, embracing the King Street Sounds ethos and carrying the spirit of Paradise Garage into the future. Still providing the deep grooves, potent funk and uplifting soul that made it so popular in the first place, King Street Sounds continues to bring the heat. Here we’ve assembled a list of 20 tracks that have defined the label’s timeline, from the very first release up to the present day.
Loop Trick feat. Maria - Beat Freak: 1993
Over 30 years old, this is where it all started. Loop Trick’s ‘Beat Freak’, with vocals from Maria comes in swinging with jazzy organ notes and a bubbling low end that percolates with zest all the way through. The addition of a sax melody and piano, along with Maria’s sassy vocals set King Street off to a great start.
Mood II Swing feat. Carol Sylvan - Closer (Swing II Mood Dub): 1994
Mid-nineties vocal house at its finest here. Maestros Mood II Swing get together with Carol Sylvan to create this masterpiece. There are several versions of this, all of which hit in their own special way but the Swing II Mood Dub brings the energy like no other. The sax in conjunction with that bassline and the vocal clip… Sublime. A classic of all classics.
Johnny Dangerous - Beat That Bitch: 1995
Johnny Dangerous woke up in 1995 and chose violence. This uncompromising track has been sampled and remixed several times over. Whiplash’s 4-98 version rolls out with a galloping rhythm, giving the vocal plenty of space and the energy is irresistible. Unforgettable. Once you’ve heard, you won’t ever forget it.
Mondo Grosso - Souffles H (King Street Extended Club Mix): 1995
This cut epitomises Shinchi Osawa’s wonderfully playful jazzy take on house. That bassline is overflowing with funk, the saxophone has a life of its own, and the whole vibe encapsulates the vibrancy King Street has become renowned for.
Ultra Naté - Party Girl (Turn Me Loose) Main Room Remix: 1995
Baltimore’s finest, house legend Ultra Naté, landed on King Street in 1995 with this powerhouse cut. The Main Room Remix goes large, with heavy-hitting beats, spliced up vocals and an ultra funked up bassline. With house music royalty signing to the label, King Street was really hitting its stride.
Urban Soul - Show Me: 1997
Basement business from Urban Soul here. Roland Clark leading the charge with his unmistakable vocal delivery, sturdy percussion and an earworm melody. Those classic nineties organ keys add another layer to this cut, which strikes the perfect balance between soulful and rugged.
Ananda Project - Cascades of Colour (Wamdue Black Mix): 1998
This track would be amazing as an instrumental, but you add Gaelle Adisson’s beautiful voice and those heartfelt lyrics and it launches into the stratosphere. A production that brings so much love and joy to the dance floor. Wamdue, AKA Chris Brann, puts a delightful twist on his own original Ananda Project workout. Blissful.
Frankie Feliciano - The Real Thing: 1998
Running at almost 11 minutes long, this was a definitive moment for King Street with New York’s own Frankie Feliciano bringing that Latin flavour to the fullest. A cut that truly epitomises the intersection between soul, funk, disco, jazz and house music, with virtuoso-esque sax playing and a bassline straight out of the seventies funk era. Mesmerising.
Rain: a Lil' Louis Painting - Give It Up (MAW Unreleased Pass): 2000
By the turn of the millennium, King Street had established its pedigree and had timeless classics like this on its release schedule. This Unreleased Pass by Masters At Work takes us into slowed-down tempos, higher production values and that lounge sound that has been there since the beginning. Truly a work of art.
Kimara Lovelace - Misery (Lil’ Louis Extended Club Mix): 2000
Kimara Lovelace gets the Lil’ Louis treatment here, and he goes deep with this Extended Club Mix. Stretching out his creative legs for almost 10 minutes, Louis delivers organic sounding percussion and bass, with Rhodes keys, and a menagerie of jazz-funk influences. Gorgeous and definitive.
Mondo Grosso - Star Suite (Shelter Vocal Mix): 2001
Talking of stretching out your creativity, Mondo Grosso’s Shelter Vocal Mix of ‘Star Suite’ clocks in at an epic 17 minutes. This truly is a journey, an odyssey and perhaps Mondo’s Grosso finest work - among many. From the glorious flute, to the groovy bassline and Monday Michiru’s, now classic, spoken-word vocals into the gospel-esque singing on the chorus. Untouchable.
Blaze feat. Barbara Tucker - Most Precious Love (DF's Future 3000 Mix): 2004
Dennis Ferrer’s arrival on King Street certainly resulted in a heavenly match. Blaze had already laid down something special with the legendary voice of Barbara Tucker for their 'Keep Hope Alive' compilation with the house music supergroup known as Underground Dance Artists United For Life (UDAUFL), but Dennis Ferrer took it to another level. With his signature remix touch, he transformed "Most Precious Love" into an international super hit. It reached #1 on the Billboard Dance Chart in June 2005, and to this day remains one of the most definitive house anthems of the 21st century.
95 North - Now It's Time (North Club Mix 2): 2005
Doug Smith and Richard Payton get in the groove under their iconic 95 North alias. Amid a discography full of classics, this is a standout. House music with a truly funky soul. Some of that 2000s filtered house flavour comes through in the breakdown, with crips drum programming and a sense of joy that permeates throughout so much of the King Street catalogue.
Kerri Chandler - Bar A Thym: 2005
Jersey’s finest landed on King Street with this funkadelic piece back in the mid-2000s. Impeccable production as always from Kerri, the cowbell, the crisp beats, and that unmistakable riff that keeps oscillating between wildin’ out and calming down. Peak mid-2000s house material from a master of the craft. The track’s distinctive cowbell element originated from a wild night out in Tulum, Mexico, where Kerri and some fellow King Street compatriots started letting loose on some cowbells over his set at a local bar that the track derives its name from, Bar A Thym.
Dennis Ferrer feat. K.T. Brooks - How Do I Let Go: 2006
Dennis Ferrer demonstrates his genius on this all-time classic. Ubiquitous in the US, UK, South Africa and globally in so many territories that have embraced the soulful side of house music, this is timeless. Wherever it gets played, the vocals provoke singalongs and the sublime production whisks everyone on the dance floor away to a place of wonder.
Kathy Brown & Namy - Not This Time (Director’s Cut Classic Mix): 2013
House pioneer Frankie Knuckles, together with Eric Kupper, put their own take on this excellent cut from Japanese producer Namy with the inimitable Kathy Brown. The original feels are prominent throughout this rework - piano keys, cowbell, gorgeous strings and Kathy’s vocal’s, which are the centrepiece of this emotive piece of dance floor deliciousness.
Wolf Story - Feel Good Here: 2019
Wolf Story stay true to the King Street lineage here with a serious piece of soulful house. The tribal-esque rhythms are complemented by delicate keys and soaring strings. The entire arrangement is deep, nuanced and soul-nourishing. 21st Century King Street classic.
Technique - This Old House (Oliver Dollar Main Extended Mix): 2019
Oliver Dollar delivers a whimsical rework of Technique’s original. The vocal explains how to make “good solid house music”, with a comedic voice and playful elements that add to the entertainment value. Dollar’s production keeps it stripped back and jazzy, giving the vocal prominence while providing the bounce needed to keep the dance floor moving.
Tiger Stripes - Spirited Away (Ian Ludvig & Joe Red Remix): 2019
In 2019, Joe Red and Ian Ludvig got together to produce this haunting rework of Tiger Stripes’ ‘Spirited Away’. Bringing King Street right into the latter 21st Century, this delves into melodic house territory, still with that soulful King Street heartbeat at its core, though. The strings especially evoke a strong emotional element, with high energy throughout.
Loulou Players - The Truth (Extended Mix): 2024
Belgian producer landed on King Street in 2024 with ‘The Truth’. Merging techy elements with a catchy vocal and a typically funkified low end, Loulou Players carries that NYC heritage through his productions. This is a dance floor groover that represents King Street’s evolution in recent years.
