Callisto - Guidance Is Internal (Part 1)

  • The best house producer you've never heard of? This reissue presents a convincing case for the underappreciated Chicago artist.
  • Share
  • The sheer volume of house music released in the US in the '90s is staggering. Records were being pressed at a rate that is hard to comprehend today—the big labels like Strictly Rhythm or Cajual alone were each putting out up to 40 EPs a year. Even today, there's an unending supply of undiscovered gems. It also means that some of the era's most talented producers have remained obscure. Dana Kelley is one of them. He released on genre-defining labels like Strictly Rhythm and Guidance, but is somehow still tragically underappreciated. Recognition of his talents comes mainly from knowledgeable peers like Paul Nickerson, a fellow Boston native, DJ, label boss and co-owner of the Dope Jams record store, who wrote a touching tribute to Kelley after his death in 2013, calling him "one of the most creative, innovative and freaky producers ever." Kelley started his career in the mid-'90s with a run of EPs on Strictly Rhythm, channeling the Chicago label's pumping, vocal-heavy signature sound. Following a dispute with Strictly Rhythm's Gladys Pizarro, he moved to Guidance Recordings, a label founded in 1996 by a group of Chicago house heads including Ivan Pavlovich, who had previously worked at Cajual and Relief (and now works in music direction for Rockstar Games). The six EPs Kelley released for Guidance, between 1997 and 2001, are probably the best in his catalogue. Guidance Is Internal (Part 1) is the first of three reissues of this material. As Callisto, he stripped his sound down, exploring darker atmospheres and creating understated, intricate arrangements. Some of these EPs are difficult to get your hands on for a good price. Kelley's own development as a producer reflects how house music was changing in the late 1990s, moving ever further from its roots in disco, R&B and jazz. In Europe, house and early tech-house producers were experimenting with more introverted, techno-adjacent sounds. Back in Chicago, where house music was born, Guidance's rolling, bassy style, which seemed to descend directly from Ron Trent and Chez Damier's Prescription records, connected the dots between the Chicago sound and its techier mutations. Kelley's music encapsulates that era in one sense, but it also sounds ahead of its time, foreshadowing the even darker, colder places that fellow East Coast house producers like Fred P or DJ Qu would take things in the next decade. "Breezin'" sums up that Guidance sound, with the head-massaging bassline and dusty drums. "Bellisimo" shows off Kelley's taste for rich, immersive textures. There's versatility, too—"Junkle I V3-01" shows a different side to the producer and label, inspired by the UK's jungle and broken beat scenes. "Never Again" is my highlight—an essential late-night house track, deep and mellow enough to make you want to close your eyes, but with an amazing shuffling beat and bassline that could keep a crowd moving forever. It captures most perfectly what Callisto brought to the genre, combining brooding, eerie atmospheres and jazzy euphoria. Is Nickerson right to claim that Kelley is one of the most creative house producers ever? This series makes a pretty strong case.
  • Tracklist
      01. Breezin' 02. Can't Wait 03. Bellisimo 04. The Power 05. Never Again 06. Elektribes 07. Junkle I V3-01 08. Need Ur Love (Stalagmite Mix)
RA