- The overlooked Toronto house head's second LP splits the difference between Ibiza and Chicago.
- About a minute into "You Know My Love Pt. 2" from Demuir's second album, Visions, we hear the voice of Moodymann pulled from his infamous Red Bull Music Academy lecture: "I will tell the truth and I will be myself. And I'm not going to go nowhere and be someone else."
It's a bold move for any producer to interpolate one of dance music's most singular figures and build a whole disco house track around it. But Demuir, real name Kevin Dennis Pierre, pulls it off because he's one of the few producers who could stake a similar claim to his Detroit counterpart. For over two decades, the Toronto native has been releasing lush house as deep as it is wonky, and Visions provides a welcome overview of this overlooked Midwest legend. (Yes, Toronto almost counts as part of the Midwest.)
These two slabs of wax are split between vintage house and something a bit more outlandish and contemporary—a divide you can trace all the way through Pierre's back catalog. Some of his best records came out in the early '10s on Gene Farris's Fogbank Recordings, and he's shared wax over the years with the likes of DJ Sneak, Junior Sanchez and Moodymann himself. But he's also found a receptive audience across the pond, collaborating with Cassy and climbing up Beatport charts with chunky, bass-heavy groovers on the likes of Heist and Hot Creations. In some ways, this is reflective of Toronto as a city. While it's firmly in the North American rust belt, the city is also one of the most diverse in the world, giving it a more cosmopolitan feel than some of its sister cities south of the border.
The first disc is the stronger of the two, somewhere between the jam session feel of "Shades Of Jae" and DJ Koze. Rhodes chords, guitar lines, breathy-vocal samples and eager fingers on the EQ knobs are the main building blocks of the whole album. On this first half, Pierre puts them together differently. The majority of "To Know That I Love You," for example, is built around a sultry hand drum and a strummed guitar loop. But he keeps splicing in a vocal sample and out-of-tune squeaks that lends the track a Pampa-style lopsidedness, rather than the smooth and buttery soul of a Sound Signature release. I'd also be surprised if the bass-forward digital bonus track, "WERK," isn't already on the USBs of Jamie Jones and Justin Martin.
When Pierre does go properly deep, he does so with a signature panache. On "Skylar," a collaboration with fellow Toronto artist Kamilah (of TUSH), the two absolutely nail vocal house. Her voice has the range of a Candi Staton or Julie McKnight, but it's her almost-rapping flow, breezing past a squishy synth, that makes “Skylar” feel like house primed for TikTok viraldom. "The Dream II," a track produced with Fred P, is another standout, as the two reach for the stars with a stunning arpeggio.
Whichever side of Pierre you prefer, Visions is testament to his mastery of the craft. He's discussed his attempt to find ways to "provide a sincere reference to those looking to hear and produce underground electronic music from a credible source." He views his role as educator as much as musician. Visions reflects that, with two discs of unapologetic house rooted in the storied tradition of Black culture.
TracklistA1 Ruth
A2 To Know That I Love You
B1 You Know My Love (Part II)
B2 Mind, Body & Soul Call Me
C1 The Feeling Of Knowing
C2 Skylar feat. TUSH
D1 Dream feat. Fred P (Part II)
D2 Home Sweet Home (The Journey) feat. Aaron Gray