" Essential deep house tracks" - HardWax

Play It Say What Records and Isaac Basker return after a 5-year hiatus with White Souls Lost (Part II), providing 4 styles of Isaac's distnict, "thumping" take on American house music designed for dancefloors, headphones, or contemplating human existence. Never shy of controversial track titles and themes, a trend that can be traced back to previous collaborations with Public Enemy as a hip-hop DJ and turntablist, Isaac cuts right to the chace again focusing on the state of the "soul" in post-Trump America.

On the title track, A1 "White Soul's Lost (Part II)," a play on words of Nas' "Black Girl Lost," Isaac calls into question the state of some white folks' souls in an appropriately emotive banger that starts with Afro house-oriented congas and layered deep pads until guitar solo-like chord riffs build to a layered crescendo. From this point on, to its conclusion, the track keeps the listener on high.

A2, "So Lonely Here" brings a definitive Isaac sound influenced by his experience growing up dancing in clubs to vintage NYC deep house. The track provides a deep, dusty, almost lo-fi-esque vibe geared to be a perfect track for an early set or afters. Isaac's love of simple vocal drops in part from his background as a turntablist comes into play again as a lone, sexy female voice casually reminds us of their feelings of isolation, and is a double entendre on the state of lost souls everwhere.

B1, "Noisy Neighbours," evokes that "thump" Hard Wax once labeled some of Isaac's tracks. Created in response to noise complaints, a coded reference to Trump supporters, and even Isaac's world football allegiances it could be categorized "deep house techno" but this ain't no tech house. Heavy kicks bump over choped up live percussion as a lone pad keeps it deep, and then an analog bassline reveals the underground, grooving along to vocal drops that demand the listener to "Stop, look and listen."

Lastly with B1, "A Paradox Now!" Isaac's love for titles derived from word play refers this time to Francis Ford Coppola's classic film "Apocalypse Now!" The track teases with mellow keys laid over strong 909 drums and a prominent minimal bassline as it builds slowly over panned high hats. However, it then flips from chill to bumping as a live percussion sample arrives along with a repeated Terre Thaemlinz influenced vocal that proceeds to drive the track to its peak.

Buy @ Decks

White Souls Lost (Part II) [PISW 003]

"Essential deep house tracks" - Hard Wax

https://hardwax.com/81084/isaac-basker/white-souls-lost-pt-ii/

A2, "So Lonely Here" brings a definitive Isaac sound influenced by his experience growing up dancing in clubs to vintage NYC deep house. 

The track provides a deep, dusty, almost lo-fi-esque vibe geared to be a perfect track for an early set or afters. 

Isaac's love of simple vocal drops in part from his background as a turntablist comes into play again as a lone, sexy female voice casually reminds us of their feelings of isolation, and is a double entendre on the state of lost souls everwhere.

White Souls Lost Pt. II

Buy @ Decks Records

So Lonely Here

Buy at: https://www.juno.co.uk/products/isaac-basker-white-souls-lost-part-ii/730166-01/

"Essential deep house tracks" - Hard Wax

Play It Say What Records and Isaac Basker return after a 5-year hiatus with White Souls Lost (Part II), providing 4 styles of Isaac's distnict, "thumping" take on American house music designed for dancefloors, headphones, or contemplating human existence. Never shy of controversial track titles and themes, a trend that can be traced back to previous collaborations with Public Enemy as a hip-hop DJ and turntablist, Isaac cuts right to the chace again focusing on the state of the "soul" in post-Trump America.

On the title track, A1 "White Soul's Lost (Part II)," a play on words of Nas' "Black Girl Lost," Isaac calls into question the state of some white folks' souls in an appropriately emotive banger that starts with Afro house-oriented congas and layered deep pads until guitar solo-like chord riffs build to a layered crescendo. From this point on, to its conclusion, the track keeps the listener on high.

A2, "So Lonely Here" brings a definitive Isaac sound influenced by his experience growing up dancing in clubs to vintage NYC deep house. The track provides a deep, dusty, almost lo-fi-esque vibe geared to be a perfect track for an early set or afters. Isaac's love of simple vocal drops in part from his background as a turntablist comes into play again as a lone, sexy female voice casually reminds us of their feelings of isolation, and is a double entendre on the state of lost souls everwhere.

B1, "Noisy Neighbours," evokes that "thump" Hard Wax once labeled some of Isaac's tracks. Created in response to noise complaints, a coded reference to Trump supporters, and even Isaac's world football allegiances it could be categorized "deep house techno" but this ain't no tech house. Heavy kicks bump over choped up live percussion as a lone pad keeps it deep, and then an analog bassline reveals the underground, grooving along to vocal drops that demand the listener to "Stop, look and listen."

Lastly with B1, "A Paradox Now!" Isaac's love for titles derived from word play refers this time to Francis Ford Coppola's classic film "Apocalypse Now!" The track teases with mellow keys laid over strong 909 drums and a prominent minimal bassline as it builds slowly over panned high hats. However, it then flips from chill to bumping as a live percussion sample arrives along with a repeated Terre Thaemlinz influenced vocal that proceeds to drive the track to its peak.

White Souls Lost (Part II)

Buy at Hard Wax

A Paradox Now!

Noisy Neighbours

White Souls Lost (Pt. II)

Buy from Discogs

Isaac Basker Aliases: DJ President Ike | Prez Ike | Ize Bernard

A New Yorker by birth, Isaac Basker's path to creating House and Techno, while not conventional, exemplifies the roots, history, and influences of his home city. Growing up in Westbeth, a Manhattan artist community, Isaac was pushed to express himself through more traditional art forms such as singing in the Metropolitan Opera and quite serious playing of the violin. Yet, by the late 80's and early 90s exposure to his city's vast and innovative community of hip-hop, and dance music culture began to take hold of him.

By 18, as DJ President Ike, Isaac began hosting and DJing a widely followed hip-hop mix show on college radio, catering to more underground sounds. As a growing DJ and Turntablist, this eventually led to working closely with hip-hop legends, Public Enemy, as part of the Internet based Rap super group The Impossebulls and the Downtempo Turntablist concept group, Illegal Thought Process with releases on Chuck D's label Slam Jamz. This eventually led to appearances Isaac made as DJ President Ike, recording scratches on Public Enemy's own releases.

By mid-00's with hip-hop becoming increasingly commercialized, and dancing within that scene's underground level disappearing, Isaac began to turn to various forms of electronic music, and combining eclectic sounds together into his sets. In 2005 This led to his creating one of the early podcast mix shows, the highly acclaimed, 'Indelible Beats' labeled "Fresh beats for your head nodd and body move crav-ings..." a sort of fusion of up-tempo, rhythm-oriented music meant primarily for the dance floor. This desire to entice dancers to move their bodies to tracks they have never heard gradually led to Isaac's increased interest in making his own productions of House and Techno.

Being exposed to the Deep House of New York clubs in the 90's led Isaac, early in his production career, to develop a sound that exudes that influence, and was in step with the resurgence of House and Techno in New York during the • late 2000's and early 2010's. This can be understood clearly with Isaac's first solo release, "Found & Lost EP" released on the Brooklyn based label, Thema in 2011, featuring a remix from The Bronx-based purveyor of NYC underground sounds, DJ Spider. In 2013 Isaac started his own label, Play It, Say What?," releasing his own tracks again with "Resilience Sans Relapse EP," featuring remix work this time from one of the masters of NYC's deep house resurgence, Fred P.

Labels: Play It Say What, Thema, Slam Jamz, Koch

Podcast Mix Series': Indelible Beats

Groups: The Impossebulls, Illegal Thought Process

Featured DJ Scratching, Turntablism, Arrangements:

Public Enemy, The Impossebulls, LowDown, DJ Butterface, Nadir, Pluside, Regenerated Headpiece, etc.

Feedback:

Isaac Basker - White Souls Lost Pt. II [Play It Say What 003]: 

"Essential deep house tracks" - Hard Wax

Isaac Basker - Found and Lost EP // Thema [Digital] [THEMA 8.14]:

DJ Sprinkles (Comatonse, Skylax, Mule) - "new york meets early warp! yay!"

Mr. G (Mr. G) - "love the stop beastin..........solid ep"

DVS1 (Hushsound) - "Stop Beastin!!! and relax yourself girl! NICE!!!"

B Pitch (B Pitch) [Ellen Allien] - "Nice one!"

Perc (Perc Trax) - "Deep and jackin' - like it."

Paul Corey (Resident Advisor, Cacophonous Bling Blog) - 

"Where's this chap been hiding? This is superb! Classic Detroit stylings and still sounding incredibly fresh. Not a duff track on it."

Sebo K - "dope release ! full support !"

The Impossebulls - ‘The Impossebulls’ [Slam Jamz]

AlMusic.com Review - “…a show stealing performance by DJ President Ike”

New York City Represent, Represent, sent....

White Souls Lost (Part II) [PISW 003]

Isaac Basker (DJ President Ike)