Five years on from his untimely death on April 24, 2020, we reflect on the legacy and music of the late Mike Huckaby.

“…some of us remember how much Mike contributed with no money mindset. Dude went to libraries to teach kids how to make beats. show me who else put that back in. ill wait.” – Discogs user Horizontal71

Mike Huckaby’s contribution to the underground dance music sound and culture of Detroit cannot be overstated. Whether through his work at legendary record store & music hub Record Time, his organizing efforts for the Detroit Electronic Music Festival (now known globally as Movement), or his unceasing dedication to the musical mentorship of Detroit’s youth, Huckaby spent his life in service to those around him.

As if all that wasn’t enough, the dude was an incredible and highly influential producer, remixer, and DJ, leaving behind a rich catalog of deep house and techno music for us to enjoy. Keep scrolling for a selection of tracks from Mike Huckaby’s discography, handpicked by Sputnikmusic’s favorite polygon. Bandcamp and YouTube links in the comments.

Harmonie Park Classics Volume 1  (2002, Deep Transportation)

“Radiance”

This EP was essentially a repress of “Disco Time” and “Luv Time” from Huckaby’s first Harmonie Park release with the added bonus of a previously unreleased track. “Radiance” would come to be considered an all-time deep house classic, featuring subtle yet powerful builds of tension & release, capped off by sublime…

Happy Hour

01: a beginner’s guide to jazz-house

“I really love jazz, but I will never be a jazz musician as much as I dream. 

But, I think that the jazz music I love is there in my music.” – Laura Mvula

The spirit of jazz has been guiding house music since its inception in 1980s Chicago, when artists like Frankie Knuckles and Ron Hardy first used primitive DJ mixers and other electronic instruments to create on-the-fly combinations of different musical styles. What began as their soundtrack to dance floors in clubs and warehouses – an eclectic, improvisational fusion of jazz-funk, euro-pop, rock and disco – then spread throughout the states and the rest of the world. The sound evolved, compartmentalized, and ‘house’ music became a kaleidoscopic genre unto itself. 

Some of these permutations eschew organic sounds completely, like acid house, which opts for a raw, rhythmic approach propelled by squelchy basslines from the Roland TR-303. Other styles emphasize a more soothing atmosphere, like deep house, which often includes jazz chords and soulful vocals in its propulsive mid-tempo rhythms. But jazz-house, true to its name, keeps jazz music front-and-center. Whether through samples or live organic instrumentation, jazz-house seeks to replicate the atmosphere of jazz in a house track, sometimes even creating 1:1 mixtures of electronics and jazz soloing. 

Therein lies the key to distinguishing it from even the jazziest deep house. Broadly speaking, jazz-house sounds like…