Journey

Lithuanian producer Mario Basanov is putting a big dent in the electronic world with his eagerly anticipated 2012 debut album, Journey. The opener is “Just Think About”: a deep house—flavored smash with an arresting disco diva vocal by South Carolina R&B singer/songwriter Miss Bee. The vintage synth tones here set to a timed delay closely recall Harold Faltermeyer's 1984 electronic instrumental "Axel F" from the Beverly Hills Cop soundtrack. Other notable female vocalists peppering Journey include Oregon chanteuse Athena Radford in the romantic “Like a Child” and London jazz singer Jazzu, who gives the effervescent lullaby “Under Your Feet” a velvet texture and sultry vibe. Basanov also employs male singers throughout Journey, deviating from the stereotype that house music needs female vocalists. Minalga sings in a deep and soulful tenor on the percolating “We Are Child of Love,” while Edwin Williamson's boyish croon graces the seductively pulsing “Something About.” New Orleans’ Rahjwanti recalls What Color Is Love—era Terry Callier in “Slip Away.”