The crushing news of Kenny Gino’s sudden passing in July of this year hit very hard. Having only just come out of hiatus to release new Solid Gold Playaz material for us here on Freerange, the US underground house heroes are set to introduce their uncompromising deep, jacking sound to a whole new audience. And with Kenny’s partner Mike T’s blessing for the previously scheduled follow up EP to go ahead, we are proud to present you with the Solid Gold Playaz Next To You EP. For the hardcore fans out there, this music will blow you away, and feels to me at least, like the ultimate SGP release, even without the added weight and poignancy the tracks now carry. Opening up we have Next To Me which is as deep as it gets with beautiful floating synths drifting on top of an unrelenting rolling groove whilst Kenny’s vocal adds a powerful and emotive edge. My Soul Is Quiet follows with another incredible piece of music, drawing you in with its hypnotic mood and simple yet ridiculously compelling bass and synth hook. Again, the drums are unapologetically minimal - not a fill or breakdown in sight - but that is what locks you in and creates something entrancing which makes you feel like it could go on for eternity! Flip over for Who’s Playin’ For Ya, a more old school Chicago-inspired slice of raw, underground house which cuts up Rhodes, strings and snippets of vocal samples around a glitchy FM synth sequence. The funk is real on this one. Closing out this very special record we have Do You Think, going deeper still with expansive pads, soprano sax sample and chiming percussion all underpinned by a massive, dub bassline. Rest in peace Kenny Gino. You left a powerful legacy of amazing music! - Jamie