Spaces and Places

If ever there was a living counter-argument to the idea that artists need to diversify to achieve longevity, it’s Kerri Chandler. The New Jersey house god has been ploughing a recognisable furrow since the turn of the 90s — yet even 30+ years after starting, like a Japanese craftsman doing one thing with ever-more finesse he’s able to make four-to-the-floor kickdrums, lavish piano and velvet-toned guest vocalists sound fresh again and again and again. Partly that’s because he’s never lost touch with clubs, nor the clubs with him — completely immune to shifting trends or revivals, he’s brought in new young clubbers to the fold even as he’s retained the adulation of his original audiences, and in tribute each of the 24 tracks on this 2022 album are dedicated to a dancefloor somewhere in the world. From start to end he just does what he does, yet it never feels like a period piece, nor does it feel like a cynical production line: every track, no matter how familiar it may be, hits deep emotional spots as well as activating the muscle memory of anyone who knows how to dance. This is dance music as folk culture, delivered with unbelievable finesse.