So a couple of years back, I'm talking to one of the legends in House Music about a story we were working on. He's one of the few who've earned respect a couple of times over, not just for what he did then but for what he does now. A quarter century after this guy got you to turn on your radio and change your life for the better, he's still in the game, playing records, hammering the crowd, doing what I wish everyone who wanted to wear the mantle of royalty would do.

We got around to talking about young people and House Music - that same old topic that's been done to death and at this point sounds like your dad cracking on your Beatles and your rock'n'roll. I mentioned that young people were indeed listening to House, they had a scene, and they had their own heroes, just like I did in the 1990s, just like he did coming up in the late 1970s.

The difference is this: they're playing House Music, but it might not be the House Music that you like. Isn't it always that way? This is a fact: most 18 year olds are just not gonna get their rocks off on impossibly soulful edits of Stevie Wonder and Donna Summers' records made decades before they were born. I didn't listen to it when I was 18 either and if you want to be honest I doubt you did either.

The Martinez Brothers were (and still are) a genuine phenomenon. There's nothing phony about it. A lot of this is because of their age, but 18 year old DJ/producer/record mavens are no longer a novelty. Instead, it was because of the (very genuine) grassroots manner in which they worked their way up and the kind of music they played. Deep dons like Danny Krivit and others in the New York City scene praised their abilities and taste. It's honestly the kind of thing you don't see happen much anymore.

I'm a big fan of people who can listen to a record without skimming the label, who can judge it on its merits without looking at who released it, who produced it and what label picked it up. And I'm pretty sure if many in the Deep House camp who have been extremely interested in knowing what productions the wunderkinder of NYC's House scene would sound like - I'm pretty sure that if some of them came across this record without knowing who put it out, they'd slide it right back in the stacks.

But I'm not saying you should. You shouldn't pass on this. Give this a serious listen and you might be surprised at what you find, rather than obsessing about what you don't. Don't No Yet is tracky in spots, progressive in others, and even flirts with electro. It's a very extreme departure from the Deep stuff. This shouldn't surprise you: the Martinez Brothers seem to have been evolving in this direction for a long time.

There are moments here of understated adeptness, such as mixing what sound like purely analog instruments (I've yet to hear a digital hand-clap that sounds nearly as good as the old school variety) with a thoroughly modern sound.

Overall, it's different, and frankly you have to champion that if nothing else - it would have been very easy to release some Deep-by-the-numbers record (we know all about those) and appease their fanbase. This is not your daddy's House Music.

Where Can I Find it?

Online at juno, beatport, stompy, with vinyl at downtown304. Previews embedded below.

The Martinez Brothers - Won't Somebody:

The Martinez Brothers - Don't No Yet:

The Martinez Brothers - Broke In The BX:

+ Track Listing	Duration	Recommended
01: Won't Somebody	7:21
02: Don't No Yet	6:29
03: Broke in the BX	7:38