Available Now!::Scott Ferguson::Ferris Street

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In southern Michigan completely surrounded by The City of Detroit lies a small community named Highland Park. It was within these borders that Scott Ferguson built his first studio on Ferris Street. Renting two rooms in an old grand house, he used one room as a bedroom and the other for a recording studio. During this time Ferrispark Records came to be known to the underground dance world. Tracks like “Dump Days” and “Bleed to be Free” were created and history was being made.

"Ferris Street" is an album compiled of previously unreleased tracks produced by Scott Ferguson during this era. The tracks on this album have the same soulful rawness as his early record releases, catching so many people’s attention.

The album kicks off with “One O’ Eight Ferris” paying homage to the old house on Ferris Street where so many wonderful things took place. It speaks of the romance and excitement of starting something new. Bouncing Rhodes chords and keys float on a heavy kik drum and sliding high hats while a sweet sax chases the beat. A tribute to a location where possibilities were endless and dreams became reality.

The second track “The Simple Things” truly has an early ‘House’ feeling. Heavy beats and filtered samples shake your eardrums as the snare works like metronome somehow holding the sloppiness of the track together. Then the filters slowly rise revealing the catchy keyboard loop that makes heads nod and hands clap.

Third is the raw and jazzy “Sticks and Stones”. A funky bass line works its way in between dirty drum loops while a sliding high hat in neither here nor there. A deep delayed piano introduces an entrancing flute and somewhere near the middle is a programmed drum solo that gives just enough time to miss those ‘beginning elements’ before they are reintroduced.

The fourth song on the album is entitled “Dancing in Circles” and makes use of disco and soul samples to set a ‘body moving’ mood. The track is a great combination of groovy bass line, guitar, funky horns, and deep chords. It induces that happy house feeling.

Track five “Joe W” is a little less straightforward and a little more experimental. Congas and record pops lead into a deep groaning chord peppered with jazzy guitar licks. As the filters rise, the chord becomes more prominent giving way for the booming kik drum. During the break a mellow guitar loop joins the ensemble and works along side the jazzy guitar licks making for a perfectly distinct ending.

Next Ferguson uses the music of “South of Eight Mile” to explain the differences in living conditions one witnesses by simply crossing a street. A somber piano loop is intertwined with stiff hats and drums pressed on by a stern bass line. The side he speaks of is somehow more serious.

Following is the melon collie then somewhat harsh “Calm and the Storm”. At the beginning high frequencies of a filtered Rhodes mix with live drumming while a heavy bass and organ set an eerie and calming mood. As the track transpires the keyboards, bass, and drumming become more poignant and the mood becomes much more aggressive, giving an edgier mood.

The eighth track “Wine Red Walls (live mix)” was recorded live from a mixer and sequencer in one take. A strange loop grinds in and out of the mix, while crunchy high hats slip and slide over a constant woman’s breath. Even though the track is far from the perfect production (it even clips at points) it gives that dirty, dark, ‘stand in front of the speaker all night’ feeling that Ferguson carries in his soul.

Closing out the album is “Leaving” appropriately named for the end of an album and the end of an era. The track is composed of spacey filtered strings pushed by a stabbing punchy bass, scattered high hats and congas, and a weighty kik drum. The song speaks beautifully of a deep appreciation for the time spent well on Ferris Street and the sadness of leaving.

To listen & buy please visit BEATPORT.COM