’90s R&B Gets Down with Deep House: Our 5 Favorite Tracks

Everyone loves a good throwback—even more so these days when it’s of a particular ’90s flavor. Find me one person who doesn’t at least crack a smile when Ginuwine’s “Pony” or Bell Biv DeVoe’s “Poison” comes on, and I’ll show you what could only be a joyless soul. Of course, predictable cyclical trend forecasting could have told us all the ’90s were up next to recycle, but no one could have foreseen the amplified smoov factor it now lends to deep house tracks. Yes, while fashion chicks don Docs and maroon lipstick in a convincing grunge homage, deep house producers are revisiting the glory days of R&B, praise Aaliyah. Up-front house has always been best with diva vocals, and when were divas better than in 1995? Mariah, Whitney, Mary J.—the sheer utterance of their names in sequence should cause Ke$ha and Katy Perry to sit the eff down, wherever they are. Even the one-hit wonders of the ’90s are inching back into consciousness—and aptly so, as those made up some of the most memorable party jams of the time. We’ve had our Walkman-covered ears to the street on this one and came up with five favorite R&B house joints that make us want to tie our sweatshirts around our waists and do the side-to-side. Get the dancefloor ready; mama’s goin’ in.

5. Jade “Don’t Walk Away” (Dragon Suplex Remix)

“All this loooooove, waiting just for youuuu…..” Damn, those girls knew how to kick game, right? 1990s R&B sirens were particularly good at offering up the whole kit and caboodle in every possible innuendo, but who’s complaining? Dragon Suplex adds some awesome piano stabs and a low-key breakdown to this one-hit that feels perfect for the early summer months.

4. Monica “B4 U Walk Out My Life” (Steed Lord Diva Edit)

I’ll be honest: I don’t even remember this track from back in the day (and I would have, trust me). But with this rendition of Monica’s “Make Things Right” by Iceland’s Steed Lord, you can skip looking up the original. This all brings back memories of a heated debate: Brandy or Monica? I was a Monica girl myself. Chick looks like she could do some damage.

3. KANT “Love Like This” (Original Mix)

“Love Like This” samples the Faith Evans song of the same name, and while there are a handful of decent remixes by everyone from Framewerk to Black Birdz, deep house darling Kant’s original mix takes it home. Pure romance, this one, brought to you by the ne’er-do-wrong crew at Sleazy Deep.

2. Monitor 66 “Triscuits” (Roberto Rodriquez Remix)

This one’s a sneaky bastard. You’d never know by its name that it samples R&B hardbody Keith Sweat’s “Twisted” hook. A true gem of 1998 and probably Sweat’s last stand, “Triscuits” ebbs and flows around the vocals with a vibe that’s somehow both beachy and admittedly heartbreaking. The shimmering breakdown and disco claps are nice touches, too.

1. Aaliyah “If Your Girl Only Knew” (Finnebassen Remix)

All hail the queen in her tomboy-turned-vixen glory. “If Your Girl Only Knew” was probably one of Aalyiah’s most slept-on tracks, eclipsed by the success of “One in a Million” and later, “Are You that Somebody.” It had the slinky sexiness of TLC’s adulterous anthem “Creep” without being easy, and it was always a perfect listen when the wrong dude was hollering. Oslo-based Finnebassen takes this one to a dancefloor level without losing that on-the-low tension, and as a producer, he is the one to beat in terms of deep house coming out of the nether-most region of the world. I’m keeping my eye on him, and I’m sure Aalyiah is too.

BONUS: If any producers out there happen to be on a nostalgia kick and need a few ideas, here are a few we at Insomniac would love to add to the rotation. Get on it!