Producers to the stars, Deep Dish have won numerous awards (including two Grammys), supported Madonna, remixed The Stones, Michael and Janet, The Pet Shop Boys and many more, played Versace couture fashion shows, DJed in the world’s most famous clubs, have had plenty of top 20 hits and were voted the second best DJ/ production outfit in the world by Rolling Stone magazine.
Over the past 15 years this US-based Iranian duo have had a success that few ‘deep house’ acts enjoy.
As expected, George Is On is accessible house; it’s not too deep or introverted, with the use of soft filters, lots of muted vocals and guest appearances from Stevie Nicks and Planet Funk’s Alex Nori. In fact, I reckon they’re swimming too far from the deep end with this release. Some songs are too fast and tacky, like the trance-inspired 'Sexy Ill'.
The version of Fleetwood Mac’s 'Dreams' is disappointingly unimaginative, sounding like the original with a basic house beat slapped behind it.
But a couple of the laid-back tunes are well realised, like 'Awake Enough', which could be Massive Attack, or the clean, simple instrumentalism of 'Gergio’s Theme', while 'In Love With A Friend' has the analogue elucidation of Air.
Some tunes have straight 4/4 beats used to lovely effect; the two singles, 'Flashdance' and 'Say Hello', are archetypal summer house tunes, with catchy vocals, simple melodies and uplifting percussion.
'Dub Shepard' reminds us that house and techno are never too far removed, while 'Bagel' waxes and wanes to a padded synth being played in an early '90s staccato style.
All in all, this is a dance album for the masses, but at the end of the day, house music is a niche genre so to mitigate it will always be a compromise.