HinweiseHouse Music is alive and thriving, y'all, and here's the proof: Loveslap's new cd series "Heartbeat" fuses the grit and synthetic sounds of current cutting-edge House with a hefty dose of old-school, earthy Soul. And no contemporary mixologist better embodies this fusion than legendary San Francisco DJ David Harness. One of the true stewards of the REAL Garage sound on the West Coast, and resident of such well loved Bay Area events as Taboo and Club Universe, David is known for his emotional, innovative, rump-shaking DJ sets. A veteran music maker as well, David has recently logged studio time for labels like Chez and Loveslap as well as a major label reworking of Simply Red's new song "Home," which touches down in a few weeks. David was clearly the man for the job here, and his mix on "Heartbeat volume 1" proves once again he has his finger firmly on the pulse of the groove generation.

Even the amateur listener will recognize David's diverse approach to the music on "Heartbeat volume 1." As on his mix on "Loveslapped volume 2," he moves easily through a wide variety of styles, from radio hit material (Goapele) -- to deep underground house, never losing his creative spark. From the bouncy invocation of Alma Horton's "Gimmie That Music" to the brilliant nu-soul of Blaze's "Found Love," his talent as a programmer who spends countless hours behind the decks is always evident. And he knows when to get tricky: check him riding the mix from Mr. V. & Miss Patty's "Deep (House Music)" through DJ Spinna's steaming Beats mix of "Closer," then dropping the Goapele acapella (giving the listener a never before heard, on the fly remix of the tune), then blending seamlessly into Charles Spencer's "Even Now." Jaw dropping. He also knows when to let a tune speak for itself, as when he lets Blaze's "Found Love" close the cd and play in it's entirety. With the entire Loveslap back catalog at his disposal, David seized on the opportunity and chose a few other Loveslap gems for this mix. Spencer Gray's sultry "Pillow Talk" makes the cut as does the smart jazz guitar driven "Breezy's Groove" and the Afro-charged "Tribal Stomp", both of which were co-written by Harness himself and Loveslap head honcho Charles Spencer. Both tracks were released on Loveslap's "Taboo Jazz EP" last November.