In case you didn’t know, there’s another “Tommie” in the game. I’m not talking about the phenomenon Tommy Trash, I’m talking about the legendary Tommie Sunshine who has been in the game far longer – dating back to the early 90s. Sunshine (Thomas Lorello) was born in 1971 and hails from Chicago where House music got its start. As someone who was on the scene when the scene began, Tommie Sunshine has remained a staple in the House music industry – gaining “legend” status while remaining relatively underground. While I’ve never seen him perform, he has become known for his live shows while also gaining notoriety as a remixer. Scion A/V writes “Club DJ, electronic artist, remixer and legendary live performer Tommie Sunshine adds another album to his list of accolades with Growth. Known for mastering bass-heavy beats and dance remixes of artists from Fall Out Boy to Katy Perry, Sunshine invigorates his new sound with all original electronic euphoria. It appears the artist has grown beyond the blissful mashup remixes we know him so well for—at least for now.”
Last week the Growth EP dropped for free on Scion A/V’s website, similar to when they featured a free and exclusive Nadastrom El Baile Diabluma EP download. The Growth EP features five high-energy tracks and sees collaborations with people like TAI, Fast Eddie, Polina, and The Partysquad. The opening track called “Chicago” is a tribute to the Windy City that gave birth to House music and is a fun way to start the EP, featuring rhyming by “HipHouse” legend Fast Eddie. The next track “Alright” starts off with Reggae vibes but then drops into a fist-in-the-air track with a four-on-the-floor beat. The main drop of “Barbarians” makes you feel like you’re getting ready to go to war and helps you realize the title is appropriate. “Mr. Night” is the most mainstream-sounding track, featuring the female vocals of Polina who has been on tracks with Laidback Luke, Angger Dimas, Tristan Garner, and Michael Woods. Finally we come to “Free” which is a collaboration in conjunction with German producer “TAI”. This one may be my favorite track only because it’s so unique-sounding but also has some great drive to it, easily making it a party anthem.
All-in-all this is a great effort by Tommie Sunshine who I encourage you to get more familiar with (there’s no shortage of his music out there).
Tommie Sunshine ft. Fast Eddie – Chicago
Tommie Sunshine ft. The Partysquad – Alright
Tommie Sunshine ft. Disco Fries & Kassiano – Barbarians
Tommie Sunshine ft. Polina – Mr. Night
Tommie Sunshine & TAI – Free
*Click here to download the ZIP package!*
*Update 11.14.12: Check out this weird video for “Mr. Night” released today*