Sessions 201 EP : HT Zero feat. Kai Alce : FFWD02
Aug 19, 2009 Discography, Podcasts/Downloads
For its second release, Florida eclectic beats label FastFWD reaches slightly northward to the thriving yet under-appreciated house music scene in Atlanta, Georgia.
Here we find the jazzy deep house sound of HT Zero, the alias of keyboard wizard Harold Tuner who landed in the ATL via Detroit. His underground demos have been garnering play among the cream of Atlanta house DJs for over a year and now HT is ready for his first vinyl outing, the Groove 201 EP, courtesy of the honored FastFWD. Co-produced by Kai Alcé (Track Mode, Deep Explorer) this EP features two cuts showcasing HT’s musical skills as well as punchy, late night rhythms.
“Ky’s Groove” opens the promo with Latin-tinged percussion and bright, jazzy keys. Evolving beyond usual four-on-the-floor offerings the track displays warm and sentimental chord progressions and melodies. The following “Session 201” is a more driving affair bolstered by the interplay of separate keyboard lines and an extended improvised solo. Perfect for blending in the deeper, jazzier sets.
HT Zero’s Groove 201 EP has been floating around in a limited vinyl issue but this is the first digital promo and release from FastFWD of these unique tracks. We hope you enjoy them.
Tags: HT Zero, Kai Alce, Ky's Groove, Session 201, Sessions 210
HT Zero
Jun 2, 2009 Artists
Born and raised in Detroit, Michigan in the mid 60’s Harold was exposed to the sites and sounds of Motown. Music’s best and brightest artists cut their teeth on the concrete streets of the Motor City. The second youngest of 7 siblings he along with his older brother aspired to be musicians. Longing to be apart of his brother’s basement band Harold would practice playing the trumpet day in and day out learning and rehearsing a single sheet of music. His determination although did not give him entry in to the band, did set the tone for things to come. The creator had other plans for his musical gift and his persistence would eventually give way to inspiration in the form of keys.
Some of his musical influences are, Stevie Wonder, George Duke, George Clinton, Bootsy Collins, EWF, Jimmy Smith, David Sanbourn, James Cleveland, Rudolph Stanfield, Mattie Moss Clark, Herbie Hancock, Ricky Rouse, and Ovella Maples just to name a few. Although influenced by these great musicians, it was his natural gift to play by ear and eventually with sheet music that Harold would find himself playing as lead keyboardist at churches, directing choirs and providing vocal training in various cities up and down the eastern seaboard. Never giving up his gospel roots he would attend concerts of such greats as Stevie Wonder and even saw the mother ship land in George Clinton’s hay day! All these experience motivated Harold musically to push the boundaries of his talents. The definitive moment would come one fateful evening in viewing Billy Preston play the national anthem on a Hammond B3. “I knew then that I could play things my way as long as I gave the listener a hint of what they were supposed to hear.” From this point Harold would take on the keyboard as his primary instrument of choice, unashamed and unafraid to charter new waters and used his gospel influences and inspiration from those who’ve come before him to venture into the genre of House music. Detroit, arguably, is the birth place of techno and a hotbed for some of the earliest genres of House music. Harold latched on to House because he could still hold on to his gospel roots while amalgamating and evoking the spirit of dance that House is so known for. With friends from the neighborhood such as the likes of Delano Smith, Darryl Shannon, Kevin Dysard, Mike Huckabee, and close friends like Shirley, and Theresa Hill, Harold had the opportunity to frequent the famed house parties at Western Michigan University, The Sentinel, and The Music Institute. In 1995 on a contract job Harold found himself traveling to Atlanta for business and later found himself relocating for good. Some years later after acclimating himself with the Atlanta house scene and honing his craft he would later link up with the legendary Kai Alce and over drum beats and keys a hit was created.
Session 201 has been banging everywhere from Handzonradio.fm, SWEAT, to Rawsoul Entertainment’s House.
Currently Harold is in the studio working on vocals for his next track entitled “Genuine Love” with the world renowned Dj Kemit. “Session 201” is set to be released mid March 2008 on FastFWD records. It is not uncommon to find Harold at a party enjoying the vibrations of the night. To this day Harold can be found throwing a basement party with famed djs such as Ron Pullman, Mike Music, Yusef, and Kai Alce. And nothing compares to the look of contentment and humility that exudes from him when a dj drops one of his tracks and the dancers go crazy on the dance floor.
Tags: HT Zero
