Blaze
The New Jersey production team known as Blaze authored a number of deep house anthems from the 1980s and '90s, including "If You Should Need a Friend" and "Lovelee Dae" under their own name as well as "Hideaway" by De'lacy and "My Desire" by Amira. Signed to a contract with Motown (ostensibly for their R&B/pop crossover potential) in 1989, the trio of Josh Milan, Kevin Hedge and Chris Herbert issued one solid album for the label before embarking on a career short on LPs but long on stellar productions for a variety of artists. The production wing of Blaze, namely Milan and Hedge (the latter a former gospel singer) began as early favorites on the New York/New Jersey garage scene of the mid-'80s. The pair, both DJs and fans of Tony Humphries' sets at the Newark club Zanzibar, began producing in 1984 and made a name for themselves two years later with a pair of garage classics, "If You Should Need a Friend" and "Whatcha Gonna Do" (with vocals by Colonel Abrams). Remixes and additional production for British synth-popsters ABC led to a recording contract with Motown in 1989. With semi-permanent vocalist Chris Herbert added to the lineup, Blaze released their debut album 25 Years Later in 1990. Though the single "So Special" did well in the clubs, it wasn't quite the crossover Motown expected and the group was dropped.
Though the major labels had enough of crossover house music by the early '90s, there was still a major independent market for the music. Milan and Hedge continued to produce and record, both separately and together, during the decade. In 1994, they wrote and produced the British Top Ten hit "Hideaway" by De'Lacy. Three years later, Blaze added Tee Alford and returned with another club hit ("Lovelee Dae") and their second full-length, Basic Blaze (recorded for the UK-based Slip'N'Slide label). A Blaze retrospective appeared in 1999. 2001 saw the release of Natural Blaze, a tribute to their late friend James Toney, Jr., followed by Spiritually Speaking two years later.
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My Beat (feat. Palmer Brown)
House - Released by Slip 'N' Slide on 18 Aug 1997
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Lovelee Dae
House - Released by 4 To The Floor Records on 13 Oct 1997
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Do You Remember House? (feat. Palmer Brown) (Remixes)
House - Released by Slip 'N' Slide on 8 Jan 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Breathe (Natasha Diggs Remix)
House - Released by Slip 'N' Slide on 22 Mar 2024
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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How Deep Is Your Love (feat. Alexander Hope) (DJ Spinna Remix)
House - Released by Slip 'N' Slide on 23 Feb 2024
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Family (The Blaze Mixes)
House - Released by Blaze Imprints on 12 Dec 2007
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Spread Love
House - Released by King Street Sounds (BEAT Music Fund) on 31 Jul 2020
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Past Life (feat. The Myracles & Jaime Deraz)
Dance - Released by LFG Records on 28 Dec 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Most Precious Love (Remix) (DF’S Future 3000 Mix Edit)
House - Released by King Street Sounds on 25 Nov 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Basic Blaze
House - Released by Slip 'N' Slide on 18 Aug 1997
The Qobuz Essential Discography16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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The Best of Blaze, Vol. 2 - Hubert Street
House - Released by Blaze Imprints on 13 Dec 2007
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Natural Blaze
Blaze, James Toney Jr. Project
House - Released by Slip 'N' Slide on 16 Mar 2001
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Spiritually Speaking
House - Released by Slip 'N' Slide on 1 Sep 2002
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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The Best of Blaze, Vol. 1 - The Motown Years
House - Released by Blaze Imprints on 12 Dec 2007
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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The Instrumentals Project
House - Released by Papa Records on 23 Aug 2004
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -