Alex “Omar-S” Smith has proven himself to be a one-man industry in his native Detroit, cranking out body-pumping techno while also handling the operations at his label FXHE Records (not to mention holding down a day job at Ford). But it’s when Omar-S opens up his tracks to outside vocalists that new aspects of his sound arise. Recently, he teamed with California bedroom-pop chanteuse Nite Jewel (aka Ramona Gonzalez) for “Confess to U.” It’s a worthy follow-up to last year’s “Sky Train,” which crafted a George McCrae-style groove so dreamy that airports should really make it the theme song for their terminal shuttles.
“Confess to U,” in comparison, hews closer to Smith’s regular techno cruising speed, but Nite Jewel’s silky, diaristic delivery softens the edges of Smith’s production just enough. Her voice works well with Smith’s heartstring tugging synths which resemble Mr Fingers. The track also draws on both early 1990s Latin house as well as 1980s Freestyle electronic music, Gonzalez channeling Judy Torres and Lil Suzy amidst Omar’s backdrop of supple kicks and whipping claves. It’s a track that provides a delectable middle ground between the two artists and their sensibilities. Much like Gonzalez’s ongoing Nite-Funk project, it’s a dialogue that will hopefully continue to reveal new wrinkles in both of their works.
