Many clubbers, DJs and producers remember Back To Basics as a seminal club night in the history of house music. Still going strong (33 years and counting!), the Leeds institution has been helmed by Dave Beer right from the start.

Basics gave UK debuts to US DJs such as Doc Martin, Derrick Carter and Francois K, as well as early opportunities to the likes of Daft Punk, Basement Jaxx and Groove Armada. People remember who helped them in their early days, and there’s a lot of affection towards Dave and how he always put others before himself.

Hosting a long-running party is a talent in itself. What a lot of people haven’t realised is that Dave, latterly, has become a fine party-rocking DJ, a surrealist painter of some repute, and has dabbled in producing music himself over the years — without ever releasing anything into the outside world. Until now.

2025 will see Dave release his debut album, preceded by a number of top-notch singles. First up comes ‘For The Beloved’, which features some amazing soulful vocals from Chicago house music legend Robert Owens, recorded when he stayed over in Leeds.

When Dave reached out to US house legend Todd Terry for a remix, the New Yorker was only too happy to oblige. Dave had given Todd various important gigs back in the day — what goes around comes around.

Todd Terry, of course, is the NYC house legend who singlehandedly invented hip-house when he brought hip-hop influences into house, such as on ‘I’ll House You’ with the Jungle Brothers. Early house cuts like ‘Can You Party’, ‘Jumpin’’ and his remix of Everything But The Girl’s ‘Missing’ are some of the classic tracks of the genre, and Todd is still always hungry for more.

Todd was so taken by ‘For The Beloved’ that he delivered not one but three remixes. The ‘B2B Mix’ makes good use of some spirituals at the start, some tuff Todd beats and a groovy bassline driving it forwards. By the time Robert Owens’s unmistakably soulful voice comes in, you’re firmly locked into the groove.

The straight up Todd Terry remix wastes no time getting to the point, foregrounding Robert’s vocals early on before elevating it to a higher plain. The Tee’s Freeze mix, meanwhile, is more for late night dancefloors. “Life’s for the living / So don’t have regrets” is a phrase that could sum up Dave Beer’s raison d’être, and has taken on renewed poignancy given recent events in Dave’s life.

In the middle of 2024, Dave was diagnosed with cancer. Thankfully it transpired that it was treatable. As the cancer was cut out during an operation in early November, Dave had to be taken to intensive care to have a blood transfusion, but he rallied — it’s not the first time he’s diced so closely with death. And now it’s time to refocus on his art, putting himself squarely in the limelight to receive the plaudits he so heartily deserves.

Jack Said What is delighted to have Todd Terry on the firm now. These three Todd reworkings are some of the best work he has produced in recent years. They demand to be heard.