Motor City Drum Ensemble consists of just one man, Danilo Plessow, from Germany’s very own motor city, Stuttgart. He has worked under many guises, but caused quite a stir with his collection of releases on his own MCDE imprint. Now the tracks are compiled along with some exclusive unreleased material. As his moniker implies, Plessow is a fan of classic Detroit techno, but this mix shows the man also has an affinity for old-school Chicago house, not to mention vintage soul and boogie. Through his Raw Cuts series Plessow has developed a hypnotic deep house sound that simultaneously reveres the past while remaining clearly focused on the future. His soulful tunes cross genres effortlessly to bring back some soul to house and techno music. The tracks are raw ad touch on the essence of Detroit with dirty drums, ruff basslines and that hand-cut feel made famous by Theo Parrish. Combining clever sampling with a penchant for analogue equipment, MCDE has cultivated a style that is somehow incredibly loose and tight at the same time.

Most of the tracks on Raw Cuts Vol. 1 have that thumping 4/4, which makes them a deadly effective dance floor weapon. Best tracks are the slow burner “Raw Cuts #6” with chiming keys, a building steady beat, and a diva making her way into the track over the driving groove; and the unreleased “There’s a Truth,” which sounds like a lost Fingers Inc. track. To many, this man was the producer of 2009, and listening to this collection makes 2010 look mighty bright.

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