Ron Trent

𝘼𝙛𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙛𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙮𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙨 𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙡𝙖𝙧𝙜𝙚𝙡𝙮 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙐𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙎𝙩𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙨, 𝙍𝙤𝙣 𝙏𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙞𝙨 𝙨𝙚𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙧𝙚𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙣 𝙩𝙤 𝙜𝙡𝙤𝙗𝙖𝙡 𝙩𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙞𝙣 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱. 𝙏𝙤 𝙢𝙖𝙧𝙠 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙤𝙘𝙘𝙖𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣, 𝙝𝙚’𝙨 𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙣𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙙 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙍𝙪𝙨𝙝 𝙃𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙩𝙤 𝙧𝙚𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙚 𝙇𝙞𝙛𝙩 𝙊𝙛𝙛, 𝙖 𝙗𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙙-𝙣𝙚𝙬 𝙖𝙡𝙗𝙪𝙢 𝙤𝙛 𝙢𝙪𝙨𝙞𝙘 𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙤𝙧𝙙𝙚𝙙 𝙖𝙩 𝙙𝙞𝙛𝙛𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙥𝙤𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙨 𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙡𝙖𝙨𝙩 𝙙𝙚𝙘𝙖𝙙𝙚.
Arriving almost 35 years since he wowed the world with his game-changing debut, the Afterlife EP, Lift Off was inspired by Trent’s desire to ‘let the imagination speak for itself’ while exploring the diverse influences that have shaped his unique musical perspective. A departure from his previous album, 2022’s downtempo masterpiece as Warm, What Do The Stars Say To You, the 10-track set features a mixture of epic instrumentals, inspired collaborations and vocal cuts whose music was written with certain singers in mind.
For proof, check the five impeccable cuts on part one. There’s the tactile, Wally Badarou-inspired wonder ‘Hot Ice’, the mind-soothing chords, lilting synth-strings and samba-soaked percussion of ‘Woman of Color’, the warming deep house jazziness of ‘Jazz Funk’ and the restless, far-sighted brilliance of ‘Sexstrology’, where relaxed electric piano solos dance atop an infectious, locked-in dancefloor groove.
- Best of all though is Leroy Burgess collaboration ‘Let Me See You Shining’ – an inspired musical meeting of minds that cannily fuses Trent’s signature deep house sound with the soulful, vocal-driven brilliance of the New Yorker’s iconic boogie-era work. Even by the two artists’ dizzyingly high standards, it’s a very special song.