MUTHAFUNKING HARD TIMES (EP) | 12IN VINYL

DJ Spen, Hard Times and DJ Spen go back decades. The Baltimore house veteran has long been a fixture at the label's parties, on the remixes, and now under his Muthafunkaz alias he cements the bond with a set that's as much a time capsule as it is a renewal. 'The Muthafunking Hard Times' EP revisits a clutch of Spen's early-to-mid-2000s jams that, till now, have never been committed to wax. True to form, Spen hasn't simply dusted them off: he's remastered, refreshed, and imbued them with a 2025 gleam, bridging past and present in one irresistible sweep. The A-side opens with the Funkee Kole Cappin' Mix of 2008's '(You Make Me Say) Woah!', a gospel-fired stormer whose call-and-response vocals climb skyward while a cheeky Fab Four nod keeps things buoyant. 'Holy Ghost' follows in it's Holy Spirit incarnation, wringing church-floor catharsis from tribal percussion and sanctified chants - a blast of kinetic, almost Faya Combo-like fervor. Flip the record and you're hit with the swing and strut of 2010's 'Gotta Hold On Me,' Spen's Vocal Mix turning horns and jazzy drums into a pure adrenaline surge. The closer, 'Doin' The Best I Can,' is a tonal shift: harmonica and guitar sketches circling loose-limbed beats, equal parts after-hours reverie and Sunday-morning balm. Too vibrant, too joyous, too Spen not to press - 'The Muthafunking Hard Times' EP isn't just archival housekeeping. It's an affirmation of what house music does best: uplift, electrify, and remind you that, even decades on, the spirit still moves. Tracklisting: A1. (You Make Me Say) Woah!!! A2. Holy Ghost (Holy Spirit Revision) B1. Gotta Hold On Me (That Skatt Thing) B2. Doin' The Best I Can