Romanthony

Romanthony routinely summoned both the raw soul and the raw sound of originals from the glory days of acid house and garage during the late '80s. Though he was much more an underground name in his native America than Europe (where he released several full LPs and collections), two Romanthony vocals (and a co-production) for the second album released by fans Daft Punk helped lift his status in the mainstream dance scene. Born Anthony Moore, he began producing in the garage mecca of New Jersey, specializing in high-energy, low-fidelity productions during an era in which dance productions became ever more mainstreamed. Released on his own Black Male label, club assaults like "Floorpiece" and "Let Me Show You Love" presented an aggressive, extroverted dancefloor persona straight out of Prince's playbook and akin to Chicago's Green Velvet. Despite local popularity for his tracks and mixes, Romanthony was nowhere near a worldwide name until the mid-'90s, when Britain's Azuli Records released a full-length collection of Black Male productions titled Romanworld. His trademarked throwback acid house became a hot sound by the end of the decade, and the growing house mecca of Scotland became an early convert, with a raft of singles on Glasgow Underground. His first proper album, Instinctual, was a collaboration with Glasgow Underground's DJ Predator. Live in the Mix followed on Distance in 1999, and another retrospective (R.Hide in Plain Site) appeared on Glasgow Underground in 2000. Romanthony continued releasing singles throughout the 2000s and early 2010s, with his final released song a featured appearance on Kris Menace's "2Nite4U" in 2012. He died May 7, 2013, at his home in Austin, Texas, due to complications from kidney disease. ~ John Bush, Rovi