The Checkup and DJ Merci return to Heattraxx with Robert Owens and Lee Wilson in tow for a raw, soulful slice of proper house music.
Now onto their fourth collaborative EP, The Checkup and DJ Merci have clearly found a formula that works. “Don’t Change Who You Are” sees the pair strip things back to the essentials, with the entire project composed on an MPC2000XL and built around warm grooves, soulful vocals and the kind of uncomplicated house energy designed for a dancefloor.
And when you’re making vocal house, there aren’t many voices carrying quite the history of Robert Owens.
Owens takes centre stage on the title track, “Don’t Change Who You Are”, his instantly recognisable delivery sitting beautifully over a loose, bumping groove. There’s plenty of soul here, but importantly the production doesn’t become overly polished around him. The drums retain their rawness, the bassline does the heavy lifting and Owens is given the space to do what he does best.
It’s timeless rather than nostalgic, drawing from classic house without sounding like an exercise in recreating it.
“It Ain’t Over” brings Lee Wilson into proceedings and lifts the energy another notch. Wilson’s soulful vocal rides a more direct, jacking rhythm, with chunky drums and an infectious groove giving the track an immediate summer feel.
Steve Robinson then takes “It Ain’t Over” somewhere deeper on his remix. The energy remains, but there’s more weight underneath it, reshaping the original into a bumpier late-night workout without losing Wilson’s vocal at the heart of the record.
Apparently the whole EP was put together during temperatures approaching 40°C with no air conditioning. Somehow that feels entirely appropriate.
You can hear the heat in it.
No unnecessary tricks, no overproduction. Just an MPC, a couple of seriously good vocalists and three cuts of warm, soulful house music.
Our pick: “Don’t Change Who You Are (Extended Mix)”
Release Date: 28 August 2026, pre order here.
Label: Heattraxx
Catalogue: HT045
Format: Digital