Malik Kassim returns to Wolf Music with four richly textured deep house cuts, drawing on warm Rhodes, soulful vocals and classic 90s garage influences.
Malik Kassim, better known to many house music followers under his Retromigration alias, returns to Wolf Music Recordings with the second instalment of his “Choices” series. Released under his own name, the four-track EP finds the producer exploring the warmer, more soulful corners of deep house, with clear affection for the sounds that emerged from New York, New Jersey and the wider US underground during the 1990s.
Wolf Music has long provided a home for house music that places musicality and groove ahead of passing trends, making Kassim’s approach a particularly comfortable fit. Across “Choices EP Vol 2”, he draws on familiar ingredients including Rhodes keyboards, shimmering strings, vocal fragments and rounded basslines, but there’s enough variation in the arrangements to give each track its own identity.
Opening cut “10k” establishes the mood with a beautifully rolling deep house groove, built around warm Rhodes chords and a plunging bassline that provides much of the track’s movement. Delicate but slightly searing high strings add another layer of texture, while soulful male vocals and more club-oriented female ad-libs bring a distinctly human quality to the production. There’s plenty happening musically, yet the individual elements are given room to breathe, creating a lush arrangement that feels both rich and effortlessly fluid.
“Love Underground” moves into sunnier territory, carrying a warmth that immediately brings to mind those long afternoons when the music gradually begins to gather momentum on an outdoor dancefloor. Female vocal snippets drift across a heady groove, while the breakdown introduces sweeping, warm string synths that open up the arrangement considerably. A stuttering percussion build gradually increases the tension before the drums return with renewed purpose, transforming the track into a particularly satisfying terrace-ready deep house workout. It’s a well-judged moment that gives the production an additional lift without sacrificing its relaxed musical character.
The mood becomes more introspective on “Hic”, a wonderfully deep production that draws on the dreamy qualities of early Italian house as much as the soulful foundations of its American counterparts. Whispered vocal textures sit alongside classic piano refrains and rolling Rhodes chords, with the warmth of the instrumentation carrying the track forward. There’s an understated elegance to the arrangement, particularly in the way the keyboard parts interact with the rhythm section, creating a groove that feels unhurried but never static.
Closing track “Minus 8” introduces a more playful character, with almost toy-like synth melodies and shimmering pads giving the production a dreamy, nostalgic quality. Its musical references sit firmly within the classic 90s deep house tradition, although Kassim avoids making it feel like a straightforward exercise in revivalism. As the arrangement develops, a male vocal declaring “The Rhythm” cuts through the mix, bringing an increase in energy and helping the track build into a lovely rolling house groove. It’s particularly easy to imagine this one working during the early stages of an evening, when a DJ is beginning to introduce a little more movement without pushing the tempo or intensity too far.
What makes “Choices EP Vol 2” such an enjoyable listen is Kassim’s understanding of the musical details that give deep house its lasting appeal. The Rhodes chords, strings and vocal touches are familiar enough to evoke a particular period in the genre’s history, but the productions are carefully arranged and sufficiently individual to stand comfortably on their own.
There’s also a pleasing sense of progression across the four tracks, from the soulful richness of “10k” and the uplifting breakdowns of “Love Underground” through to the deeper atmosphere of “Hic” and the gently playful closing moments of “Minus 8”.
For anyone whose record collection contains a healthy selection of classic US garage, Italian dream house and the more soulful end of 90s deep house, there’s plenty here to appreciate. Kassim has delivered a beautifully musical EP that understands the importance of warmth, melody and, above all, a groove that keeps moving.
Release Date: 23 October 2026, pre order here.
Label: Wolf Music Recordings
Catalogue: WOLFEP090
Format: 12″ Vinyl
Genre: Deep House / Garage House
Tracklisting
- “10k”
- “Love Underground”
- “Hic”
- “Minus 8”