With ‘Sketches In Deep,’ New York’s Mike Nasty delivers a deeply expressive body of work that captures the very essence of house music’s soul. Rooted in groove but lifted by musicality, the record feels like a living, breathing thing, one that celebrates jazz-infused textures, radiant keys, and the connective spirit of dance.
As the founder of Nasty Tracks, Nasty has always treated his imprint like a creative playground, a space for rhythmic storytelling and emotional elevation. Here, he fully steps into his own narrative, sketching seven distinct moments that blend the organic warmth of live instrumentation with the pulse of modern club culture.
Opening cut ‘Jazz Flower’ sets the tone beautifully. Laced with horn flourishes, airy pianos, and a steady late-night rhythm, it channels that golden era of soulful house while keeping things refreshingly current. It’s the kind of track that feels alive, morphing between dancefloor energy and introspective calm.
‘Passion’ follows with a smooth, velvety rhythm section and emotive chord work that glows from within. Its gentle intensity gives way to a soaring key solo that feels almost spiritual, a moment that perfectly encapsulates the EP’s title, sketching emotion through depth and detail.
Third single ‘Sing Your Praise’ is pure uplift. Driven by a divine vocal performance and an arrangement that feels like sunlight breaking through cloud cover, it’s a track made for communion on the floor. There’s a palpable sense of joy here, Mike Nasty’s background as both DJ and musician shines through in how he balances groove and sentiment.
Midway through, ‘Jungle’ pivots the energy toward a progressive space, trading smoothness for propulsion. A rolling bassline and percussive drive push the track forward, while subtle piano motifs weave in and out like fragments of a jam session. It’s one for the dancers who never stop moving.
Then comes ‘Cooper Tones,’ a refreshing shift into broken-beat territory. Its freeform piano runs and fractured rhythms create a sense of open-air improvisation, a welcome breath of experimentation that still feels right at home within the EP’s flow.
‘Nocturne’ is perhaps the collection’s most cinematic moment, with its anchoring bassline and crisp percussion forming a foundation for keys that glide and shimmer. It’s night music in the truest sense—reflective, deep, and transportive.
Finally, the dub version of ‘Sing Your Praise’ brings things full circle. Stripped of the lead vocal but filled with warmth, it echoes the release’s message of connection and devotion, proving that even without words, the feeling remains.
Across ‘Sketches In Deep’, Mike Nasty demonstrates his dual mastery of craft and emotion. It’s a record that not only reinforces his standing as a tastemaker within the deep and jazzy house continuum, but also expands on it, painting a portrait of an artist deeply in tune with the lineage of house while still charting his own forward-looking path.
The ‘Sketches In Deep’ album is available here