Intense Records

The New Jersey EP

Hard Times
HTRE015
House
12"

£13.33 (£15.99 incl. VAT)

Theres a reason they call it deep House. On 'The New Jersey' EP, DJ Romain doesnt just nod to his roots, he digs into them, scooping out a warm, rhythmic core that pulses with sweat, memory, and reverence. This is not a revival or a pastiche; its a love letter etched in drum machines and delay, from a producer whos lived the lineage.A fixture of late-90s NYC dance floors, Romain cut his teeth in the citys thumping underbelly, learning from the likes of Todd Terry and later carving his own signature into the genres sidewalk. Across these four freshly cut tracks, Romain channels the same urgency that once drove dance crews, celebrities, and nightlifers alike into motion, and still does.Lead track Hello New York is a no-nonsense DJ tool, a serrated slice of big room energy built around snapping snares, a jackhammer kick, and a spoken word vocal that bristles with pride and uplift. Put more cut in your strut pride in your stride - its part mantra, part mission statement. But Its Alright flips the vibe, conjuring up basement jazz sessions through dusky chords and a muted, plucked bassline that slinks like a late-night subway ride.On Check Your Pockets, the energy turns inward and abstract, a woozy, psychedelic House jam that feels like dancing through a heatwave haze. He wraps the record with Deep Inferno, a peak-time burner full of sticky Afro-funk polyrhythms, clashing vocal chops, and steam-pressure percussion. Its unhinged, hypnotic, and gloriously raw.Having revisited his archive with The Lost D.A.T.S.' series, Romain returns to Hard Times not as a nostalgia act but as a flamekeeper - still innovating, still sweating, still firmly on the floor. The New Jersey EP is a love letter, yes, but its also a reminder: House never left. It just got deeper.