Sophisticated vocal house action from Spencer Parker on “Better Days”

Nice bit of vocal house action here, with this quality return to Rekids from Spencer Parker with Tee Amara. Parker’s original (no relation to Jimi Polo’s classic late ’80s piano anthem of the same name), which also comes with a Spanish language version, began life back in 2018 as a track called “Faster Forward” on his Dance Music album. The track on this EP is the same but with a brand new vocal from Tee Amara and an additional Radio Slave remix. So the original is a smooth, techno-ish house tune with rich pad chords and not much more percussion than a 4/4 kick, ticking 16th hi-hats and an occasional clap driving things along, and with Tee Amara’s beguiling vocals at the heart of it all.

Parker worked in a tasty set of sophisticated house piano chords with a hint of Layo & Bushwacka’s “Love Story” to them in the second half of the tune, and I’m happy to report they appear in the remix from Rekids founder Radio Slave. He also beefs up the drums and percussion, adding a traditional house hatz-n-clapz pattern that kind of makes the track a little more orthodox and predictable but not in a bad way, because while the original had a nice floaty feel to it, the Radio Slave remix feels much more danceable to me. The remix also includes a soulful house-style b-line in an already pretty slick-sounding production and the overall result is a top-end, gleaming, sleek piano-vocal house groove that rolls along wonderfully smoothly, the kind of track with the potential to generate a fair degree of dancefloor jubilation without once resorting to any cheap sonic fireworks. Quality remix.

⚪️ Better Days Tracklisting

Spencer Parker feat. Tee Amara: Better Days (Rekids / 12" Vinyl + Digital)
1. Better Days (Radio Slave Remix) (09:48)
2. Better Days (Spencer's Version) (08:00)
3. Better Days (Spencer's Spanish Version) (08:00)

⚪️ Disclosure Statement

This record was not submitted as a promo.

⚪️ Previous Coverage

❇   RepeatAll: Album of the Month: Monty Luke’s Nightdubbing (2024)
✳   New Music: Heaven On Earth: Bushwacka in top form for his first Rekids EP (2025)
📰   News: Chicago’s VIVA ACID returns for four days of talks, workshops & acid house (2024)
✳   New Music: Brian Kage remixes “Strings 4 Life” for Oliver Dollar’s “Contemporary” series (2024)
✳   New Music: Ian Pooley gets raw & deep on Studio A Part 2 (2022)

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VISIONS: Originally published in 5 Mag Issue #219 featuring Hieroglyphic Being, Sunset Sound System founder Galen, Z.I.P.P.O., Flurb and more. Become a member for $2/month and get every issue in your inbox right now…

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