Have we got a special treat for our house heads today in Ninja land. New York via London deep-house maestro Rashid Ajami gave us the drop on a brand new collaborative EP with Haroun Hickman, They Wanna Know, along with an exclusive video premiere to pace your hump-day wonderfully. Ajami, who has authored stellar releases on some of our favorite dance labels including Anjunadeep, Get Physical and Kitball Records, and Hickman’s stylistic production aesthetic coalesce superbly on “They Wanna Know”. A punchy four-four kick-drum and snappy snare clear the way for Ajami and Hickman’s chilly vocal to ride in on a wave of reverb before bursting open under a deep synth line, which serve as the track’s bedrock up until the first break. Following that crucial space is an arpeggiated chord progression, again pushing “They Wanna Know” further into the dance hall, while a scooting hi-hat wraps the deep groove up with a neat little bow.
The extended play’s latter half comes in the form of a remix from Hot Creation’s Mark Jenkyns who pumps a little more jack onto the original with a deep, MOOG tweaked synth and almost Gesaffelstein leaning snare kick, which for us Ninjas might as well be auditory bait. While a bit darker in execution, Jenkyns’ revision also had us scooting around the office, while simultaneously injecting some serious bounce into our step. Both the A and B side play as well thought out, and expertly crafted dance movements, and we hope you have as much trouble as we did deciding which version to vibe with more. Here’s a hint, they’re both incredible.
We’re not selling you short either. The official and beautifully psychedelic music video for “They Wanna Know” is below, which for our more visually inclined readers, is the clear Yin to the audio track’s Yang. Stream both tunes, take them home for free above, and stream the official music video for Rashid Ajami & Haroun Hickman’s “They Wanna Know” below.
