Channel Tres - Black Moses (2019)

In the past year, Channel Tres has quickly risen from someone on the edges of dance music to someone firmly in the crosshairs of critics, fans and the underground alike. The Compton producer, singer and rapper combines some West Coast rap flair with old school Chicago house in a way that hasn’t been heard. After his debut self-titled EP last year, he has released a series of singles over 2019. Now three of them are compiled as part of a five-track EP Black Moses, out today.

The EP starts out with a soft intro that gets you into the mood for the rest of the project. He then launches into “Brilliant Nigga” full of rap braggadocio, but blends it with smooth Chicago house and a whistle that calls back to Frankie Knuckles.

The title track “Black Moses” leans in on the hip-hop elements of his music, pairing with JPEGMAFIA to spit over a hip-hop beat, but with hints of the house

He blends those worlds together even more potently with “Sexy Black Timberlake,” commenting on the women who want to be very intimately involved over a soulful, house beat.

Channel Tres’ husky voice is best felt on “Raw Power” that gets back into the New York / Chicago house influence with soft, whirring pads, flute and a strong beat that embraces the title.

For many fans, they have heard the bulk of the EP before it was released in full. Hearing it all in one project puts the pieces together and gives a more complete picture of the direction his music is going. He is showing remarkable growth over the past year with classic house that sounds very modern, while blending it with rap and soul.