Soul in the Horn Act 4: Remixes & Bonuses
There are compilations that simply collect tracks, and then there are compilations that document a movement. Soul in the Horn Act 4: Remixes & Bonuses, the latest and final instalment in Soul In The Horn’s acclaimed compilation series, belongs firmly in the latter category.
Released digitally on 17 July, with a deluxe double-vinyl edition following on 21 August, Act 4 brings the curtain down on a remarkable chapter for the New York-born music institution. Across 18 tracks, the collection draws together house, soul, jazz, Afro, Latin and hip-hop influences, with a cast of producers, vocalists, musicians and remixers who understand that groove is as much about feeling as it is about rhythm.
Curated by Soul In The Horn founders DProsper and Natasha Diggs, the album feels less like an attempt to neatly summarise the label’s history and more like a final dancefloor transmission, one that looks backwards while keeping its eyes firmly on the future.
From the opening seconds, the intention is clear. Karizma’s “Around” gets proceedings moving with relentless energy, synth fireworks and chopped soul vocals, setting a suitably high bar. From there, the album moves fluidly between deep, hypnotic house, soulful dancefloor material, jazz-inflected grooves and Afro-Latin rhythms.
Red Abode’s “Feel (Ian Wallace Remix)” heads into deeper territory, its hypnotic pads providing a spacious, late-night feel, while Deep Just feat. Josh Milan, Evolv Spreem & Jason Bacilio’s “A Swé A (Tonight) (Josh Milan’s Main Mix)” brings live instrumentation and jazzy house sophistication. Milan’s presence is particularly fitting given the musical lineage running through the project.
The DeBarge classic “All This Love”, presented here by Bobby Debarge Jr & Jaime Woods, gets two very different treatments. Emmaculate’s remix delivers a vibrant, uplifting soulful-house interpretation, while Japanese powerhouse Masaki Morii supplies a bonus remix that offers another perspective on the track.
Elsewhere, Yana Perrault’s “Make Up My Mind” (Merlin Bobb x Franke Estevez FUZION Remix Vox) takes the collection further into deep and soulful waters, while Elle Varner’s “Wanderer (Pat Lok Homage To SITH!)” injects a distinctly 90s flavour.
One of the album’s more personal moments comes from Soul In The Horn co-founder Natasha Diggs. Her “Love Is All That’s Real”, remixed by Mark Francis, rides on dancing flutes, organs and mellow keys, with Diggs’ vocal delivering a message that neatly encapsulates the spirit behind the wider Soul In The Horn project. Francis also appears later with a remix of Brandon Markell Holmes & Soul In The Horn’s “I Want You”, keeping the soulful deep-house thread running through the record.
There is plenty of space for the more adventurous side of the house spectrum, too. Coflo’s “Live On Skates (For The Rolla Rink Mix)” slows the tempo and gets suitably wonky and freaky, a lights-down-low moment that changes the album’s pace without breaking its flow.
Ricardo Barros’ “I Bytyra (Libation Remix by Ian Friday)” introduces Latin-house flavour, while Karizma returns for a second appearance with the deep and hypnotic “Open Your Eyes (KNEVRM!ND Dub)”.
The project’s connection to soulful music’s wider lineage is further underlined by Bilal’s “Live On (Daniel Crawford Remix DC Mix)”, bringing the unmistakable presence of the neo-soul heavyweight into the collection. DProsper himself steps forward with “Truth About Love (Remix)”, a smooth hip-hop-inflected cut that reinforces his role not just as curator and executive, but as an artist in his own right.
As the album moves towards its closing stretch, Drew Ashby’s “Afterhours SITH Mix” strips things back into a choppy jazz deep-house workout, while L3NI’s “Dance & Sweat_D33P” raises the tempo with another deep-house roller. Red Abode’s “Feel (Jay Vic Remix)” then switches gears again, combining Afro-house beats with soulful vocals and deep-house sensibilities.
And fittingly, the final word goes to a true legend. Timmy Regisford’s “Solid (Instrumental)” closes Act 4 in darker, more tribal territory. It’s a suitably evocative ending to a compilation built around movement, rhythm and collective energy.
What makes Act 4 particularly effective is the absence of a single rigid template. Soul In The Horn has always existed in the space where genres overlap, where a 45 can move from soul to funk to hip-hop, where house can absorb jazz and Afro-Latin rhythms, and where the dancefloor becomes a meeting point for different musical communities.
That ethos can be traced back to the origins of Soul In The Horn in New York City, where music curator DProsper and resident DJ Natasha Diggs established a dance party and live music showcase bringing together artists, musicians, dancers and music lovers. What began as a New York gathering developed into a global platform spanning music, events, technology and entertainment.
Diggs’ reputation as one of the world’s most versatile DJs, and her celebrated status as the “45 Queen”, has been central to that identity, while DProsper’s extensive career as a music executive, producer, A&R and creative force has helped build Soul In The Horn into an internationally recognised brand.
Act 4 therefore carries significance beyond its tracklist. It is a snapshot of a community and a musical philosophy that has travelled far beyond its New York roots. The album’s contributors, including Karizma, Josh Milan, Bilal, Timmy Regisford, Coflo, Ian Friday, Merlin Bobb, Pat Lok, Mark Francis, Masaki Morii and many more, reflect the breadth of that extended musical family.
As a final chapter, Soul in the Horn Act 4: Remixes & Bonuses feels appropriately expansive. It is soulful without being predictable, club-focused without sacrificing musicianship, and eclectic without losing its sense of identity.
Most importantly, it sounds like Soul In The Horn: music made for movement, connection and collective vibration.