DEEP DISH - George Is On

Fourteen years after their debut, the Iranian-born (but US-based) Deep Dish have progressively evolved their sound, moving from deep-house to progressive, while more recently they've tried to bring dance-oriented electronic music closer to rock, always with an eye on pop. "George Is On" arguably represents the duo's decisive step in this latter direction. And not just because of the by-now legendary "Flashdance", the ultimate hit of summer 2004 with its primal guitar riff, but because of the now-changed tastes of Deep Dish, no longer just one of the most famous house producer names in the world, but DJs of considerable skill and creativity.

A new album of original material from Deep Dish had long been awaited, following 1998's "Junk Science", to see in the studio too how the pair had evolved and how they would reconcile deep-house - a field in which they remain among the world's finest selectors - with their growing passion for sounds further removed from the dancefloor, favouring genuine rock drums over artificial house kicks. The result is satisfying, even if it doesn't fully convince.

The first part of the album is closer to the duo's new direction, with the driving, 70s-flavoured "Sacramento" (vocals by Richard Morel) and the poppy opening of "Floating" serving as a frame for the already-mentioned "Flashdance", which naturally grabs the listener's attention the most. It's a strong start, but staying balanced on this tightrope between rock and house isn't easy, and there are a few missteps (such as the pointless "Swallow Me"), though Sharam Tayebi and Ali "Dubfire" Shirazinia redeem themselves with the following four tracks, set within a genuinely remarkable progression.

The transition into "Awake Enough" is a delicate one, a track for dreamers and nocturnal poets in search of inspiration. Through the acidic yet romantically-tinged "Everybody's Wearing My Head", Deep Dish manage to combine a convincing groove with highly evocative sounds, somewhere between Eastern and American music. This brings us to the album's finest moment, not coincidentally chosen as the second single. Once again it's Anousheh Khalili's beguiling voice that lulls us on our race towards the sun of "Say Hello", while we witness the perfect fusion of Deep Dish's two souls, with a fantastic beat moving discreetly in service of the Eastern melody created by Anousheh.

We're still under the spell as we drift into "Dreams", the Fleetwood Mac song featuring the original performer, Stevie Nicks, dressed up in a new pop outfit full of glitter and sequins that doesn't entirely convince. The closing section of the album leans decidedly more towards hard-house, with standout tracks "Dub Shepard" and "Sexy I11", excellently crafted clubbing tracks that lend themselves well to remix work.

Ambiguous yet fascinating, opening with a Morricone-esque flourish before blending in mystical echoes and muezzin calls, is "Sergio's Theme", while we can't help but praise the little gem "In Love With A Friend", where Deep Dish play at being Royksopp, and pull it off rather well, including in its restless, timid lyrics.

Overall, Deep Dish deliver an album that doesn't resolve much of the doubt they've raised in the past: they still give the impression of being a perfect singles machine, impeccable selectors, but without the ability to properly choose their own path. "George Is On" reveals the many contradictions between deep-house, pop, techno and rock that Tayebi and Dubfire will sooner or later have to confront, but in the meantime the sales and success of this album (which, to be clear, is far from bad) have once again established them as major players in the electronic music scene.

After all, they are Deep Dish, and they still boss us around like children, tasking us with looking down on everyone else: say hello!

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30/04/2026