Fort Romeau 'Lovin' U' EP: Deep House Done Right on Rekids

Fort Romeau has never been in a hurry. The London-based producer—real name Mike Greene—has spent the better part of a decade building a quiet cult following through his work on Phantasy Sound, Throne of Blood, and his own Apron imprint, letting the music do the persuading rather than chasing moments. The Lovin' U EP, out September 11 on Radio Slave's Rekids label, is exactly the kind of statement that rewards patience: three tracks that pull from deep house's well-worn playbook and come up with something that feels genuinely refreshing.

Fort Romeau and Rekids: A Natural Fit for Deep House

Rekids has long operated as one of underground house music's most consistent addresses—think Radio Slave, Matt Tolfrey, Mathew Jonson, Soulphiction. Fort Romeau slotting in here makes immediate sense. Where some producers arrive on the label with chest-puffed energy, Greene comes with something more considered. The Lovin' U EP doesn't announce itself loudly. It settles in like a well-timed warm-up record, the kind you're glad you caught before the crowd arrived.

Track Breakdown: What's Inside the EP

The title track leans on 8-bit melodic fragments and a looping vocal hook, processed just enough to sit hypnotically in the mix without becoming distracting. The drum groove is tight without being rigid—there's swing in the pocket that gives it room to breathe on a dancefloor running at a patient 126 BPM. It's the kind of track that doesn't ask for your attention so much as it quietly earns it over four or five minutes.

'No Limit' is the standout for anyone who's spent time in a room where classic house piano still gets a reaction. Built around Korg M1 keys and chopped vocal samples, it wears its influences openly—Chicago and the Italo connections that passed through the late '80s UK house scene—without becoming a nostalgia exercise. DJ Mag's review correctly flagged the house piano riff as the hook here; it's the kind of chord sequence that feels like it was always meant to exist. Juno Daily premiered the track and called it "deep, Italo-tinged," which holds up.

'Breathe (Trip Mix)' closes things out with a churchy organ and a shuffle that feels lighter than the first two cuts—a palette cleanser that works equally well for a closing set or a 3am after-hours room where people need to come down gently.

Why This EP Lands Right Now

There's a moment in the tech house cycle—and we're arguably in it—where the big-room, compression-heavy sound starts to feel exhausting, and deeper, more patient records start pulling harder. Fort Romeau has made a career of sitting slightly outside the hype spiral, which means his catalog tends to age well. Lovin' U fits that pattern. These are tracks built for specific rooms: smaller clubs, late nights, spaces where a promoter has given the DJ actual time to develop a groove rather than peak at the 90-minute mark.

Rekids releasing on catalog number REKIDS297 in September also isn't incidental timing—it lands just ahead of the Amsterdam Dance Event season, when deeper, considered house records tend to find their audience in the trade floor conversations between the big showcase nights.

Fort Romeau's Place in the Current Deep House Conversation

Fort Romeau sits in a productive space right now: experienced enough to command respect from selectors, still active enough that new releases actually move the needle in terms of what gets played. His 2014 debut album Insides on Phantasy Sound remains a touchstone for melodic deep house; subsequent EPs on Throne of Blood and Apron have kept his name current without overexposure. Lovin' U on Rekids is a further step in a discography that rewards sustained attention—check it on Beatport or directly via the Rekids Bandcamp.

Three tracks, zero filler, and a reminder that house music's most durable moves rarely come from the artists making the most noise.