Hotel Motel feat. Kathy Diamond - Paying The Price (2011)

Following a handful of remixes and a wickedly old skool single for Home Taping Is Killing Music, Hotel Motel aka DJ History's Bill Brewster and production partner Andrew Tepper turn up on the ever-excellent Under The Shade imprint. The original version of "Paying The Price", featuring disco chanteuse Kathy Diamond, is the real killer. Diamond's immaculate vocal, boosted with just the amount of reverb and delay, sits atop a sparse, sparkling groove that's judged to perfection. That cowbell-heavy beat work perfectly with the nagging electro bassline and simple synth and guitar melodies - all, of course, dubbed to within an inch of their lives. You can bask in the loveliness of the groove thanks to the inclusion of "Novak", basically a reworked instrumental dub of the vocal original. The package is completed by vocal and instrumental house takes which offer solid alternatives for DJs of a more house-friendly persuasion. The vocal version, in particular, is worth a look, if only for the addition of a backing male vocal that adds an extra dimension to the mix.