“When we started house music 35 years ago, I wanted to do music that was accessible and would reach everybody and people would love it. We can’t be selfish with house music if we want it to go forward. Not only should we be happy to see Cardi B and Drake and Beyonce doing it, but we also should embrace it. Slick Rick is receiving a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Grammys. I would like to see the same thing for house music, see some of the originators receiving lifetime recognition. House music, it’s a very positive music and I don’t want to hold it in in the underground.” – Ten City’s Byron Stingily as told to Variety
Proof that disco evolved rather than died can be heard throughout the discography of house group Ten City. Set apart most obviously by singer Byron Stingily, a powerhouse falsetto between and distinct from inspirations such as Philip Bailey and Sylvester, the Chicago group’s recordings epitomize deep house with a basis in gospel and soul, and messages of love and positivity. Teamed with dance music pioneer Marshall Jefferson, Ten City emerged in the late ’80s with two of their biggest hits, “Right Back to You” and “That’s the Way Love Is,” the latter of which topped Billboard’s dance/club chart and cracked the Top Ten of the U.K. pop chart.
Before their mid-’90s disbandment, the group in their original trio incarnation issued four albums ranging from Foundation (1989) through That Was Then, This Is Now (1994), and charted with seven additional singles. Nearly three decades after the fourth album, Ten City returned with Judgment (2021), made by Stingily and Jefferson, which in 2022 earned a GRAMMY nomination for “Best Electronic/Dance Album.” Due to popular demand and the feel-good vibe from the recording of Judgement, Ten City are back in 2023 with Love Is Love due out February 17 on Helix Records.
“2023 is the year of Loving Self and Self Affirmation!” declares Byron Stingily. These themes are prominent throughout the album. Just check out the singles such as the title track and its remix by fellow Chicago house artists DRAMA, and “I Love Me,” a collaboration with bubbling UK producers Wh0.
Love Is Love Album Pre-Save:
Tracklist:
1. Love is Love
2. All In One Night
3. Losing My Mind
4. Strange Times
5. Casual
6. A Girl Named Phil
7. I Love Me w/ Wh0
8. Magic
9. Family
10. Woman of the Sun
