Crystal Waters makes strong return with 'Synergy' EP

The typical listener associates house singer Crystal Waters with her 1990s hits like “Gypsy Woman (She’s Homeless)” and “100% Pure Love.”

Waters’ career has been going through a revival over the past year. It’s not that she’s disappeared entirely; however, as dance music’s scope broadens in the U.S., listeners have developed an appreciation beyond the EDM trifecta of progressive house, dubstep and trap.

That encompasses deep house, essentially the style Waters built her career upon. This is where Synergy, the EP produced by Sted-E & Hybrid Heights, begins. The original, or Club Remix, of the title track takes a classic approach. Waters’ sultry vocals add depth to the minimalist production centering around a light four-to-the-floor beat, periodic synth washes and an arpeggiated sequencer line. It establishes an old school, timeless groove, rather than play to by-the-numbers EDM.

Yet, the rest of Synergy essentially serves as a tour through dance music’s history. The StoneBridge remix is the first to delve into modern EDM elements. You get a few builds and drops, although nothing too intense, while the sequencer aspect, an Ibiza-style piano line and 4/4 beat are brought higher into the mix.

Then, Robbie Rivera, who remixed Waters’ seminal 1994 track “100% Pure Love” last year, strips it all away with his “Juicy” remix. Replacing the traditional house beat with tribal percussion, Rivera creates an interpretation ideal for an after-hours club set.

Last but not least, the Bojan remix gets as close to modern EDM as possible without becoming a cliché. The arpeggiation, this time, is taken out; in place, the beats become heavier and the synths more concentrated. If Waters, as well as the producers, are looking for festival exposure, this remix gets as close as possible to that ideal.

Released through 418 Music, Synergy might not mark a major-label return for the house music singer. However, it indicates a strong progression forward while acknowledging dance music’s past.