Blaze

Blaze, a New Jersey-based production crew, generated multiple deep house anthems across the 1980s and 1990s. Their catalog included “If You Should Need a Friend” and “Lovelee Dae” issued under the group name, plus “Hideaway” for De’lacy and “My Desire” for Amira. In 1989 the trio—Josh Milan, Kevin Hedge, and Chris Herbert—signed with Motown in hopes of R&B and pop crossover success, then delivered one substantial album on the label before concentrating on an extensive run of notable productions for other acts instead of issuing many long-players themselves.

The production core of Milan and Hedge, the latter a onetime gospel singer, surfaced as early favorites within the mid-’80s New York/New Jersey garage scene. Both operated as DJs and admirers of Tony Humphries’ Zanzibar sets in Newark; they started producing in 1984 and established themselves two years later through the garage classics “If You Should Need a Friend” and “Whatcha Gonna Do,” the latter featuring vocals by Colonel Abrams. Remixes and extra studio work for British synth-pop act ABC secured the 1989 Motown contract. Adding semi-permanent vocalist Chris Herbert, Blaze issued their debut album 25 Years Later in 1990. Club favorite “So Special” failed to deliver the crossover Motown anticipated, and the label dropped the group.

Although major companies had largely lost interest in crossover house by the early ’90s, an active independent market for the music remained. Milan and Hedge kept producing and recording, separately and jointly, throughout the decade. In 1994 they wrote and produced De’lacy’s British Top Ten hit “Hideaway.” Three years later, after Tee Alford joined, the collective returned with the club track “Lovelee Dae” and their second album Basic Blaze on the UK label Slip’N’Slide. A retrospective collection appeared in 1999. Natural Blaze, a tribute to their late friend James Toney, Jr., surfaced in 2001, followed by Spiritually Speaking two years later.