Sunday Love: Omar S, Benoit, Samantha Francesca, Tommy Cornelis

No one does it quite like Omar S. The latest in a long tradition of excellence in house and techno emanating from Detroit, his productions and DJ sets alike are characterized by a unique raw funk and back to the basics attitude that's simultaneously refreshing and progressive. It's all about the music for this guy; everything else is just noise.

Detroit's Omar-S (Alex Omar Smith; aka DJ Snotburger, DJ Snotinburg) emerged in 2003 as an underground techno/house maverick, releasing rigidly funky productions, made with analog gear, on his FXHE label. Though his 12″ releases were pressed in small quantities with handwritten labels (and with run-out etchings like "Techno music is my heritage — techno is not dead DAMN IT!" and "Thanks toRick Wilhite — I know I get on your nerves"), it wasn't long before his releases reached specialty shops in the U.K. and Germany. Though he was building a cult following and was often placed by writers within the same context as fellow Detroit natives Moodymann and Theo Parrish, it wasn't until 2009 that he truly strayed from his low-profile, self-sufficient mode. Parrish's Sound Signature label released his "Blown Valvetrane" 12″, and shortly after that, Smith provided the 45th mix for London club Fabric's self-named mix series. The majority of Smith's output was released on vinyl, but he also has full-length CD titles to his credit, including 2004′s Collaborating (billed as Oasis, co-produced by Smith and the possibly nonexistent Shadow Ray) and 2005′s Just Ask the Lonely. The latter was reissued on FXHE in 2009.

Born in New York, growing up in Paris, Benoit couldn't get away from house if he tried. His first introduction to house was at the age 12, when one of his father's girlfriend's gave him a Giant Step Recordings compilation. From that moment on, he was fascinated by the grooves and began his exploration of all things that required a deeper sensibility. Going to clubs in Paris such as the Queen, L'enfer, Les Bains Douche, he understood that house was a very powerful tool. Going to clubs in New York such as Vinyl, Shelter, Sound Factory at an early age, he understood the roots of house and more than anything the uniting power and spiritual experience it can provide. In 2010, Benoit founded Deep Secrets in an attempt to share that experience with others.