DFRA’s A Quiet Storm EP feels like the kind of deep house record from someone who has spent real time with harmony, records, and players, and then figured out how to bring that language into club music without making it feel overly polished. The EP is out today on June 5 through Berlin’s Ascension on Wax, with a 12-inch and digital release that pairs three originals from DFRA with a Jon Dixon remix of “Charlene.”
DFRA, born Diego Ruiz in Colombia and now based in Buenos Aires, has a background that helps explain much of what happens throughout this record. He studied music and composition at Universidad Católica Argentina from 2015 to 2021, and his broader musical foundation draws on 80s and 90s hip-hop, gospel, soul, R&B, disco, jazz, and the deeper side of Detroit and Chicago house.
That combination gives the EP a nice push-and-pull. The tracks have real musical detail, especially in the chords, keys, and saxophone lines, yet the drums and basslines still keep everything useful for DJs. It does not feel like jazz being placed on top of the house for decoration. It feels like house music from someone whose ear already thinks in those shapes.
The Originals Keep The Musicality Up Front
“Quiet Storm” opens the EP with a rolling deep house groove and saxophone work that gives the track its main color. It has a reflective feel, but the rhythm keeps it from drifting too far away from the floor. That balance is probably the best entry point into DFRA’s style because the track gives you the jazz detail right away without letting the arrangement get too delicate.
“Strings” leans further into the piano and harmonic side of the record. The chords carry much of the feeling here, and the track has a softer atmosphere, while still keeping enough movement underneath to stay connected to the rest of the EP.
“Charlene” is the one that feels most directly tied to classic soulful house language. The vocal line, chord movement, and drum feel bring a little early Chicago house flavor to the package, and they give Jon Dixon a solid source to pull apart for the remix.
Jon Dixon Takes “Charlene” Deeper Into Detroit
Jon Dixon’s remix of “Charlene” gives the EP its Detroit read, and that is a useful closing move. He strips the track down, brings in deeper keys, and lets the machine rhythm sit closer to the front without removing the musical heart of the original.
Dixon’s connection to Detroit electronic music gives the remix a different kind of authority. The version nods toward the spirit of Underground Resistance, but it does not feel like a straight imitation. It keeps the jazz detail in view while making the groove more meditative and mechanical.
That is where the whole EP feels right for Ascension on Wax. The label has been building around a clear interest in jazz-rooted house, vinyl culture, and records that sit close to the 90s US lineage without sounding trapped there. A Quiet Storm EP fits that idea well because DFRA brings real compositional knowledge into the music, but the record still understands the room.
For DFRA, this release feels like another clear marker in a catalog that already includes music on Groovin, Hudd Traxx, Mate, and his own Silver Walker label. It also lines up with his DFRA Experience Jazz Band project, where he works with musicians from the Argentine jazz scene. You can hear that same instinct here: house music built with a player’s ear, a DJ’s patience, and a clear respect for the roots underneath it.