Glenn Davis Returns to Ascension on Wax With A New Day EP

There’s something interesting about a label returning to the artist who started its catalog, particularly when that first release helped establish a recognizable musical direction. Independent record labels spend a considerable amount of time developing relationships with producers, building an audience, and figuring out what kind of music they want to represent, and those initial releases tend to become increasingly important as the catalog grows. For Berlin-based Ascension on Wax, that original relationship was with Irish producer Glenn Davis, whose Space & Time EP introduced the label in 2024 through a combination of deep house, soulful influences, and jazz-oriented production.

Two years and several releases later, Davis is returning to close out the label’s 2026 schedule with A New Day EP, a four-track record that continues his exploration of classic Chicago house and the musical traditions surrounding it. There’s a particular emphasis on basslines, chords, rhythm, and the relationship between soulful musical ideas and functional DJ records, with Canadian producer HAF S contributing a remix of the title track.

The release also provides a good opportunity to look at how Ascension on Wax has developed since its debut and why this particular interpretation of deep house remains central to its identity.

I’ve been following the label’s catalog throughout the year, including its recent releases from producers working at the intersection of jazz, soul, and underground house music, and there’s a consistency to those selections that I appreciate. The records draw from established musical traditions without requiring every artist to produce the same type of track, and Davis’ return provides another perspective on the ideas that helped establish the label.

Glenn Davis Returns to Where Ascension on Wax Started

Glenn Davis has been involved in house music for over 25 years, with experience as a DJ, record collector, promoter, and producer. Growing up in Dublin, his early influences included Sade, Prince, James Brown, and De La Soul, while the city’s club culture and record shops introduced him to Chicago and Detroit house music. His musical interests developed through artists including Ron Trent, Glenn Underground, and Kerri Chandler, whose approaches to rhythm, harmony, and sampling helped establish many of the characteristics now associated with deeper American house.

That background is particularly relevant to A New Day EP because Davis has continued developing music within those traditions rather than treating them as occasional stylistic references. His earlier releases have appeared on Yore Records, Local Talk, Selections, Wolf Music, and Deeper Groove Recordings, with a catalog that concentrates on soulful house and jazz-influenced electronic music.

That combination of vinyl culture, jazz influences, and connections with other artistic disciplines has remained part of Ascension on Wax’s identity. Earlier this year, I covered DFRA’s A Quiet Storm EP on Ascension on Wax, which featured three original productions and a Jon Dixon remix.

That release incorporated saxophone, piano, and Detroit-influenced house rhythms, and it provided another example of the label’s interest in producers who approach house music through an understanding of harmony and instrumental performance.

Davis’ return makes an interesting addition to that catalog because he’s already familiar with the label’s direction, having helped establish it.

Why Ascension on Wax Continues Investing in Jazz-Influenced House

There’s a relationship between A New Day EP and several other records we’ve covered this year, particularly releases that incorporate jazz harmony and soulful musical influences without losing their focus on DJ functionality.

In June, I wrote about Soul Quest Records’ Maintain Altitude 2, a compilation featuring deep house, jazz house, and broken rhythms from producers working across several cities. That release approached related musical ideas through an expanded roster, placing a particular emphasis on instrumental contributions and the relationship between different rhythmic traditions.

More recently, our coverage of Soul Quest’s Re Vol. 1 examined how established producers including Kai Alcé and Last Nubian revisited material from the label’s catalog. The connection with Davis’ latest EP is worth considering because these labels are continuing to invest in music that draws directly from Chicago and Detroit house traditions, while bringing in artists who interpret those influences through their own production backgrounds.

For Ascension on Wax, releasing this music on vinyl is an important part of the approach. A New Day EP arrives as a 12-inch record alongside its digital edition, providing DJs with a physical format while keeping the music accessible through contemporary distribution.

That format also connects naturally with Davis’ history as a record collector. His interest in deep house developed partly through spending time in Dublin’s Phuture Grooves Records, where he encountered music from Chicago and Detroit and gradually developed the collection that informed his later production work.

There’s a certain consistency in returning to vinyl for the seventh release of a label that began with Davis’ music two years earlier, particularly when the new record continues drawing from the same musical traditions.

A New Day EP Is Out November 13

Glenn Davis’ A New Day EP arrives November 13, 2026, through Ascension on Wax as catalog number AOW007. The record includes three original productions and the HAF S Jeep Mix, with 12-inch vinyl and digital editions available.

For Davis, the release continues a recording career that has developed alongside his extensive experience as a DJ and collector. For Ascension on Wax, it completes another year of releases that have consistently concentrated on soulful, jazz-influenced house music and connections with the genre’s American history.

What interests me most about the return is the relationship between the label’s first and seventh records. Independent labels naturally develop as new artists join their catalogs, and that development can move them away from the musical ideas that initially brought everything together. Ascension on Wax has taken a different approach, expanding its roster while maintaining a recognizable interest in jazz, soul, vinyl culture, and traditional deep house production.

Bringing Glenn Davis back for the final release of 2026 gives listeners an opportunity to revisit the producer who helped introduce those interests to the label’s audience, while providing four new recordings for DJs who continue working within this style.

A New Day EP is available through Ascension on Wax and participating record stores, including Redeye Records.