Morel Lucky Strike Yoshitoshi Openly gay Washington, D.C.–based producer Richard Morel was the awkward kid next door you grew up with, the one with a Black Flag T-shirt and an identity crisis. Is he a househead? How about a punk rocker? Morel’s second album for D.C.’s leading progressive house label does not decide the question, but one thing is for sure: Mix the right amount of poignant lyricism with hypnotic, club-friendly grooves and you get an essential album. Morel accomplishes this sonic alchemy with unrivaled aplomb. Dennis Sebayan