Deep House Recommendations November 2015

Review: This year, Theo Parrish seems to be doing his best to breathe new life into the careers of broken beat-era producers and musicians. Having previously released an excellent EP from Dego and Kaidi Tatham on Sound Signature, his latest missive comes from one-time conscious hip-hop producer Ge ology and one-time go-to jazz keys-man Mark De Clive-Lowe. The latter's brilliant synthesizer and piano work is arguably the highlight of both tracks here. On the spacey, P-funk influenced space-house swing of "Moon Circuitry" he does his best impression of Herbie Hancock, while "Escape On The Lodge Freeway" boasts intricate jazz solos atop a slightly tougher, chunkier deep house groove. Both tracks are, of course, impeccable.

Review: Ludovic Navarre aka St Germain requires no introduction, and the French house legend has literally seen and done it all ever since his first productions began to surface and influence other house artists back in the early 1990's golden era. The majority of his music has been released on F Communications, but his latest studio album drops on EMI's Parlophone sublabel. The self-titled St Germain is a proper LP, not a mere collection of house tracks put together helter-skelter. Inside, you'll hear many of Navarre's influences and inspirations, from Afro tribal melodies, to jazzy influences and even Middle-Eastern chimes. It's a house album in structure, but much more than that beneath the surface...as it always was from the legend of French dance music.

Review: Cool Peepl's Free Part II features additional vocals from the original session in two contrasting mixes. Amp Fiddler is in the drivers seat first with a spiritual organ workout reminiscent of the 3pm service in Detroit's Baptist churches. Mr. G's remix starts out innocent enough until the bass rumbles in, before you know it his signature ride and high hats have you an a twisted journey.

Review: Japanese producer Takuya Matsumoto first surfaced back in 2001 on a split release with compatriot Kouji Nagahashi (seek out "The Rubicon") but its more recently he's been getting the attention his classy house productions deserve. Matsumoto lands on Fina with the Places Of Colour EP after superb 2014 drops for R&S subsidiary Meda Fury and Clone Royal Oak and if you were a fan of those you will want to check these four cuts! Subtle and warm, opener "Souvenir" sets the tone thanks to Matsumoto's perfectly balanced blend of silky vocals, delicate chords and dusty cymbals. Evocative piano melodies play their role in "Coco" too, easing up alongside poignant strings as the producer shows his flair for rugged, interesting rhythms. Flipside jams "Flio" and "Seasons" veer off into jazzier territory and make it easy to see why Flo Po rates Matsumoto so highly! As do we - Juno recommends this 12"!

Review: Last year's Pod Edits release on Politics of Dancing - in which un-credited producers from the label's slowly expanding roster delivered dancefloor-friendly deep house interpretations of soul, R&B and classic house cuts - was something of a runaway success, so they've decided to repeat the exercise. This second volume is as well executed and floor-friendly as its' predecessor, with an emphasis on a bumpin', old skool house vibe. This is perhaps best exemplified by the modified '80s Chicago bounce of "Track 3 (Djebali Edit)", but can also be heard on the wigglin' acid bass and freestyle vocal fun of "Track 2 (Reda Dare Edit)". Danny Krivit also dons his Mr K guise for a percussion-laden disco-meets-deep house workout ("Track 4"), and Oleg Pollakov drops an anthem-like fusion of deep house and R&B to kick things off.

Review: Next up on Tomorrow Is Now, Kid! is an EP from Rutilance Recordings owner, DJ Steaw. The French artist crafted four sturdy tracks on this fresh EP. It is a perfect blend between Chicago and New York House, with a big splash of Acid throughout the disc. The hypnotising percussion and grimy sounds take you to new, unforeseen places... Keywords for best describing this 12" are, beyond any doubt, deep and vigorous. Enjoy these four definite killers in the club.

Review: Brian Harden is back on D3 Elements with a new three track EP that once again explores richly musical deep house with a difference. Harden is a criminally overlooked Chicago producer who had big success in the 90s thanks to releases on Moods & Grooves, Nite Life Collective and Undaground Therapy Muzik. He then took a break away from music, but the D3 label boss coaxed him out of retirement in 2014 with a top debut EP for the label. Since then he has also released on Sistrum and Soul Print, and is now properly back in business. First cut 'Paradox' is a mid tempo house roller with scale-riding chords and emotive, late night tinkles on the keys that really speak to your soul. Golden pads stream in the background and it's a hugely classy affair all round. 'Nostalgic Pieces' is then a deeper cut with a warped baseline and starry night sky melodies up top. Again, lush, musical chords shimmer and simmer deep in the track, lending it a real sense of artistry and separating Harden from the legions of modern deep house imposters. Finally, 'Chicago Homage' is an elastic, spacious cut with rubbery kicks, soft hi hats and a tumbling bas riff that once again come coated in gorgeous pads. This is music that makes you feel good as you dance your every day woes away.

Review: Following the success of his Storm Queen project a couple of years back, Morgan Geist has kept a low profile. Having returned to action earlier in the year with the Latin freestyle-inspired Calling Card 12" under The Galleria alias, the Metro Area man veers off in another direction with the architecture-inspired Megaprojects One. Created, in his words, using "cheap little drum machines and rejected old synths", the four tracks draw on his most famous early inspirations, most notably vintage Detroit techno and early Chicago house. Of course, the curious melodies of Metro Area are still present, but the quartet of dancefloor workouts - the futurist "Clarence", quirky "The Idiot Track" and bumpin' "Trackstar" being our picks - are arguably more in keeping with his earliest, mid 1990s releases.

Review: Given Dresvn's well-known links to Sotofett and company's Sex Tags Mania empire, it's unsurprising to find the eccentric Norwegian handling remix duties on their Honest Jon's debut. His melodious, driving, new age techno version of "First Voyage" is predictably special, though there's plenty to get excited about elsewhere. "Sleepy Bay" is a hazy, dubbed-out slice of sun-kissed wooziness, with flashes of blissful guitar flitting in and out of the mix like a half-remembered dream. Closer "Tipu Tip's Ghost" is arguably the EP's standout moment, though, and offers a particularly percussive take on low-slung dub-house, complete with backwards cymbals, wayward bells and spooky chords.

Review: One of the most respected producers in the underground, Anaxander, contributes two beautiful pieces of original music, and has one of them reworked by Deep House heavy hitter, the mighty Amir Alexander. Lost My Soul (in Yours) is twisted little number, with dual synth riffs echoing off each other for maximum effect. A Question About You uses jazzy chords and flutes over its undeniable bassline to retain some soulful flavoring, but Amir strips all of that away on his interpretation, preffering instead to let the acid and the warehouse vibes have their way, taking things right into a 6am rave nightmare. This is absolute must-have piece of wax!

Review: Born 31 years ago in Geneva (CH), Pascal brings his gritty mellow tones and extra shuffled patterns to the Traxx Underground familly. Strongly routed into jazzy vinyl samples, black speaches and spatial atmosphers, the 3 tracks composing « Wise Man's Decision EP » take inspiration from the past to showcase a true vision of what Slow-Deep-House should be in 2015. At last but not least, the great Fred P came to make his hands dirty, delivering a true reshape of "Wise Man's Decision", offring us a tunnel from where it aint easy to escape.

Review: As the label matures, Local Talk founders Mad Mats and Tooli are getting a little more adventurous with their A&R policy. This single from veteran Spanish producer Kiki Navarro is a great case in point. While rooted in Osunlade style, globally-focused deep house, "Isao" boasts delicious fluid, Detroit style synthesizer motifs, Atjazz-influenced broken house rhythms, and more than a little Afrobeat bounce to the beats. Jose Marquez's fine remix emphasizes this Afro-Cuban inspiration, playing down the electronics for a more percussive feel. Navarro also provides his own dub, which feels denser and more electronic, whilst retaining the effortless sweetness of the fine original version.

Review: Meda Fury, the London based offshoot of R&S Records, presents us with a second release by Japan's Takuya Matsumoto who has been producing since 200,1 mainly on Nigata-based Iero and more recently on Royal Oak with the Ekr's Galactic Dance 12". On the Assembly EP he presents us with five quality selections of deep house starting with the soulful deepness of "Be", its stunning piano solo supported by a smooth groove with just enough shuffle in the rhythm to make it work out. "On The March" is the kind of mysterious and subterranean deepness recalling the vibes of classic Moodymann, albeit on a more experimental tip. On the flip we have two short tracks "Rain Flower" with its sublime Caribbean vibe and the sexy "Trash Track" reminiscent of Geneva legends Quarion or Agnes.

Review: New EP from Valentin from Paris on Silver Network imprint ! After SILVER 030 and SILVER 31, Valentin delivers two fantastic tunes on Silver's 41st release. With two fresh remixes from french house maestro FRANCK ROGER, you can't do no wrong.. Stay tuned !

Review: Launched last summer, the 124Black series has been a fine addition to the more established 124Recordings label that promotes a darker, harder sound whilst remaining firmly rooted in the underground. The fourth release sees the pairing of Sebastien Vorhaus and Ponty Mython for the analogue and reverb driven 'Love Level',which has been heavily supported by Detroit Swindle and Dirt Crew.Label boss of the highly regarded Plastik People-Marc Cotterell provides the filter funk of 'Disconoize',real house music that pulls no punches.The second side sees the return of Demuja.After the success of his 'Everytime' track on 124Black 003,he returns to his trademark darker stripped back sound with 'Touch Me',while newcomer Josephqui closes off the EP with the concrete beats of 'Can I have This Dance?'

Review: Ed Cawthorne goes by the name of Tenderlonious when he's in the mood to make dusty, sample-laced house with a soulful edge. The dude has previously released on London's 22a, and also Sounds Of The Universe's own imprint, but he's back and he's landed on Osunlade's Yoruba Records, releasing choice house magic since 1999. There's six tracks on offer here, and they're all as magical as you'd expect from the shady Tenderlonious; it's a mix of funky house and neo tribalism, just like Osunlade likes in his sets. We're loving the jazzy Latin percussions of "Sula", the flute-driven mind-bender that is "Mind That Window", and the daring, Rhodes-driven beauty in the name of "Without You".

Review: Frankfurt's retro house auteur Philip Lauer is an unstoppable force it seems. There is conclusive evidence of this from the results of Underground House Research Vol 2, his latest Tuff City Kids 12" alongside Gerd Janson. The first track sets the scene well: "Potion No 4" is a spooky cut reminiscent of late eighties Jamie Principle; not a bad thing! It's overall a darker vibe than usual from Lauer on this release which we find so curious, as the sombre and rusty groove of "TRUTHS" confirms. On the flip "Carden Eden" is funky and its infectious groove supported by analogue pan pipes in minor, is just plain wicked, but just wait until that vocal loop kicks in. Finally "RUTHS" is classic Tuff City Kids; uplifting hands in the air business; a forgotten house classic that sounds like it's recorded straight from the tape it was found on.

Review: Four Walls has been pushing house music in all the right directions since his debut in 2012, most notably landing on the Traxx Underground label, alongside DJ Steaw and the Nathaniel X Project. This time around he's on Spain's SAFT label, and he's got a bunch of luscious, dusty house groovers to warm up your evenings. "Limits" is docile and gentle, a real house massage, and "Electronic Slide", as the name suggests, is a playful little deep house tune for the warm up sets. On the B-side, there's the more soulful swings of "Time To Shine", featuring Paula King's lovely vocal charm, and a Vincent Floyd remix to push the tune into outer space and into off-kilter mode. Lovely.

Review: Berlin's 777 Records are back with cuts from FTP UP and Brighton, some up and coming Croatian producers and it is all the kind of dusty deep house that fans of Workshop or Uncanny Valley will appreciate. On the first side FTP UP offers us "No Sugar" which is tough and rusty but balanced by some dreamy keys while "Mogadishu" is a deep down and dirty exercise in 303 acid. On the flip we have Brighton, who gives us "Haze Maze", a druggy and melancholic deep house affair and "Jam Track" with its screeching melody and sombre chords giving off that paranoid and claustrophobic after hours vibe.

Review: Finale Sessions is proud to bring you a fantastic release from Berlin's youANDme Feat New Jerseys Brothers'Vibe and we are excited because of the combination of this release and we start with the "Original "with its classic house appeal and the perfect vocals of Brothers' Vibe it is one for the peak time dance floors and then we have the Brothers'Vibe Remix and it is an amazing piece with its tribal drums and its super deep vibe this one is stellar part of the record

Review: Vinalog as we all know by now are Relative head EMG and LiveJam main man John Swing. Known for their tough, dusty, machine driven house excursions and this is more of the same quality you've come to know them for. The ten minute long epic that is "Addiction" has a rusty, cracking rhythm with the right kind of shuffle which is so infectious, but wait until that sick acid sound comes creeping in. The "Disco 12" unreleased mix" is pretty damn good too; a deep and sexy late night jam with the right amount of funk and melancholic soul to boot! On the flip "Back To The Front" gets a bit tougher with its dark, steely groove. A gnarly bassline carries a seriously hissing analogue rhythm and some jagged sampling so typical of John Swing.