Juno Recommends Funky House: April 2023

Review: Second time around for Harlem Hustlers' surging disco-house anthem, which first appeared in stores way back in 2005. This time round, the Italian duo have reworked it considerably, placing underground boogie legend Orlando Johnson's lead vocal front and centre while opting for some more organic-sounding instrumentation (the original was more sample-heavy). On their '2023 Rework' they channel the sound of Groove Culture label bosses Mickey More and Andy Tee, wrapping Johnson's vocal, tidy horns, flanged guitars and classic-sounding piano riffs around a warming bass guitar part and crunchy house drums. It's a very classy and far more authentically 'disco'-sounding track than their 2005 original. Their flip-side 'Get On The Floor' mix, meanwhile, has a smoother, more synth-heavy disco-house sound, less vocal and even more of the excellent horn sounds.

Review: Once again, XL Recordings resupply our vitals with Basement Jaxx's life-giving audio elixir 'Remedy', their joyous debut album from 1999. Renowned for its sensuous themes, international palette of influences and, of course, its basis in bangerized house music, tracks like 'Red Alert' and 'Jump n' Shout' paved the way for much big beat, electro and pop house to come.

Review: Named after their infamous Brixton club night, Basement Jaxx's second album Rooty saw them continue to push the boundaries of pop and club music. The album mixes classic house with generous lashings of punk, funk, R&B, jazz, hip hop, 2-step and pop song-craft in a mad genre crash that works like a charm. It features the massive tracks 'Where's Your Head At', 'Romeo' and 'Do Your Thing'.

Review: Alan Braxe & Fred Falke's 'Intro' was an undeniable earworm in its day, being the scratchy French house montager on present everyone's decks for at least several summers in a row in the early 00s. Few know Braxe was also behind the inimitable 'Music Sounds Better With You' by Stardust, alongside Daft Punk's Thomas Bangalter of course, for which he was finally credited on 'The Upper Cuts' here, first released in 2005. Now almost twenty years later, the EP gets a full reissue, documenting some of the artist's most well-known hits.

Review: Groovin' Records has a good relationship with Peven Everett. Over the years, the Italian label has released and reissued plenty of material from the legendary Chicagoan vocalist and producer. 'Bluelight Love' is brand spanking new - a superb, subtly Latin-tinged chunk of deep, soulful vocal house rich in jazzy guitar flourishes, organic-sounding percussion hits and dreamy chords. On the flip, Everett remixes it himself, opting for chunkier, bouncier drums, far weightier bass and a much more club-centric feel. The spacey synth solos that are a little buried in the A-side original version are far more prominent, too, while his superb lead vocal naturally takes pride of place in the mix.

Review: What is love? An ancient emotion? Or a relatively recent sociological construct used to justify convenient marriages from the Victorian era onwards? This 90s dance anthem by the Trinidadian-German artist Haddaway readily asks the question and it's fair enough that he does - he wants to be sure, since he also asks us not to hurt him in the same breath. Love is a fickle beast, one that can placate and violate in equal measure, but thankfully eurodance is one of the best sounds through which to express it. Its catchy synth hook, pulsing beat, and Haddaway's soulful vocals make this a timeless club hit that still resonates today.

Review: The freshly minted Outdom imprint launches with a collection of 'Raw Tools' - tracks inspired by the label's love of 90s house and garage - from their core roster of artists. Shortcut kicks things off with 'Raw Meat', a pleasingly bumpy New Jersey garage-meets-NYC deep house bumper full of hands-in-the-air piano stabs, hip-hop vocal samples, crunchy drums and bold bass, before Marc Cotterall delivers a smoother but no less impressive take on New Jersey deep house (the vibraphone solo-sporting, Jovonn-esque 'It's a Love Game'). Elsewhere, Latent's 'Watch My Attitude' is a sub-heavy affair that doffs a cap to mid-90s Strictly Rhythm dubs, while Brooklyn Baby's acid-flecked 'Only You' is as rushing, loved-up and life-affirming as they come.

Review: While he might not have enjoyed the same global superstardom as Daft Punk or Bob Sinclair, Alan Braxe has more than made his mark as a legend of the French touch movement. As co-creator of monster house anthems 'Music Sounds Better With You' (with Stardust) and 'Intro' (with Fred Falke) he's shown off his skills in crafting an eternal classic. In 2005 The Upper Cuts was released to shine a light on the wider reaches of his impeccable oeuvre - every track a pitch perfect slice of Parisian dancefloor gold. Now it's being reissued in newly remastered form with some bonus belters including Braxe's remix of Britney Spears' 'Anticipating'.

Review: This experimental new album by The Blaze sonically traverses a bleak urban jungle, colliding electronic and organic elements, and aiming for asound that is, in the words of its makers Guillaume and Jonathan Alric, drunk with emotion. The French duo's unique blend of international influences, ambient soundscapes, and hypnotic rhythms adds up to a dreamy avant-garde synth album that effortlessly nails the feel of their live set.

Review: Local Talk has quietly but assuredly become a vital voice in there underground. It has done so over the last 13 years and now makes that occasion by doing what it does best - serving up timeless club sounds that mix under many different subgenres. This is another feel-good offering from four of the label's talents or as the label puts it, "producers that we love and respect." There is funky bass and soulful vibes from the Soul Renegades opener, Wipe The Needle's 'Light Years Away' is a more serene cosmic journey and The James L'Estraunge Orchestra offer a broken beat and jazzed-up dancer in 'Broken Spells.' Nico Lahs brings some cuddly depths to his slow-mo house jam 'Happenstance.'

Review: Elodie Di Patrizi is an Italian pop singer. She first came to prominence as the runner-up on the fifteenth season of the show Amici di Maria De Filippi. This is her fourth album titled Ok Respira and features a wide selection of songs which demonstrate her many diverse talents as an artist. Whether it's Eurodance, EDM, deep house/disco, and straight-up pop that she's made her name with, and of course there's the song 'Due' which she premiered at this year's edition of San Remo Music Festival to much fanfare.

Review: Sampling As An Art Records is back with a new various artists package that has been assembled from talents the label boss has met on the road - musical projects undertaken during and after gigs. This is the first in a series of such releases and it kicks off with a fresh melodic house blast from Morgan, then gets the hands in the air with an old school, percussive piano number with UC Beatz's 'Ain't Good Enough' before S3A appear with 'Layers', a loopy filter house jam with sunshine, disco and soul in equal measure. Last of all is Mika Blaster with the epic sax and humid chords of 'Buisine Ness' (S3A edit).