Juno Recommends Funky House: Best of 2023

Review: Some of Masters at Work man Louie Vega's greatest full-length projects have paid tribute to New York's 50-year dance music story, as well as his personal musical inspirations (most notably the Nuyorican Soul album he penned with long-time production partner Kenny 'Dope' Gonzalez in the 1990s). Expansions in the NYC, his latest epic excursion, treads a similar path, offering a large number vocal-heavy numbers that not only blend elements of disco, boogie, proto-house and house, but also feature some genuinely high-profile vocalists from that era (think Peech Boys' Bernard Fowler, Unlimited Touch). Vega also joins forces with 21st century house star Honey Dijon on the superb 'Feels So Right', while the hook-ups with Moodymann, Kerri Chandler and Joe Clausell are as inspired as you'd expect.

Review: The fourth and final studio album from the now disbanded French electronic duo, Daft Punk, Random Access Memory gets a re-release on Sony complete with an exclusive poster and 16-page booklet. This release pays tribute to late 1970s and early 1980s American music, particularly the sounds hailing from Los Angeles at the time. For this seismic album, the band developed and enriched the minimalist production style typical of their previous releases though collaborating with session musicians performing live instrumentation, limiting the use of electronic instruments to simple drum machines, a custom-built modular synthesiser, and their signature vintage vocoders. Spanning an impressive selection of genres from disco, to prog rock and pop, the album also boasts a serious list of chart-topping collaborators - from Nile Rodgers, to Pharrell Williams, to Giorgio Moroder. Featuring hit single, 'Get Lucky', this album is already considered a defining release of the 2010s pop/electronic landscape.

Review: 'Love Story' is one of the most classic tunes in all of house music. It was written by Layo & Buschwaka who heard the original 'Finally' by Kings of Tomorrow and wanted to tweak it to their own ends so mashed it up with further samples from Dave, Nina Simone and Tati Quebra-Barraco. It's a rousing, heartwarming dancefloor trip of the highest order and who better to remix it than the always on fire Paul Woolford. His extended 2023 edit brings all the best bits to the fore and ensures we will be hearing this one all summer long. No complaints here.

Review: Italy's Groove Culture has really done a fine job of winning us over since it started out and this 14th EP is another one that is sure to slide into your affections. It's a quartet of disco-tinged house cuts from Right to Life, Micky More and Andy Tee that kicks off with the hip swinging and lush feels of 'Subway'. 'Hold On To My Love' then layers up the loops and rickety organic drums with some rousing strings and vocals. The good time vibes and carefree sense of soul continues on the flip with 'Blow Your Mind' and the more heartfelt 'Love Blind'.

Review: Almost 22 years ago to the day, Portugese house DJ Rui Da Silva and British singer Cassandra Fox released one of the most iconic progressive house songs of all time 'Touch Me'. Releasing officially on New Years Day 2001, it topped the charts becoming the first Portugese and Progressive House song to do so respectively. Combining elements of Eurodance and turn of the millennia club tropes, this song could singlehandedly be attribute to the Eurodance revival that acts like Cascada would go on to proliferate later in the decade. A sensational club filler that stands the test of time, with an incredible B-side deep house cut with the 'Saffron mix'.

Review: Beyonce's last album was widely heralded as a triumph by all. It found her diving into house music and working with scene stalwarts like Luke Solomon and Honey Dijon. It won a Grammy for its efforts. Now, even though plenty of the originals were ready to work a club dancefloor, we get treated to some remixes. They all focus on the standout single 'Break My Soul' and we get funky and soulful stuff from Terry Hunter, broken beat from Will I Am, house thumps from Honey Dijon, and filter-heavy stuff from The Queens. Add in the Nita Aviance club mix and the original version and you have a useful package indeed.

Review: Casual Connection is a master of mash up and is back to stake his claim on that title once more here on the effectively titled Edits label. This red hot double shot kicks off with 'Message Like It's Hot', which as you can probably guess form the title alone mixes up a Snoop Dogg classic with a stoney cold hip-hop classics. It's the bars of the former that are dropped over the shimmering lead synth and 80s analogue beats of the latter to make for something simply irresistible. 'Witness Up' is another big one with two more hip hop cuts smashed together in seamless and effortless fashion. Pure fire.

Review: There is an immediately loveable vibe to the carefree and breezy house music that the Italian label Groove Culture deals in. This is the 15th such offering - a third volume of its Jam series - and again the good times flow from the off. 'Devoted' is a four-way collab between Micky More, Andy Tee, Reverendos Of Soul and Anduze that layers up the soulful drums and disco percussion with buttery smooth soul vocals. Serge Funk's 'Can't Get Enough' is all swirling strings and sunny trumpet motifs over funk house beats and then Micky More & Andy Tee appear to remix 'All I Want' into another future Body & Soul classic. The duo's own 'Philly Sensation" is a disco-tinged, string-heavy house dream to close.

Review: First released a decade ago and revisited periodically ever since, Arftul and Ridney's collaboration with UK soul queen Terri Walker is a 21st century house classic. This 10th anniversary edition - released in limited numbers for Record Store Day 2023 - pairs fresh revisions with classic reworks. Michael Gray steps up with a funk-fuelled, disco-tinged revision, before the insanely talented Opolopo opts for a deeper, jazz-funk-flecked revision that's as classy as it is soulful. Elsewhere, Eric Kupper's 'Directors Cut Tribute To FK' version is a strings-and-piano-laden treat, while Ridney's own 'Rework' is a tasteful, piano-sporting deep house shuffler.

Review: Capturing the carefree mood of the mid-00s in a dazzling burst of chart-topping funky house perfection, Michael Gray's 'The Weekend' remains an all-time floor-filling classic. The funked up filter house production takes its cues from the French trailblazers, but it's Shena's soaring vocal which makes it a perennial favourite, transmitting a message everyone can relate to about the week-long hustle and the joy of letting it all go when Friday night rolls around. This reissue brings together different mixes of the track which subtly shift the parts around without messing with the heart and soul of the track, while the Glitterbox mix shifts it down a gear to a slower disco strut which will sprinkle some crowd-pleasing magic over any warm up set.

Review: Producer and DJ MES (aka Jason Sutton) is the man behind the Guesthouse label out of California and has overseen it serving up more than 100 releases. His own music is never far away from influential charts and record bags and now he serves up a funky number packed with soul samples. 'Soul Glow' kicks off with playful drum loops and filters, a neat bassline and infectious claps. 'Party People' has a more edgy feel with silvery drums and tumbling congas while 'Homage' is the most raw and direct and possibly the best of the lot with its chunky drums and razor-sharp hi-hats.

Review: What would it be like to be invincible? An ecstatic funky house climax from the dream team of music-maker Michael Gray and singer Tatiana Owens, new one 'Invincible' channels the pure excitement of real love and connection, lyrically equating that excitement to feeling as if nothing could slow us down. Speaking of "common love" and "every day and every day", this is an unstoppable single, with its impenetrable march forward backed up by piano chords, stabbing string hits and punchy fills. Don't miss the B-side 'You Got To Remember', nor the live performed version on YouTube!

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: A warm welcome back to Jimmy Wallace - whose recent outing as Wallace on Rhythm Section International was really rather good - and his quirky Tartan series. The series has long been hard to pigeonhole, with Wallace (we think - there's no credited artist) delivering nostalgic cuts that sit somewhere between unlikely re-edits and sample-heavy re-makes. A-side 'Ayo' begins in sleazy fashion via a throbbing, dark Italo-goes-EBM groove, before Wallace introduces a colossal piano riff, more angular electronic motifs, grandiose Fairlight style stabs and some ear-catching sampled vocal snippets. Over on the flip, 'Shoes Off' could reasonably described as 'Balearic Bhangra': a loved-up and heavily electronic workout the brilliantly blurs the boundaries between late 80s Indian pop music and vintage house.

Review: Toolroom is one of the biggest house labels in the age these days. Mark Knight's outlet is a go-to for the big room lovers and pool party crews of the world and it's easy to see why when you tune into his latest label sampler. It brings together the old and the new school with the piano laced, steely house pumper 'Make You Happy' from Mark Knight, Todd Terry and James Hurr kicking off. Eddie Thoneick's 'Take It Back' gets more down and dirty with a sleazy bassline, Pete Griffiths brings belting vocal house energy to 'Get Together' and Muzzaik and Stadiumx combine for the flashy and raved-up 'Echoes.'

Review: A reissue of a 1988 house classic by DJ and producer Hipolito Torrales and company; 'You're Gonna Miss Me' is an incipient deep house classic, often described as one of its pangaeic moments, being an effective early production masterclass as well as a precursive blueprint for garage house. This fresh 12" version ' is a weightily produced stonker, with Cinthie's version channelling an extra low-middy grit, and Terry Farley and Wade Teo's version elbowing their way to string-laden euphoria with equal voracity. The original appears too, in all its raw, reissued charm.

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: Brand new this week, 'double trouble dub business' that's been burning up club systems all over the world. For a time only a select few DJs had this in their record bags, but these much anticipated bangers are now getting a full vinyl release. On the first side is a rip roaring edit of one of the greatest hits by the Queen Of Pop that's optimised for modern dancefloors. Over on the flip, things move into the after hours in minimal/tech house fashion with 'You Don't Dub Me' which samples a certain funky house anthem from the turn of the millennium.

Review: The Looking In EP marks the return of Brooklyn-based quintet Underground System to local imprint Razor-N-Tape, with a stunning five track release of originals and remixes. It offers a fresh and unique blend of Balearic grooves, left-field funk and up-tempo backbeats that respectfully showcase the US sound. The tracks are complete with the band's signature use of flute and synth soundscapes, driving percussion and catchy vocal hooks that are sure to get you moving. On the B-side of the record, RNT mainstays Nenor and Clive From Accounts deliver two club-ready remixes that take the tracks into even more dancefloor-friendly territory.

Review: It feels like Romy's debut album has been a long time coming, but it's absolutely worth the wait. Stepping to one side of the imposing shadow of her band The xx, the world-famous singer-songwriter has taken her time to deliver something sincere and vulnerable which opens up her world and celebrates the places she's found sanctuary. Having worked extensively with production wonder boy Fred Again, writing for other artists, the two finally funnelled their creative chemistry into songs for Romy which now result in a perfect nugget of pop-club with aeons of space for all the feelings to swirl. It's immediate and catchy, but elegant in equal measure, and certain to lodge Romy in the pantheon of modern pop titans for sensitive souls.

Review: A classic brought forward to the modern era, 'Joy' by Staxx was released back in 1993 and swept the British house scene, quickly rising in charts and topping the Billboard dance chart. Carol Leeming's vocals were one of the big talking points at the time, and the praise applies still almost 30 years later. This new remix 12" brings 'Joy' from the house clubs to the disco, with an incredible cut by the one and only Dr Packer as well as a progressive extended remix by Mark Dedross. On the tail end the original 12" mix - because nothing beats those original 90s club bangers.

Review: It's been a long time since Skrillex (Sonny Moore) pioneered his distinctive complextro sound, characterised by roaring vocal samples, bitcrushed melodies and novelty growls and wobbles. Surprisingly hailing from from an emo background, Moore has leveraged this sound to become an established force of nature, becoming the instigator of an entire tidal sea-change in electronic music. His latest bout of albums, though - one of which is Quest For Fire - hears him exercise his penchant for collaboration more than ever, indulging something of a DJ Khaled-esque streak, but for the EDM-pop crossover world. It's also much less fidgety, erring more on the melodic pop side. Referring to the film of the same name, in which figurative prehistoric cavemen embark on a quest for the discovery of fire, the album is equally a reflection of Skrillex's quest for musical exploration and innovation, as well as his passion for global culture and diversity. We admit: only Skrillex could bring together underground greats like Mr. Oizo, Sleepnet, Joker, Dylan Brady and Flowdan; fresh faces like Starrah, BEAM and Nai Barghouti; and pop-consciousness occupiers like Swae Lee, Aluna, Missy Elliott and Bibi Bourelly.

Review: Now celebrating its ten year anniversary, there's a sobering realisation to the fact that the swan song LP from French robo-duo Daft Punk is already a decade old. While divisive amongst the fan base, the organic instrumentation and sonic homage to classic disco still feels like a creative endeavour the pair of Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo needed to add to their catalogue before graciously bowing out (or powering down) on their own terms. Following the expansive deluxe edition already released earlier in the year, this drumless version strips away any and all notable percussion to allow the velvety basslines, glistening synths and retro grooves to take centre-stage. With re-imagined approaches to hits such as 'Instant Crush' (featuring The Strokes' Julian Casablancas) as well as the myriad of Pharrell Williams collaborative bangers from 'Lose Yourself To Dance' to the once inescapable 'Get Lucky', the project is a unique and vital addition for lifers, newcomers and boogie enthusiasts alike.

Review: We love nothing more than house music direct from the Windy City and that's what Vick Lavender's Sophisticado Recordings has got for us here. Angel-A is actually a native of Detroit currently living in Chicago and influenced by everything from jazz to gospel. She brings that to the fore here on the 'Master Fusion' single which is as soulful, lush and heartwarming as house can be. Her voice takes on many different forms from wordless coos to expressive declarations of love via diva wails. Lavender himself serves up a mix, while Albert Menendez offers both a piano-laced vocal mix and a broken beat, jazz-licked and synth-heavy instrumental which does still have the standout original vocal.

Review: Micky More is the alias of Michele Mingo, an Italian DJ and producer who's co-founder of Ancona-based Groove Culture Music with Andy Tee. His latest track is his best yet; 'All About The Culture' features US legend Cevin Fisher and it is real proper deep house with an infectious vocal underpinned by surefire elements, such as a low slung bassline and creamy Rhodes keys - enough said! If that's not enough, over on the flip Mingo taps the one-and-only Roland Clark for his participation on 'The Rhythm', a serving of low-slung, ultra smooth mood music for the late night.

Review: To mark the 20th Anniversary of the American Life Mix Show Mix, this new album brings together eight songs that also honour the life and work of Peter Rauhofer, a notorious remixer who did many such great works for Madonna for over two decades. Six of these tunes are brand new edits of Madonna's top commercial and promotional remixes from the 'American Life' era that have never been released before. The two others are a superb Ralphi Rosario House Vocal Mix of 'Love Profusion' and Deepsky's Home Sweet Home Vocal Edit of 'Hollywood.'

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: 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: Spencer Morales taps into the most lavish and soulful end of the house spectrum here with a glorious new single 'What Cha Gonna Do With My Lovin.' The glossy and sophisticated production oozes charm and high end touches while the vocals are as pure as they come - soaring, full of soul and nicely in sync with the rolling beats and golden chords, sumptuous strings and loose percussion. On the flip, 'You Gonna Make Me Love Somebody Else' is a rework of a disco classic with another catchy vocal and more infectious soulful house grooves.

Review: Groove Armada proven so adept at putting totters intimate late nigh sound tracks that they have made not one, not two, but three different entires into this legendary and long running series. And each one has its own equally special vibe. This one finds the pairing digging into the new York disco of Metro Area, the funk of Roy Ayers, the classic house of Mr Fingers and the gorgeousness of Shuggie Otis. It's as good an after the afterparty mix as you could wish to hear so we're delighted it is being reissue.

Review: Sweely has been hugely impressive of late. The artist has really broken through in quick time with a house sound that is futuristic and full of great synth raft. Here we get a more classic take on the genre on 'Time For Freakness' with some warm old school soul and muttered vocals next to squelchy pads. 'Move For Me' is as catchy as a cold with its clipped beats and withering sci-fi keys next to a sultry vocal and three flip side cuts explore boogie-tastic Dam Funk style house beats on 'Digital Lust', skittish rhythms on 'Jazz Painter' and pumping deep tech on 'The Music Sounds Good'. Another standout.

Review: Rosie Gaines will also be synonymous with her smash hit single 'Closer Than Close' (also the name of her fifth album) which now gets reissued by the Demon Record Singles Club. Gaines actually started her career back in 1985 when she perfumed and recorded with The Curtis Ohlson Band but it was when she was a member of Prince & The New Power Generation that she really got noticed. Her Closer Than Close album came in 1995 and soon after she was dropped by Motown, but a remix of the title track a year so so later arrived in club land on bootleg and sold over eight million copies around the world.

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.