Back catalogue: Deep House

Review: By now, most dedicated househeads should known 2Fox and Laville's debut single, 'Elevation' - an effortlessly soulful chunk of lightly gospel-influenced deep house brilliance that has been bubbling away since the summer of 2024. The regular, full vocal versions were recently released on wax and now we get the alternative dubs. Masters at Work man and all-round NYC legend Louie Vega steps up first with a swirling, deep, hypnotic and extra-percussive take that makes good use of selected lead and backing vocal snippets, before label bosses Soul Clap slap down a deep, groovy, tech-tinged dub straight from the top drawer. Over on the reverse, we get a vocal-free 'Dub-strumental' of Vega's EP-leading take, as well as a more vocal heavy, gospel house style 'Zero Hour' dub by New York veteran Tommy Musto.

Review: Nutria Sounds is a new sub-label of Kai Alce's rightly revered deep house stable, NDATL Muzik, and it's back with 002 here with an EP by rising Toronto producer Marcelo Cruz, who delivers spiritually rich, dancefloor-ready grooves. 'Mi Espiritu (feat Jaidene Veda)' opens with haunting vocals layered over emotive percussion and bubbly drums, then 'Ceremonia' follows with Carlito Brigante's expressive piano dancing atop hypnotic rhythms that bring to mind sacred rituals. Closing track 'Deeper Dreams' dives into raw, underground territory with cuddly bass and stripped-back drums. It's a tasteful one from Nutria Sounds, which seems set to become a crucial new outlet for organic, soulful dance gems.

Review: Founded in 2023, Category 1 Music (C1M) builds on deep roots in house music, focusing on soulful house vocal productions on a fine international scale. Beyond digital releases, they're now diving into vinyl with a series of exclusive drops; the first is a Category 1 Music Sampler, a 12" of four standouts by Terry Dexter, Michael Gray, Dr Packer, Richard Earnshaw, and DJ Spinna. Organic but still well cooked Ibiza house predominates the set menu, whether by way of the ultrasoul wateriness of Terry Dexter's 'You Saved Me' or the tighter but still dreamy entreaties of Shawn Christopher's 'He's Got It', both translated in exquisite mashup form by the likes of Gray and Packer.

Review: "Bloody hell" inducing house swing from DJ Spinna (Vincent Williams) and Roland Clark, two absolute historic units of house music hailing from Brooklyn and Newark respectively. Though it's a fresh collaboration, 'When We Dance (Move Your Feet)' has the airs of a classic, informed by joint decades in the game. An unusually high dose of swing parlays a profound propulsion on the matinee special 'Galactic Soul Mix' by Spinna, laden throughout by a rousing narration by Clark himself. The track's electric piano is EQed to flashing, premium glossy heaven; this is the kind of effort we look out for in our house music: no sound cliched, all sounds clinched.

Review: For real! Described by releasing label Treasure as another treasure chest among bluffing crates full of false sonic pyrite, FR's crafts a marine prospector's dream on 'Treasure EP 9'. 'Kuldn't Luv U More' leads with what sounds like an obscure Tracey Thorn flip, while 'Consciousness' furthers the effort at obfuscation with a shaken-down, blunted-to-a-blur kick and hook loop from a glimmering midnight disco cut. 'Insatiable' on the B redoes Thick D's speedy 'Insatiable' by with a saunified overload, pouring hotter water on a ready-heated stove of sultry New York house, while 'I'm Outta Love' does the same to Anastacia's less identifiable but still findable soul belter. Real stumpers on the sample front at first, but we found 'em!

Review: 'Vibrations' by Toronto house music producer Reagan Grey taps into the pulse of the early days of the Local Talk label, back when classic house and garage ran the Great British show. Made with Christie Nelson (Soul Candi) and Sean Jones, the record spins four deep, stand-ho hums round a well burnished loom of beats, as a deep, soulful house sound rings outl though Grey has toughened the edges out to suit less satiable systems, both social and sound. 'Love Will (Vibrations Mix)' is the rawest regent of the lot, its offbeat organs and plosive drum machines spitting out like unfiltered speech. A smart, instinctive grip on what makes the UK-and-beyond deep house sound tick.

Review: Texan producer Ben Hixon has been particularly prolific of late, releasing a swathe of rather good - and undeniably analogue-powered - deep house EPs on Dolfin Music, a label he's been associated with for many years. Here he drops a seven-inch single - a rarity within house music - featuring two jams that make extensive use of his Casio LK keyboard. A-side 'Casio LK 1' is a breezy chunk of old school style deep house that comes blessed with a deep, heavy bassline, sparkling keyboard riffs, and soulful, eyes-closed vocal snippets. He opts for a sweatier, more stripped-back and occasionally distorted drum sound on 'Casio LK2', wrapping this tough-as-teak, no-nonsense beat in dreamy chords and spacey melodic flourishes.

Review: Miami-based label Terrestrial Funk revives the sound of early 90s house with a long-overdue return from Insight, their first new material in over 30 years. Originally emerging from the UK scene and known for their 1993 output on Strictly Rhythm, the group reappear here with three fresh house tracks and one unreleased downtempo dub, all steeped in the warmth and spirit of that golden era. 'Starry Eyed' and 'Spring' combine tactile keys with swinging, classic drums, while Ashaye's vocal lines weave emotional clarity through each groove. The previously unheard 'Na Mix' of 'What Is This World Coming To?' flips the tempo, stretching things into a dubbed-out meditation that slows the pulse without losing intensity. 'Here We Go Again' rounds things off with a shuffling rhythm that lands somewhere between warehouse and sun-drenched terrace. Nostalgic yet agile, this is a quietly triumphant return that reaffirms Insight's place in UK house history.

Review: Since being snapped up by Defected a few years ago, the reinvigorated Nu Groove label - originally home to some of the earliest NYC deep house recordings ever released - has done a good job in balancing essential reissues with new EPs from artists whose music neatly fits their ethos. Jimpster, a man who has been serving up impeccable deep house for decades, is their latest recruit. Fittingly, he's delivered an EP of nostalgic, colourful deep house of the kind that could have been produced by Nu Groove stalwarts The Burrell Brothers in 1990 or 91. For proof, check the tactile, analogue-rich retro-futurism of 'The Phoenix', the warming deep NY garage-house bump of 'Lightening In Me' (featuring vocalist Oliver Right) and the synth-rich sonic sunshine of 'Beat Of An Era'.

Review: Japanese DJ, producer and remixer Makoto Nakatani is the man behind the M-Scape alias, and he straddles genre borders with the four cuts he serves up for evergreen UK staple Local Talk. 'Urban Reconstruction' is propulsive deep house with Detroit-style hi-tek synth magic colouring the airwaves. 'I Do' is an ass-wiggling heater with stylised vocals and colourful melodic motifs triggered by the drums. 'Freedom' is all early Chicago jack, cowbells and sugary chord progressions, then 'Let The Drums Play' taps into sun-kissed London broken beat with cosmic melodies adding a futuristic twist. There are a lot of different moods touched up on with this EP and they are all high-class.

Review: Dennis Quin's back on his Eardrums label with four tracks of deep, soulful house rooted in the rich traditions of the UK, US and Dutch scenes. It's an authentic collision of OG style and new school techniques with 'The Liberation' opening with deft synth stabs that light up Detroit house beats as a Chicago gospel vocal adds the rawness. 'Muscle' has shimmering synths that jitter about over tightly programmed drums and 'Pushing Harder' then samples a classic vocal sample over turbocharged 90s house beats. It's great fun and bound to make a mark and last of all is the spun out broken beat energy of 'Tough Beat', a physical closer with astral pads.

Review: We're still a little way from summer but Franck Roger already has an eye on house music for the warmer months. His 'I Can't Wait' comes with a vocal from South African Ree Morris whose smoky tones bring classic deep house vibes to a nice smooth instrumental. Franck's Atlantic dubthrumental version is even more deep and cuddly then flipside joint "Goldstone 92' is a portal back to the 90s with bumping drums and humid chords that bring good vibes only.

Review: Analog Recital's new album fantastically collides the worlds of lo-fi house and jazz-synth sounds on Inner Tribe Records. Clearly drawing inspiration from early jazz-house production but adding new ideas to that, the record combines dynamic dancefloor rhythms with crusty drums reminiscent of classic hip-hop and live horns as well as traditional African drums. It features Adrian M Nation from Antigua and Barbuda and Millicent from South Africa on vocals, while Aussie Horatio Luna is on bass to make this a truly pan-global and richly musical affair. By merging live instrumentation with late-night club vibes in this way, Analog Recital really impresses.

Review: Boston pair Soul Clap land on UK staple Crosstown rebels and bring their signature E-funk sound across a quarter of tunes that also draw on garage and deep house. 'Gone Stumblin' is effortlessly breezy with swirling, aloof vocals up top, a knotted bassline and dusty drums and percussion making a nice late-night vibe. The dub version is bigger, with twisted stabs and frazzled leads rewiring the energy and 'Unifying Force' is a swirling, gooey sound with an old school FM bassline and classic vocal sample bringing the heat. 'Gone Stumblin (bonus version)' is a second take on the original with some fun drum patterns and big raw snares to amp up the vibes.

Review: Tribute To House Masters launches its homage to talented producers from the foundational days of house and disco with a first volume featuring some real heavyweights. Each of the originals has been remixed by St David who begins with swinging and delightful deep house depths on 'The Underground.' His Gentle Re-Touch of Patrice Rushen leads to some chunky and full flavour disco house fun, the Club Re-Diss of Armando is jacked up and peak time house with a retro flair and lastly Groovylizer Magic dub brings some silky and soulful flourishes to a Salsoul Orchestra classic.

Review: Amsterdam-based duo Maarten Smeets and Lars Dales - Dam Swindle - offer us their album, Open, prying ajar our otic tract with 14 quixotic tracks. After years of introspection, Open marks a rupture, as the pair break from their preeminent deep house for an even-deeper-down embrace of the lower tempi, with them now incorporating synthwave, hip-house, and ambient elements. A first taster comes with the smoothly lavished 'Girl' with Faye Meana, while 'Bloom' with Joep Beving develops the theme of self-analysis through well-shovelled deep house chords. Still reining in some four-to-the-floor precepts, Dam Swindle have nonetheless presented their most heartfelt and least harried detour to date.

Review: Master drummer and producer Alexander Flood debuts his rhythmic first record on Atjazz, following up the sumptuous first single 'Life Is A Rhythm'. A truly exciting record on foliate green vinyl, this LP packs a production paradox, bringing both boomy bodyweight and a shape-cutting, 2-stepping sense of ease at the same time. With extra layers of perc in the rhythm section, with Brazilian percussionist Aduni on congas and Cuban percussionist Alexander Scull Castillo on bata, it's actually really the dance-flooring production that grabs us here, heard best in the plum chords and erratic pianos of 'Don't Wait For Me', and/or the live bruk ghost dance 'Sidestep'.

Review: Celebrating 25 years of two of the most influential house labels around, this joint double-pack from London's R2 and Osunlade's Yoruba Records is a heavyweight offering that bridges soulful roots and dancefloor depth. Karizma's long-awaited 'Spirit' appears in multiple formsihis original gospel-powered burner, a Josh Milan remix (as Honeycomb), and a dub version featuring Nicholas Ryan Gant, all radiating righteous, late-night warmth. The second R2 cut, 'W!thout !t' is stripped and punchy, full of Karizma's trademark percussive invention. Yoruba's side sees Osunlade light up the system with 'Electricity' and 'Sumpin' Like Dis', both steeped in rhythm and spiritual uplift. Afefe Iku's '823' dives deep into his signature twilight textures, while Karizma's Baltimore remix of Mr. Flip's 'Drippin'' closes the set on a loose and funky high. It's a snapshot of two defining voices in house musicirich in groove, spirit and intention.