Back catalogue: Deep House

Review: Multi-artist EPs have all been all the rage of late, though few can boast quite as strong a line-up of artists as this one from dependable French deep house label Phongramme. It begins with a gorgeous chunk of detail-heavy, sun-splashed electronic deep house brilliance courtesy of Abacus (an artist whose discography also contains outings on Prescription, Innermood and NDATL Muzik) and ends with a vibraphone-solo sporting shuffler from the effervescent Byron The Aquarius and Computer Jay ('When The Freaks Come Out'). Sandwiched in between you'll find two more must-have workouts: the bumpin', brilliant and spiritually uplifting 'States of Motion' by Fred P, and a typically dusty, jazzy and warming number by Colombian hero Felipe Gordon ('The Gordon Way').

Review: The ever-impossible to pin down Shall Not Fade label welcomes back Baltra for a first EP since his last full outing in 2019. The NYC artist's Dreaming Of A Disco EP manages to be both fuzzy, lo-fi and nostalgic but also forward looking and fresh. He opens with hazy disco loops and shimmering 80s chords underpinned by a funky bassline that cannot fail to hook you in. There's a more pumping and sweaty house groove on 'Imaginary Laughter', blissed out Balearic vibes on 'Private Paradise' and gorgeously airy and organic jazz-funk stylings layered over a nice raw four-four beat on closer 'Sunset Jam.'

Review: Timmy Regisford's remix of Basic Black's 'Don't Make Me Fall In Love' squarely pegs the former's vision in dance music: a fusion of uptempo soul with clear lyrical locutions and sharp grooves. As vice president and A&R at Motown, Regisford played a crucial role in the success of Basic Black's 1990 debut album, a hallmark of the new jack swing era. In his rework, the iconic DJ and co-founder of Club Shelter reimagines the track through an unmistakable New York dance lens, preserving it in the oral traditions of soul and bassy, ballroom house. Formerly a rare white label, this remix was originally exclusive to New York's DJing elite, and never officially released as a single until now. Restored from a DAT tape in Tony Humphries' archive, this rewrap includes a never-before-heard instrumental version and a bass-and-beats-only edit, cryopreserving Regisford's jackin', frosty touch.

Review: Rebirth kicks off its 2024 with a remix EP that serves as "a tribute to the Brescian music scene in its many facets and declinations." The full original project is a complete 12-track album that brings together many different sounds, scenes and generations, with the best bits now assembled on this new 12". The revered deep house master Fred P opens up with some texture spiritual synth depths, K-Lone brings some nice house swing to his version of 'Paline' and edit maestro Rahsaan also keeps it paired back and late night on his soulful take on 'Scent Of An Old Life'. A great reimagining of some moving musical adventures, then.

Review: Barbie Bertisch's debut album Prelude made quite the stir when it dropped back in June. It was also ripe for remixing and so it is that Love Injection have enlisted six top talents to add their own spin "in dialogue" with the originals. First in the series we have Montreal's Gene Tellem on the A-side flipping 'After The Storm'. The resulting tune is faster than the original: it is a wavy, dreamy deep house cut with superbly subtle synth work over the rolling drums. It gets you in a trance in no time with its lush atmospherics. On the flip, Tamar sumo and Lakuti, well known to the heads at Berlin's P-Bar where they are residents, go for a powerful peak time rework. It has chattery claps and intense synths layered up over the unrelenting drums to make for something textured and euphoric and sure to make a big impression. We already can't wait to hear the rest in this series.

Review: Earlier this year, legendary NY house label King Street Sounds was acquired by Armada Music. The Dutch imprint plans to reissue many of the well-known - and lesser-celebrated - gems from the King Street vaults in the months and years ahead. To kick things off, they've delivered this vinyl sampler featuring some of the stable's most admired cuts of all time. So, we get Dennis Ferrer's iconic remix of Blaze and Barbara Tucker's gospel-powered soulful house anthem, 'Most Precious Love', the 'King Street Mix' of Jovonn's legendary deep, bumpin' tribute to New Jersey's Club Zanzibar, 'Back To Zanzibar', Mood II Swing's hot and heavy 'moody club mix' of their own Carole Sylvan collaboration 'Closer' and the all-time deep house classic that is the Wamdue Black extended rework of 'Cascades of Colour' by Ananda Project. Simply essential!

Review: Italian Danilo Braca offers up a superbly summery deep hose single here that is alive with bird calls and beautiful ambiance. There are hooky Balearic guitar riffs stitched into the smooth, shuffling, dusty groove. Breaking waves and seductive sax motifs add further color to the most serene and seductive sounds. After that 12-minute-plus epic on the A-side comes the flip side DJ Spinna Journey mix. It has fleshier drums, and muted acid lines but just as much of an escapist beauty feel. Two classics here that will fit into any open-air set with style.

Review: Inner Life's 'I'm Caught Up (In A One Night Love Affair)' released in 1979 is a quintessential disco anthem that captures the exuberance and allure of the era. Jocelyn Brown's powerful vocals deliver a story of fleeting romance, seamlessly intertwining with lush orchestrations and a driving rhythm section that still get people up and dancing all these decades on. The track's infectious groove, memorable hooks, and lavish production epitomise the magic of late-70s dancefloors which is it why it is such a staple in both nostalgic disco sets and modern dance compilations. This reissue offers up four different versions by the great remix king John Morales.

Review: In the late 1980s and early '90s, twins Rheji and Ronald Burrell did more to define the sound of deep house than almost any other producer bar Larry Heard. It's for this reason that this new EP from Rheji under the Utopia Project alias - one of many monikers he and his brother adopted back in the day - is such big news. The five tracks are totally fresh, rather than archival cuts, but are every bit as magic as the music Burrell released all those years ago. Expect tactile basslines, classic deep house rhythms, huggable melodies, chiming motifs, sun-bright piano riffs and immersive chords, all created using the same combination of synthesizers and drum machines that he and his brother once used to craft pioneering NYC house jams. Essential!

Review: The third installment from long serving house institution King Street Sounds offers up a stellar selection of deep house gems that shine on vinyl. Side-1 opens with Danell Dixon's 'Dance Dance' in DJ Pierre's Wild Pitch mix. Its sweeping melody and piano-driven elegance embody the quintessential house vibe, setting a high standard. Following this, Big Moses delivers 'Brighter Days' featuring Kenny Bobien. This extended mix pairs a Sylvester-inspired vocal with a mellow yet uplifting groove, carrying a timeless house message of joy and positivity. Flipping to side two, DJ Pierre's 'Dancin'' takes center stage with a filtered anthem that shows his signature Wild Pitch flair, igniting the dancefloor with energy and style. Blaze's 'Shine' closes things out in the Shelter vocal extended mix. Blending melodic piano, gospel influences and jazzy undertones, it's a laid-back yet upbeat track that exudes warmth and soul. A great taster of this label's undisputed ongoing mastery of the house genre.

Review: It's another family affair over at New York City's Razor N Tape label. For this edition, they have tapped the ever reliable Israeli indie-dance heroes Red Axes for a euphoric rendition of Nenor's 'Do You Remember' (feat Jenny Penkin) making for proper Balearic vibes, while the one-and-only Boo Williams delivers another ultra-deep house journey in the form of 'Besty Smith'. Over on the flip, we see the return of New Zealand-based producer Frank Booker who hands in the late night mood music of 'Time Won't Tell' followed by Peter Matson with a slinky and neon-lit rework of label chief JKriv's 'Something Else'.

Review: Hotmix deliver another two-track slaying from an aliased ambassador of the label itself, this time the first edition in the new 'Obscure Bad Dreams' series. An homage to Sauro Cosimetti (the Italian house and techno mastermind whose credits include releases on Frequenza, Natura Viva and Beatfreak), six acolytes of the artist bring six, discoic house hosing-downs to the table. Most exciting among the selections are the lively African trad chanter 'The Beginning', the dreamy soulful house 'Inflight' by Rohan Delano, and Montano Orchestra's freestyle-inspired dub-electro-disco 'Tribal Love Beats' version of their own 'Esto Parese Amor'.