Back catalogue: Deep House

Review: Esuoh Limited's third outing takes the form of another various artists offering, and it explores an on-point mix of garage, house and tech. Ale Castro gets things underway with the bubbly bass motifs and retro stabs of 'IDWTAD' with a vocal refrain repeating the line 'I don't want to talk about drugs'. Hurlee's 'Spectral Echoes' is a super breezy house cruiser with sugar chords and more widescreen smears adding the oil to the drums while a simple, effective vocal hook brings the soul. There is a darker, more heads down energy to Housewife's 'Jus A Lil Bit' then Midas Field's 'Groover' brings class, jazzy magic and plenty of fist pumping fun.

Review: Massive jazzdance and UK bass fusions on the new e-glowup from Eglo (though the record is also released physically). Celebrating 15 years of the nominal "post-dubstep" label, this limited 12" EP hears four exclusive, unreleased tracks from an upcoming label-definer compilation, the third in a series. Born from the basement of Plastic People, the pressure has remained continuously on Eglo to keep the same foment of bass musical innovation that the club nurtured alive. Plastic People is a routinised object of nostalgia, and it is often deemed the last proper place for innovation in bass music before austerity Britain militated against it. Zed Bias's remix of Chunky's 'Dancing On Tables' with Metrodome - and the deep, bruk-inspired track, 'Minerals,' from Liverpool's rising star Sticky Dub - both prove this assessment totally wrong. Genius thrives. On the flip, we've also house legend Giles Smith (formerly of Secretsundaze) delivering fresh material, as well as label boss Alexander Nut making his official debut with the lo-fi electro house track 'Arcade Fun Pt. 1.' The full compilation, featuring artists like Shy One, Steve Spacek, and Fatima, drops in April.

Review: Rhythm N Vibe label head Marc Cotterell strides into 2025 with a killer new three-track EP featuring plenty of his signature garage and house crossover jams. 'Annihilate The Rhythm' gets things underway with some rave-ready sirens and tightly programmed beats and bubbly bass. UK talent JACKARD steps up to remix and does so with razor-sharp hi-hats and low-slung kicks that bring the sleaze. 'Floor Dance' then brings the funk with some playful chord sequences and swirling pads and fFeed Your Soul' shuts down with aching vocal hooks and old school piano energy over some fresh US house drums.

Review: REPRESS ALERT!: Drop Music marks a marvellous quarter of a century of releases with this new slab of vinyl featuring some gems from disco funksters Crazy P and the house mainstays Inland Knights. Crazy P go first with 'Disc Odyssey' which is perfectly indicative of their much beloved sound with its low slung kicks and funky bassline. Inland Knights then offer a trio of in demand & unreleased tracks. 'Overnight' is a bumming deep house joint, 'Walk On' has an icy late night vibe and balmy pads and 'Do It Again is a more playful closer, with some killer b-line action. All four, needless to say, are timeless gems, and the fact the last two are appearing on vinyl first the first time makes it an even more desirable cop.

Review: ***B-STOCK: Slight surface marks, record slightly warped***


Soul Clap have always dealt in their own brand of funk no matter whether they are serving up house or disco. They of course call it e-funk - a nod to their heroes George Clinton's p-funk - and it also provides their label with its name. This second volume of Detroit leaning e-funk is a faultless four tracker. Rick Wilhite's signature lo-fi sounds define 'Cheetah', the vital Ladymonix then brings the party, Soul Clap themselves join up with funk master Amp Fiddler and Jon Dixon completes the quartet with '4ever Searchin.'

Review: Crazy P's latest release sees the band effortlessly blending their love of classic disco, house and funk with a modern sensibility, exploring both the joyous and reflective sides of the human experience. The album opens with the summery, hypnotic 'Human After All', its groovy bassline and warm synths creating an instantly inviting atmosphere. As the record unfolds, the songs take on a more introspective tone, like the emotive 'The Revolution Will Not Be Anything', which pulses with infectious rhythm and nuanced melodies. There's a deep sophistication in how the group fuses elements of nostalgia with forward-thinking production, creating an album that's as much about feeling as it is about moving.