Back catalogue: Deep House

Review: You really can't fault the Houseworx label - it knows how to dig out classy house sounds from a range of subgenres that will always work on the floor. It's Dawn Again who pulls off that deceptively difficult trick here with a fresh four-tracker. 'If You're Waiting For Someone To Save The Day' is a mid-tempo mover with a yearning vocal that is enough to set the whole thing alight. 'Schmang'd' has more of a garage skip to it with crispy hits and low-slung bass, then 'Endless Canopy' explores a more heady vibe with warm Balearic chords. Things get deep and scuffed up on the seductive closer 'Some Kind Of Breakdown'.

Review: Time to Play's latest release, "Midnight Love," marks a significant addition to their catalog, courtesy of Japan's DJ Dreamboy. The EP's title track is a masterclass in Japanese deep house, capturing a sound that's minimal yet intense, balanced yet dreamy. The choice of Brazilian producer Zopelar for a tough remix only underscores the track's impact and versatility. On the flip side, "Vibe" kicks off with a minute of atmospheric build-up, gradually exploding into a whirlwind of kicks and acid arpeggios. It's a journey from suspense to euphoria that's bound to ignite any dancefloor. Following suit is "Dream Town," which retains a softer, more contemplative edge, echoing the vibe of the title track while adding a layer of subtle sophistication. The EP wraps up with "My House Style," a high-octane trip through Tokyo's nocturnal landscape. It's a relentless romp featuring deep basslines, ethereal atmospheres, and a rhythm that demands you keep moving. If you've ever dreamt of a non-stop dance odyssey, this track's your ticket. DJ Dreamboy's "Midnight Love" not only showcases their signature sound but also sets a new standard for modern deep house.

Review: The latest 12" from long-running Sahko offshoot Keys Of Life is the first of two split 'Balearic' releases from Sex Tags man DJ Sotofett and SUED co-founder SVN.. Sotofett's "Current 82" is a thing of rare beauty; an ambient house inspired chunk of lucid, mid-tempo dreaminess full of fluid chords, subtle, loved-up melodies and early Italian deep house bottom end. SVN continue the deep theme whilst doffing a cap to techno on flipside "Dark Plan 5". Their chords and pads are every bit as life-affirming as Sotofett's - even if they are a touch on the bittersweet side - but the accompanying up-tempo rhythm has a more ready-made dancefloor feel. Either way, both tracks are superb.

Review: The Alpha Transmissions EP is a new project from Dubbyman that has been long in the making. The always classy producer brings his trademark deep house sound to Inner Shift Music with label owners Brad P and Rai Scott getting in on the action. 'Transmission #1' is smooth, serene and dubbed out deep house with cosmic energy, while 'In The Space (Song For Joey)' is a more loose-limbed groove peppered with gentle percussion.'Transmission #2' first comes as a Man-Drake edit that is widescreen and drenched in prog rock guitar licks and as a Rai Scott remix that is more rolling and heady. A typically versatile package from Dubbyman.

Review: Aaron Andrew's Chubby label doesn't rush things. Since launching in 2018 and now only just hitting its sixth release though the music sure is worth the wait and is proof that quality will always win over quantity. Leonid's twin brother, Al Smith opens up with the cuddly and cosmic depths of 'Drama Room' before getting more dark and unsettling with his twisted synth modulations on 'Full Of Music', which then becomes a gorgeous downtempo cut with star-gazing pads and splashy hits within the Specter remix. Dan Piu picks up the pace for some delightfully warm deep house dynamics on 'Days Gone' and 'Snows Of Solaris'. Last of all is the more scuffed up, heads down deep house murk of Rai Scott's remix of Dan's intro tune, 'Day's Gone'.

Review: Francis Harris and Anthony Collins (aka Frank & Tony)'s New York label Scissor and Thread wraps up the year with another sublime deep house release from US mainstay DaRand Land, who first joined the imprint in 2016 and recently collaborated on their album Ethos. Originally from Buffalo, NY, the tasteful producer was a pioneer of Deep4Life, a Chicago-based cult label known for deep, dance floor-oriented productions and he is still turning out just that on new LP Wander Being. It's full of smoky pads, cuddly drums and bottomless grooves that hypnotise mind and body while warming the soul to its core.

Review: DDWY appeared on Public Possession label earlier in the year when they put out their Chill Pill compilation and their contribution was the perfectly balearic dance gem 'Orchard'. Now the pair is back with a limited edition album, Sprig Songs. It lays out their distinctive take on dance music which is dubbed out and trippy, often slow paced, doused in proggy melodies and all flavoured with unique Nangis chants. The spell binding selection includes the warped rhythms and FX of 'Green Villa' and otherworldly depths of 'Do Deers Dream?' while 'Hair Spiders' is a more dancefloor ready and dubbed out beatdown.

Review: DJ Koze is a master of his craft, and without even so much as lifting a finger, it's proven yet again with his 10th Anniversary Edition of 'Amygdala.' Known for its experimental yet minimal style - which has since trailblazed in his home country of Germany - Koze's knife-edge productions for the LP were far ahead of their time in 2013, breathing fresh life into an often exhausted genre, while also enlisting the help of fellow titans such as Caribou, Apparat, Dirt Von Lowtzow, Milosh and Matthew Dear. It's a classic album of restless detail and domestic lowercasery. Much-aped, but never outmatched.

Review: DJ Python's hypnotic take on dembow is second to none. The New York DJ and producer can send you wild with the slowest of tempos and does that again here on his second superb album on Incienso. His tactile drum programming weaves and wanders beneath the most bendy and gooey of synth lines. The tension between those percolating drums and the star gazing keys and pads up top is what makes his music so enthralling - life is slowed to a crawl and everything seems to take on more beauty and resonance as a result. Tracks here are variously coloured with eerie vocal samples, field recordings or deconstructed jungle percussion, and every single one snakes its way into your mind, body and soul. "Mas Amable" may just be one of the albums of the year.

Review: Dark Entries welcome back the inimitable Doc Sleep aka Melissa Maristuen for a superb new album of ghostly and ethereal house and techno. This is a welcome follow-up to last year's ambient and IDM exploration, Birds, and shows another side that draws on Maristuen's years of queer clubbing. It fuses aspects of New York house, Berlin techno and West-coast breakbeats and is "a love letter to the West Coast's magnificent natural landscape, the light of the Pacific sunrise." That is reflected in the sublime synths and silky rhythms which manage to both move your body but also captivate your mind. It's another cracking album from the Doc.