Back catalogue: Deep House

Review: FXHE maintain their monthly heat emission for 2012, with label boss Omar S displaying all aspects of his production prowess (as well as skill for a humorous track titles) across four productions - one of which features the button bashing assistance of one Patrik Sjeren. There's something icily brilliant about the restrained "Income Tax Refund Dance" melding a dark piano riff with snapping 808 kicks and rippling lo fi rhythms which only further justifies the title of Omar S's killer 2011 LP. It's complemented by the far rowdier box jam "The White Castle Song" which jackhammers a simple yet highly flammable key riff over low rent percussion for FXHE's most potent ode to the perfect warehouse moment since the all conquering "Here's Your Trance..." Given the lack of additional info, we presume the Patrik Sjeren that produces the B Side "Untitled" track is the same Patrik Sjeren that released in the mid 90s under a multiplicity of aliases, and his contribution is every bit as incendiary as the track preceding it, whilst "3c 273" sees Omar S slip into pensive utopian electro mode with aplomb.

Review: Theo Parrish is one of those characters who manages to unite lovers of both house and techno, indeed producing offerings that seem to make the distinction utterly redundant. How does he doe it? Well, if this pair of new tracks are anything to go on, it's the simple trick of making tracks that combine the soufulness and rootsy earthiness of house with a trippy sense of the futuristic and psychedelic that elevates them out of the ordinary.
Take, for instance 'In Motion's simple piano stabs and the subsequent off kilter groove that builds up around them. Or, equally, the cheeky bass keyboard manoeuvres that form the backbone of 'Don't Play' featuring Ava, funky enough to be Stevie Wonder but then matched with caustic, scything hi-hats that have more than a hint of the surreal and robotic about them. Best of all, it doesn't feel like a compromise, it feels like a full on creation that acknowledges both traditions but refuses to follow either slavishly.

Review: The new Parrish single appears on vinyl in the form of two mixes differing in vibe but consistent in quality and suitability for DJ use. The original rides along on a shuffling, almost Afrobeat version of house, with Maurissa Rose's gorgeous vocal floating above the gloopy, hypnotic bassline which gets the full filter treatment. The instrumental dub places that b-line very much at the centre of the mix, starting from a single kickdrum before building up to a more techno-edged, vocal free climax. all throbbing bass, solid bears and minimal, glitchy keyboard interjections.

Review: Marcellus Pittman is one of the forefathers of the raw, gritty, lo-fi house sound that we so strongly associate with the Motor City. This EP for FXHE is a perfect case in point. It manages to be abstract and odd but also exude a human warmth and soul that is unlike anything you can get anywhere else. 'Nyrobi Knight' is a rickety drum workout infused with synth glows, 'Dirty' is depraved and dark and delicious and 'Cherry Lee' is dusty deep house with eerie vocals.

Review: Isaac Prieto is Mexico-born but Detroit based and that is presumably where he hooked up with the Motor City's assured house auteur Javonntte. The pair take a trip through scuffed-up deep house brilliance here with the chattery claps and blurting bass of spaced-out opener 'One Take' before 'Brothers In Rhythm' is a more dance-y cut with pinging kicks and detuned synths stumbling about the mix to make for a brilliant sense of mechanical funk. 'High Energy' brings edgy chord stabs over busted beats and bass and 'Lost & Found' is more kinetic analogue madness with hurried techno hi-hats, spangled pads and punchy kicks all bringing an utterly fresh type of sound.

Review: Theo Parrish's masterful Sound Sculptures Vol 1 on triple LP format gets a timely repressing!! In total here there are 9 of the 27 tracks from the full double CD version but these still run the gamut of Theo's inimitable talents, from rough and tumble disco edits to saccharine soul, raw beatdown and leftfield esoterica. Be sure to check the Omar S- featuring "Synthetic Flemm" and long time Juno favourite "Flotation Device". If ever there was a selection of tracks that fully showcased the incredible breadth of production talent this man has, this is it. Not to be missed!