Review: "Right, OK!" Worm Records offer up their second various artists release for 2024, coming just a neat two months after September's inaugural release featuring Ruf Dug, Wallace, The Mole and Gallegos. Now the label turn their hand to a completely different league of artists, convoking Boulderhead, Wooka, DMX Krew and Jorg Kuning for yet another star-studded audio-strudel, spanning both chilled and heated ends of the spectrum. Boulderhead's A1 is the ludic highlight among the four, a charming Valley Girl voice peppering the vocal track with exceptional backhandedness; we hear talk of floating on clouds and an affect of casual acceptance behind the glitch-science, suggesting vibes of bounciness and breeze. Wooka goes sillier speed garage on 'Make Yourself Comfortable', a challenging charge given the track's otherwise rather jagged jam; Krew and Koenig close things off on a comparatively calm note, the former's B1 opting for a set of bruk-en beats and wet synth yaps, and the latter's 'Imbolc' quiescing with clement Rhodeses and homely drum machines.
Review: House Hippo drops a fat one to get its life underway, and who finer than house authority Terry Farley to be behind it alongside Wade Teo. This limited 12" distills a wide range of house sub genres from garage to New York to soulful. 'Come On Now' is a nice breezy opener with swirling, filtered synth loops bringing a nice French touch vibe to rolling beats, then 'Harry Hippy' gets more cut up and raw. 'Dexter' goes deeper with shakers and muted piano chords colouring the drums and last of all is the deepest of them all - a late night and smoky sound for heady escape.
Milk & Sugar & James Hurr - "I Love Music" (extended mix)
Crusy - "Hey Girls, B-Boys" (extended mix)
Illyus & Barrientos - "DANCE" (extended mix)
Review: Top table house label Toolroom is back with another window into its current sounds. This 17th sampler is one that will likely get hammered at the annual parties in Miami for this year's conference. KC Lights & Welt open up with 'Fly' which is catchy dance pop with summery vocals. Milk & Sugar & James Hurr keep it on a similarly light and airy tip and Crusy's 'Hey Girls, B-Boys; reimagines a classic with extra rawness. Illyus & Barrientos shut down with more synth laced peak time house sounds on 'DANCE.'
Mark Knight, Darius Syrossian,James Hurr - "I Got All This" (5:56)
Low Steppa, Jewel Kid - "Big Busta" (5:05)
CASSIMM, Mahalia Fontaine - "Say Yeah" (5:48)
Wh0 - "Sunglasses" (6:58)
Review: Toolroom is a house label for big moments big tracks, big rooms, big DJs and main stages. This 15th sampler offering gives a snapshot of where the label is at right now with some new cuts from its biggest players. The boss himself, Mark Knight, kicks off alongside Darius Syrossian and James Hurt n 'I Got All This' which is bouncy and full of energy. Low Steppa, Jewel Kid offers the deeper, low sung and bass heavy menace of 'Big Busta' and CASSIMM, Mahalia Fontaine then come through with 'Say Yeah' (extended mix) which is a a passionate vocal anthem which throws it back to the early days of house. Wh0's 'Sunglasses' shuts down with a blaze of melodic stabs and filtered sweeps to lift you off your feet.
Review: The "Rhythms Of The Pacific" series hears Vancouver label Pacific Rhythms reimagine dance music to aid in vast ocean traversals. Returning with another 12" sampler of material - the tracks are slated for inclusion in a celebratory ten year anniversary comp later this year - we hear Lnrdcroy, Waterpark, Kennedy and Active Surplus bring upper-echelonic, chameleonic beats of the much-less-peggable variety. 'Galaxio Salaxio' moves between dark synth and watery dub, scarcely preparing us for the immersive chordal swims that ensue on 'Coastal Plus'. Finally, 'Blue Beam' incurs an underwater search for coves and water pockets, as jets of pressure escape through riser synths and pufferfish drums.
Review: Limo Trax wind down the tinters and shoot us a knowing look through the Wayfarers, as their latest procurement in slick minimal house and techno blares out the limo stereo. This latest addition to their colours series comes in verdant green, and corrals the talents of Milion, Exonym, Dombee and Wodda, all of whom lay down a clacking sonic technic each. 'Tuin Van Bret' exposes the vibe with beeping chords and an injurious party-starting film dialogue sample, as swarthy, silly excitable funk ensues. 'Hagring' marks the A2 with a "gimme dem" sample and moody swells, while 'Brixton' pays homage to the legendary Lambeth area with a speed garage distributary, reminiscent of Serious Danger's earliest movements in the sound. 'Dark N Stormy' perfects this speedy trend, adding expulsive breaks and oozing licks between the four-by-fours.
Review: dO iT nOw Recordings makes its debut in the world of vinyl with a various artists' sampler that shows just what they are all about. First up is Pigsie's wonderful 'Silk' which sets a fine tone with lush jazz-inspired keys, dreamy pads and intricate drum work that make it well suited to those late-night sessions. Wearing Shoes then offers 'Finding Your Words' with buttery Rhodes licks and looped vocals over fat bass, and the B-side begins with Michael Oberling and his deep jazz grooves, trumpet solos and swinging drums. Massive R closes with the lovely, jazzy house of 'This Feeling' complete with snappy drums and a catchy piano hook.
Review: Rick Wade has been serving up quality deep house for so long (since the late 1990s in fact) that each new release he delivers comes with an obligatory "must check" tag. Predictably, his latest missive - his first, we think, for German imprint Eat More House - is packed to the rafters with high-grade cuts. Check first locked-in, head-nodding deep house roller 'Bmore Banger', where minor key chords and trippy electronic noises ride hypnotic beats and a filthy acid bassline, before turning your attention to the hazy, eyes-closed dancefloor deepness of 'NY'. Over on the flip, 'Deep Sweet Dreams' is a heady fusion of metronomic TB-303 bass, snappy drums, suspenseful synth-strings and drowsy chords, while title track 'Too Deep' lives up to its title via shuffling deep house beats, hazy field recordings, ambient style chords and twinkling lead lines.
Warehouse Preservation Society - "Fugitive Funk" (6:28)
Flash Mitra - "Spring Street Shuffle" (6:24)
Praus - "Magnetism" (6:01)
Sherman C & Space Ace - "Just A Dream" (6:23)
Warehouse Preservation Society - "Fugitive Funk" (dub) (4:35)
Review: Techno House Connoisseurs return with a fresh VA, packed with five top-tier acid and tech house tracks. Kicking off the A side is Los Angeles duo Warehouse Preservation Society with 'Fugitive Funk', a bass-heavy, breakbeat-infused slammer that captures the essence of hypnotic West Coast vibes. London's Flash Mitra makes a debut with a moody, percussive acid house gem. On the B-side, THC regular Praus delivers 'Magnetism', an acid chugger with warped vocals and 303 grooves, while Space Ace and Sherman C team up for 'Just a Dream', a relentless acid banger destined for peak-time sets.
Review: Jazz fusion supergroup Wasafiri dropped a lush double album in the form of Klearlight and it now receives a house remix makeover from some top-tier producers. Grammy-winning Chris Penny aka CPen layers in plenty of clean digital melodies and dusty tech drums to his version, while UK jazz maestro Greg Foat excels with some cosmic broken beat bliss. Dolfin Records' Ben Hixon brings a signature deep and also offers a more loopy and rough house cut that reminds of early Armand Van Helden with its loops melodies and deep, dirty bass.
Review: The effervescent Robert Owens, a man whose vocals have blessed countless killer house records since the second half of the 1980s, remains as committed to his craft as ever - as a slew of recent appearances on excellent new releases proves. Here he's the featured guest on Depth of My Soul founder Nat Wendell's debut release on German imprint Eclipser Chaser. In its' original form, 'Easy' is a deliciously warm, loose and soulful house jam of the kind that the late, great Phil Asher used to serve up under the Restless Soul alias. Naturally, Owens as it his effortlessly slick and soulful best. Wendell offers up an instrumental, before West London stalwart Kaidi Tatham re-frames the track as a shuffling, samba-soaked slab of broken beat/jazz-funk fusion.
Review: Surely even he has lost count of how many tunes he has sung on now, yet still Robert Owens remains the most in-demand vocalist in the game. His smoky tones feature on Nat Wendall's 'Easy' and they come with a brighter tone than usual next to the nice piano chords which are draped over upright beats. As well as an instrumental, Kaidi Tatham remixes with his brilliant broken beat style and sunny synth disposition, and he also adds his own spin to the instrumental. A timeless package.
Review: Frits Wentink and Wolf Music join forces once again for the fourth edition in their collaborative series. This EP delivers four floor-filling heaters, each track crafted with Wentink's signature blend of deep house grooves and infectious melodies. 'Rhythm & Blaze', a track made exclusively for the Wolf Music 15th Birthday celebration, sets the tone with its pulsating energy and soulful vibe. 'Lost In The Moment' and 'Turbo Passion' keep the energy high with their infectious rhythms and captivating melodies, while 'Nocturnal' takes a slightly darker turn, exploring deeper, more hypnotic soundscapes. With its impeccable production and undeniable dancefloor appeal, this EP is a must-have for any house music enthusiast.
Review: Bobby Donny's ACE series is mostly a digital-only affair, though periodically the Dutch label will round up choice gems and stick them out on compilation style vinyl EPs. This is the third of those and contains six stellar cuts. There's much to admire, from the infectious, James Brown-sampling deep house bounce of 'Space Animals' by Bob Bonadis and the Kerri Chandler-esque excellence of Nanky Nimbo's 'Peony', to the hip-swinging intergalactic house retro-futurism of 'Nitro Bass' by ZZ Banks and the rolling New York house warmth of 'Clear Sky' by Wim Waldo. The EP also boasts a typically impressive collaboration between Frits Wentink and Malin Genie, the undeniably classy deep house excellence of 'Tongue Kiss'.
B-STOCK: Slight surface marks, record slightly warped
Rick Wilhite - "Cheetah" (5:07)
Ladymonix - "In My Dreams" (5:25)
Jon Dixon - "4ever Searchin" (6:39)
Amp Fiddler & Charlie Soul Clap - "Thang" (6:02)
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: Bristol-based Will You (AKA Oleeva label founder Will Spence) is finally ready to make his vinyl bow, with fast-rising Berlin imprint Stolar the lucky label handling the imprint. He begins in predictably confident mood with 'Sante', a deeply swirling, psychedelic and immersive slab of hypno-house wrapped in waves of TB-303 acid insanity, before treating us to the unsettling off-kilter tech-house wonkiness of 'Is It 2 Late?' Over on the reverse side, both cuts are given the remix treatment. Lb Honne re-frames 'Is It 2 Late?' as a smoother and more intergalactic-sounding chunk of deep tech-house, while Orion turns 'Sante' into a field recordings and effects-laden ambient techno shuffler.
Review: He might be a veteran by now, but Chicago's Boo Williams can still kick out jams like few other artists in the house game. His distinctive style is both physical and emotive, with punchy low ends but magnificent melodies both leaving their mark. This latest outing comes on Boo Moonman, his own concern, and opens with "The Chuck Wagon' which is indeed a cosmic crusade with draw out synth modulations and rippling chords carrying you away to the stars. A dub Down mix gives the groove more room to breathe and your mind room to wander then 'Artificial World' (feat Jamiel Patton) is a deep and more jazzy house cut.
Review: Soulful garage house from Tesfa Williams aka. T Williams, in a celebration of personal ancestry and the diversity of black electronic music, amid a recent name change. Charging intersections of soul and suspense, the decided name change concurs with a demonstrable exploration of Williams' African roots; in his own words, "I felt like my African first name Tesfa wouldn't be welcomed in the scene." Having been brought up in a Rastafarian family with Caribbean heritage, Williams now feels compelled to embrace this part of himself: 'Moments Ahead' and 'Get It Together' build on the jackin' house and UK funky starting guns fired by the artist in the '10s, but as the tracks progress we can hear them segue into amapiano, kwaito and R&B elements, which reach their peak on the bustling 'Brighter Life'. B2 'Futures' veers more hypnotic and tuned-percussive, taking after his bedfellows Dam Swindle and Alma Negra to produce a building brooder.
Review: Wills, a key figure in the Long Vehicle crew, returns with a three-track EP that explores the darker corners of techno. 'Laguna Seca' paves the way with its insistent rhythms and shimmering synths recalling the French touch sound, but with a harder, more propulsive edge. Think Daft Punk after one too many espressos, or Laurent Garnier channeling the spirit of Jeff Mills. 'Slanch' delves deeper into the shadows with a distorted, slightly terrifying bassline (in the best way) that evokes a sense of otherworldly eeriness. The EP's centerpiece, 'Iamreal', is a seven-minute odyssey that unfolds with frenzied momentum, pummelling rhythms and radiant melodies taking the listener to a different realm. The offering is both experimental and uncompromising, a reminder that techno can be both visceral and cerebral.
Messin’ With My Mind (Electric Press remix) (8:03)
Messin’ With My Mind (Electric Press dub) (5:50)
Review: Ralph Lawson's legendary Leeds-based label 20/20 Vision is in the middle of celebrating 30 years in the game. Part of that now extends to this reissue of a record that played a huge part in establishing the imprint back in the day. It comes from the co-founders' production alias Wolf n Flow and though it was recorded more than 20 years ago, this record still bangs. 'Messin' With My Mind' is a perfect mix of squelchy tech and vocal loveliness that calls to mind early Fresh & Low. The Oliver.r dub is more sleek and blissed out and two Electric Press remixes close out with some late-night heft.
Review: There seems to be a richness of cultured new edits dripping at the start of this New Year. This 12" is proof of that and it finds the great Motown legend Stevie Wonder have his impeccable sounds just subtly tweaked to give them a little extra heft on modern sound systems. 'Do I Do' (House remix) kicks off here with nice disco loops and funky drum patterns that come alive with some steamy sax energies. The timeless 'Superstitious' then gets beefed up with some echo on the majestic synths and more weight in the drums. It's fun and funky perfection.
Review: Who doesn't love a cheeky edit? And they are always cheeky, aren't they? Here we have one of Motown's most legendary artists getting reworked for modern dancefloors. Importantly, the tweaks to these two cuts are nice and subtle, which means the charm and musicianship of the originals remain. First, we get the feel-good melodies and carefree vocal sounds of 'Another Star' with some weighty drums added in, then 'Too High' becomes a deep and dusty house gem with various synth lines mingling with the beats while the vocal adds that signature Wonder soul.
Review: The sounds of Stevie Wonder are destined to live on forever, such is the universal appeal and enduring musicality of what he does. When you have artists reworking the originals into different forms, that is also going to help them endure and that's what we have here with a couple of house mixes of his classic 'All I Do.' The Vocal House Remix is first and goes heavy on the filters while laying down some lovely soulful grooves that never quit. The Jazzed instrumental remix then pairs it back a little and allows some magical melodies to shine over more laid back grooves perfect for sunny sessions.
Review: Wonder by name, wonderful by nature. Man like Stevie has cooked up countless irresistible jams and so many of them are perfect for club-ready edits. That's what we have here as one of his most upbeat and feel-good jams, 'If You Really Loved Me,' gets a tweak with some modern flair. The drums are flipped into rolling and soulful house beats while the joyous vocals and horn stabs remain in place. 'I Wish' then has a more peak time feel with a blend of disco synths and lively vocal ad-libs, while 'In My Mind' is a nice laid-back and blissed-out number for cosy sessions.
Review: Stevie Wonder has many classics in his incomparable oeuvre and many of them have been remixed with varying degrees of success. 'Paradise' is one from the mid-70s on his Songs in the Key of Life album and here it gets a house rework. It's got some brilliantly dusty Motor City house vibes to it with busy synth arps riding up and down the scale next to more smeared, serene chords. The flispside Kneedeep dub is more percussive with chopped-up vocals, disco-fried beats and a little more vibrancy to it for some playful party times.
Review: The Woodentops are long-time Balearic bossmen and peerless party starters and now their music is under the spotlight on this new remixes EP from Hottwerk. It is their tune 'A Pact' that gets four different versions here starting with a nice loose-limbed and percussive house workout from the UK veteran Bushwhacka!. Then Skyscraper HiFi B aka Anglo-Swedish pair Jon Dasilva and Jonas Nilsson offer a remix that slows it right down to a nice downtempo jam with indie vocals and then offer a second remix that is more sleazy and raw with a low-slung house grove topped with acid madness. Last but not least is the label head Spatial Awareness with a remix which glides on silky synths and airy drum loops with some nice trippy vocal touches.
Review: Ruf Dug has long been one of the cultish followers of mysterious beat-maker and frequent Instagram poster Wu-Ki, an artist with zero previous releases but a vast archive of largely home-made music (much of which samples dusty old VHS tapes). The pair met by accident last year (or so Ruf Dug says - it could all be an entertaining tall tale) and a deal was thrashed out for the Mancunian producer to sign Wu-Ki to his reliable Ruf Kutz imprint. There's a definite 'child of the 80s and early 90s' vibe to proceedings - all fizzing, multi-coloured synth sounds, chopped-up house-not-house beats, stabbing TB-303 sounds, mutant boogie beats and layers of deliciously analogue fuzz. Set phasers to fun!
Review: HOTMIX Records main man Nick Anthony Simoncino is branching out with a new sub-label here, Hot Street. It will deal in plenty of dusty house as is the case of this first release, a bumper new record from Shin Watanabe. It taps into dreamy synth worlds, lo-fi deep house grooves and subtle soul samples that are designed for cosy floors, back rooms and real heads only.
Get Fucked - "Time For A Quickee" (On The Kitchen Counter edit) (7:14)
Get Fucked - "Momentum" (The Smart Alex dub) (5:28)
Green Eyed Monster - "All Gone By" (6:07)
Strange Weather - "Infinite" (6:31)
Review: Laurant Webb, Dave Coker, Justin Bailey, and Dave Pine were the key figures behind Strange Weather Studios, which was a creative hub in Southeast London that helped shape the very early sound of tech house in the capital. Collaborating with friends and partners on several projects, they produced a number of influential records that defined the genre including under aliases such as Housey Doingz, 7th Voyage, and Space Bunny. This release on Sushitech, which always does a fine job of offering up the best tech house past and present, pays tribute to the studio and its collaborators with representative tracks carefully selected by Laurant Webb and label head Yossi Amoyal. Restored and remastered from rare DATs and pressed up to no fewer than six sides of vinyl, it's a great look at a significant moment in the evolution of tech house.
Get Fucked - "Time For A Quickee" (On The Kitchen Counter edit) (7:14)
Get Fucked - "Momentum" (The Smart Alex dub) (5:28)
Green Eyed Monster - "All Gone By" (6:07)
Strange Weather - "Infinite" (6:31)
Review: Working with various collaborators, Laurant Webb, Dave Coker, Justin Bailey, and Dave Pine produced influential records under aliases like Housey Doingz, 7th Voyage, and Space Bunny at the influential Strange Weather Studios. Those records very much helped to define the early days of the tech house genre. This Sushitech release comes on clear vinyl and honours their legacy, with tracks handpicked by Webb and label founder Yossi Amoyal. They have all been remastered from rare DATs and across three slabs of wax make for an essential deep dive into an important phase in the earliest days of tech house.
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