Back catalogue: Deep House

Review: Get yourself geared up for festival season with some fierce party starters certified with the Glitterbox stamp. Melvo Baptiste leads the charge with 'Sweat', a sizzling disco house stomper with Dames Brown giving the biggest diva energy on her show-stopping vocal. Lovebirds bring unbridled joy on the Philly string swoon and slinky b-line funk of 'Burn It Down', while Art Of Tones & Inaya Day keep it peak time on the sassy strutter 'Give My Love'. Young Pulse & Fleur De Mur complete the set with 'Smooth Sweet Talker', another bright and bold vocal cut par excellence.

Review: Needs' commendable charity drive continues to bring forth the goods, both in terms of good causes and world class club music. Rallying round in support of World Mental Health Day 2020, Shanti Celeste kicks the record off in style with the rapid fire, deep-diving workout 'Fantasma'. OCB keeps the pressure up with the psychotropic techno of 'RS3', while Michelle works up some delightfully freaky synths on playful jacker 'Aesthetic'. Bobby's 'Free Your Mind' is a 90s-tinged, full fat techno production indebted to Detroit, Peder Mannerfelt keeps things stripped and raw on 'Our Levels' and Yu Su weaves a beautiful tapestry of interweaving rhythms on 'Brittney'. Adam Pits' trippy techno sounds resplendent on 'Wind Tunnel' and DJ Sports completes the set with the inventive, dembow slanted funk of 'Needs Dub'.

Review: The Plastik People label has been going along nicely for its first few releases, with label head Marc Cotterell stepping up and coming correct last time out. Now he calls upon various artists with Dave Charlesworth taking care of the a-side of Nice Ripe Cuts. He offers two super slick garage cuts that cannot fail to make their mark on the club and it's no different on the flipside except D Lux & Y No combine first for '25 Miles' and then S R offers the irresistible 'Pressure.' An essential 12" for anyone looking to bring some fresh garage flavours.

Review: Earlier this year, Latvian label Micronica Records made its debut on wax after years spent serving up digital-only delights. Here the Riga-based imprint delivers a second limited-edition vinyl sampler. Blurring the boundaries between deep house, minimal house and tech-house, all four cuts are well worth checking. Costin RP sets the tone with 'Kiss This', where sci-fi bleeps, modem noises and spacey synth sounds rise above a chunky, hypnotic tech-house groove, before Yansima delivers a tougher and more thickset tech-house workout in the shape of 'Jisula'. Venda's 'Underwater' is a deep, dubby, head-soothing minimal house box jam, while DIN & CKB's 'Duby' brilliantly blurs the boundaries between dub techno, ultra-deep house, and smooth European tech-house.

Review: Satya deals in a certain brand of deep house that is dreamy and organic. It's perfect for the cosier dancefloors out there, the more heady crowds who don't need big drops and samples to get their musical thrills. If you are one of those people then get your ears around this superb new various artists 12". YokoO & Zone+ offer one of the standouts with 'Once I Had It"]' which pairs subtly swirling pads with cuddly deep drum loops. Hermanez has his kickstand with a little more weight but they are no less hypnotic, while Moya (US) brings some enchanting strings and yawning vocals to 'Meliora' and Electricano keeps it nice and warm and liquid with the supple loops of 'Universal Language.'

Review: Four cruel and bewitching dances are conjured on this split EP from MoBlack Records, the chart-topping Afro house label whose music has found itself on the well-used USBs of the likes of Dixon, Black Coffee and Ame. Immediately, one can hear the incipient threads of kwaito and amapiano on this shared vinyl slab, as traditional verbed-out Afro-style vocals hear neat processing along modern EDM production. Expository dreamers like 'Rahamah' segue calmly into headier and doomier cuts like 'Amanga' and 'O Pa Mi Titi Deabe'. All are replete with rare African call-and-response vocal samples lifted from evidently obscure sources.

Review: Freerange's City To City series returns with its second edition, this time spotlighting Lisbon. Known for its stunning views, beautiful beaches and vibrant nightlife, perhaps one of the city's best-known hotspots is the iconic Lux Fragile, which has shaped the city's sound since the late 90s. Longtime resident DJs from Lisbon are now gaining global traction; to butterfly-net the essence of the coastal metropolis, this new mix LP hears six original tracks from local talents, chief among whom are Megatronic, progressor and ambassador for the city, and Yen Sung & Photonz, two names closely tied to the circuit's deeper-underground corners.A

Review: Yoi keep it fresh with a new 12" that comes on a rather nice picture disc. More importantly the music is of a quality that merits the extra attention on the packaging with four artists all coming through with compelling takes on minimal. Mariche's 'Haunted House' is awash with nice bubbly synth phrases that are full of colour and charm, then Sbruf's 'That Think' gets funked up and kinetic on lively drum programming with lots of hooky synth details and sci-fi flourishes. Watsche's 'Bsmtgrvs' is another glossy hyper-real sound with polished melodies and a restless sense of groove and Yogi P keeps it deep with the soulful pads of 'Vickies Groove.'

Review: Omar S is not only one of the most vital house producers of the last 25 years, but he also has a fine ear for talent. This FXHE Compulation #1 EP dropped a full two decades ago and was the first appearance of now globally renowned headline DJ Seth Troxler. As Young Seth he offered the moody, minimal house gem that is 'Moment' with its dry, gated drums and subtly chord work. Elsewhere, Underground Quality founder Jus-Ed got weird with 'Am-Mix', DJ Snotburger bright raw jack with 'Snotann' and Omar S showcased his icy and futurist style on 'Groove-On'. A historic EP.

Review: The GLBDOM label is on a roll and we don't want it to stop. As was the last with the seance EP, this one is a various artists' affair pressed on nice heavy vinyl to match the heavy sounds. Ollie Rant opens with the quirky melodic leads and sleazy deep house loops of 'Aaaww Yeh' before Manuold brings some Chicago bump and grind on 'Roots.' The hats and drums are perfectly raw and lead you 'Deeper Underground' and into the jacked-up hands of Yann Polewka. Last of all comes some cheeky garage swing and swagger courtesy of DAN T's' nice dry 'Hold Me'.

Review: On this sampler EP for the Razor N Tape label's latest Family Affair compilation, the Brooklyn based imprint showcases previously unheard cuts from a mixture of new artists and long-established names. In the latter camp you'll find long-serving deep house don Vincenzo, who delivers the gorgeous, tactile and loved-up deliciousness of 'Love Accurate', and Croatian nu-disco don Ilya Rudman (the acid-heavy dancefloor squelch of 'Discoteka Parmida'). Elsewhere, Yasmin impresses with the neo-soul/nu-disco fusion warmth of 'Real High', Arnau Obiols slams down the Fela-influenced Afrobeat excellence of 'Pagan Mambo', and label co-founder J Kriv turns Bessa Simons 'Si Naana' into an Afro-tinged analogue house treat

Review: Fresh Sounds #000 is a new and unique series, limited and numbered to 150 examples thanks to the efforts of its parent company Ribo Cochlee. For the very first edition of the series, a mockley crew of newcomers come to the fore, be they DJ Moar, Disco Flegrei or Holdtight. Centring on woozy jazzdance and disco with an airily produced bent, the highlights on this one have to be Flegrei's 'Titamesque', which basks in a kind of sexy sophistry procured by the heady combination of live drums and a (we think) muted bass clarinet, and Yured Jones' 'Far Away', which breaks from the genre prescription for a more cinematic breakdown.

Review: After making his debut alongside Avangart Tabldot on Crib Records earlier in the year, Yet More - the chosen artistic alias of Paris-based Syrian-Iranian producer Teymour Khalatbari - has been handed a solo debut on Dixon and Ame's popular Innervisions imprint. It's an opportunity he's grasped with both hands. Check first the pleasingly heavyweight (and accurately titled) 'Bounce', where mutilated rap vocal samples, rave-igniting stabs and pots-and-pans percussion fills ride a tough, sub-heavy groove that sits somewhere between Kenny Dope and late 90s Danny Tenaglia. The Sound Factory/Twilo vibes continue on dark big room roller 'Tryna Jack My Style', while title track 'Back 2 Feelin' is a warming, dreamy and lusciously kaleidoscopic blend of shuffling breakbeats and sun-bright deep house nous. A wonderfully assured and impressive EP all told.

Review: There will also be space in a real DJ set for a cheeky edit or playful mash up. This latest volume of just that from Yinja covers plenty of ground so is a brilliantly useful 12" to have in your bag for when you want to pump the party. First up, The Bongo Jam's 'Love Disco Dub' becomes a shuffling, vibey and deep cut soulful house sound, then Jill Scott's 'Think It Better' (dub Yinja re-edit) gets a late night make over for smooth sessions. On the flipside are two reworks of classic Sade tackle, and both come with signature r&b vocals and well worked drums.

Review: Martin Muller originally dropped PPPPP as a 12" on Rhythm Cult back in 2016, as youANDme was hitting a level of omnipresence in the tech house sphere. The track was always destined to be a hit, making great use of an iconic Loletta Holloway sample and strapping it to a more modern kind of club cut. Now that record is being revisited with this remix package, featuring one of the original 'Diva' mixes backed up by versions from certified legends Ian Pooley, Cinthie and Yotam Avni. With these kinds of ingredients, each version is a surefire crowdpleaser which ever particular slant you're craving, with enough production heft to move a big room as much as a basement club.

Review: Youandme has been around and turning out the dubbed-out sounds for seemingly decades. He lands now on the equally long-standing Rhythm Cult label with a limited and splattered new 12" that delves into the depths of minimal tech house. It features lead cut 'PPPPP' - a smooth, frictionless masterclass in hypnotic sound designs and feathery grooves with occult synth motifs. Berlin's Ian Pooley then offers a moody basement house mix, Cinthie gets into some flailing and dusty breakbeat action and Yotam Avni remixes with a more melodic sound laden with lush bells.

Review: youANDme has always been an important cog in the wheel of underground house and techno and his recent PPPPP was another fine project that has also spawned plenty of equally brilliant remixes. This is a second collection of them and it kicks off with the Polish master of perfect loop techno, Head High aka Shed. His bulky, barreling drums and big percussive loops come with plenty of bounce and raved up vocals. After that come Ian Pooley's dub, and Johannes Albert's deep house trip. Sasha, Roger Sanchez and Laurent Garnier have already been banging these so now it's your turn.

Review: He may have started life as a dusty-fingered hip-hop beat-maker, but French producer Julien Ozonder AKA Young Pulse is undoubtedly best-known for his party-starting disco, soul, funk and jazz-funk reworks (for proof, check his ongoing Paris Edits series on GAMM, which has so far notched up eight instalments). On 'Shake Your Body Down', which lands on the label founded by the Funky French League collective he's a member of, he combines samples from a forgotten disco gem with his own beats and instrumentation. On the A-side 'Disco Mix', that means squelchy bass, 126 BPM disco drums and mazy synth solos aplenty; while on the 'Beat Street Mix' he limbers up for the breakin' at the Paris Olympics via an authentically early 80s sounding electro workout.

Review: He may have started life as a dusty-fingered hip-hop beatmaker, but French producer Julien Ozonder aka. Young Pulse is undoubtedly best-known for his partystarting disco, soul, funk and jazz-funk reworks. On 'Shake Your Body Down', which lands on the label founded by the Funky French League collective of which he also a member, Ozonder mixes stems from a forgotten disco gem with his own beats and instrumentation. The lost azure in question is KC & The Sunshine Band's 'Get Down Tonight' (1975), and Young Pulse's version is restless as it is redolent of fishy funk, exuding eurgh-inducing effluvia at every turn, be that through wow-modded bass progs or topline squeezers. The Beat Street Mix on the B-side moves much more streetwise, trawling, navvying the rues with a cabbie's knowledge of Cybotronique vocoders, 2-step breakdowns and factory-fire percs reminiscent of the turn of the 80s, almost completely upending KC's original for an entirely new mix.

Review: It's been two years since the 2022 release of Young Pulse & Natalie Nova's multi-mix single 'Free', across the digital version of which we were graced with five exclusive mixes. With the 'original' itself and in turn being a cover of the Ultra Nate song from 1997, Pulse and Nova's version is a jubilant, disco-strung version, abandoning Nate's garage house proclivity for an upped sense of swing. This new vinyl edition also brings a fresh mix to the table, totting up the versions to six; first, there's the OG aforementioned 'Disco Tribute mix', as well as a 'Disco Dub' version, the new and never-heard-before highlight.

Review: Vancouver Dj/producer Yu Su has previously impressed via occasional contributions to the Mood Hut-affiliated Libra Mix series. This is the DJ/producer's debut solo release and boasts two high-grade cuts on one single-sided People's Potential Unlimited 12". Opener "Infi Love" is typical of the hazy, dusty and spacey Vancouver deep house sound - all soft focus intergalactic chords, vintage drum machine percussion, cut-up female vocal samples and undulating analogue bass. The jazziness continues on "Soon (MOA Mix)", where wonderfully hazy trumpet samples and horizontal chords trickle down over a bossa-inspired beat. As you might expect, it's seriously evocative and atmospheric.

Review: The French deep house label D3 Elements is now a decade old and to mark the occasion it has assembled a superb three part EP series featuring plenty of talents both new and old. The second EP kick off with some Japanese stylings from Koizumi Yukiko and his piano laced bongo workout '526'. Taelue sets off on a deep and heavy bassline pulse that will make floors march and Nemanja Krstic's 'Aquae Sulis' brings some jazzy chord work and bubbling funk bass for a nice heartfelt vibe. Gnork shuts down with a skittish, stripped back broken beat that makes this another diverse offering.

Review: Archivio is a brand new label from a Brooklyn based record store. Affie Ysusf and Parkwalker are the artists charged with starting off this new chapter. Ysusf goes first with 'Uba Cuba' which is a Latin-infused house sound with plenty of layers of drums and lively grooves appearing through the percussion. Parkwalker's 'Pashtwo' then keeps it deep and stripped back but with plenty of style in the deft synth details and on the flip offers the loopy, dubby, airy jam 'Urgez Untold'. Ysusf then closes down what is a fine first EP from this new label with the fresh house grooves of 'Ode Reticular.'

Review: Pierre-Alexandre Busson, a producer known for his multifaceted talents in both music and photography, steps further into his Destiino alias with a darkly ambient collection that stretches across downbeat house, industrial electronica and melancholic disco. Having made his name in the world of French electro, Busson's transition to Destiino was marked by an exploration of improvised compositions following his participation in a sound installation at the 57th Venice Biennale in 2017. This shift from his previous styles allowed him to dive deeper into moody, atmospheric landscapes. The current project, released under CHLOE's Lumiere Noire imprint, comes as a continuation of this artistic exploration, breaking from the dancefloor-driven energy of his past work to embrace a more introspective and expansive approach. Opening with 'Yokohama,' Busson sets a pensive tone, layering soft synths over a minimalist beat. 'My Crush' follows with a reflective yet upbeat mood, while 'Somlake' (feat. Inigo Vontier) weaves light, meditative textures. 'Transe Has No Speed' dives into dense atmospherics and 'Imagery' introduces a rhythmic, bodily groove. The second side offers 'Musique Electronique Repetitive,' using looping motifs to create a trance effect, while 'La Houle' brings fluidity and 'Morning Routine' soothes with its gentle vibe. 'Pulsar' (feat. Inigo Vontier) pulses with cosmic rhythms, and 'No Pain' closes with a melancholy, reflective note.

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.

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.

Review: Shinichiro Yokota's legendary discography finally arrives on vinyl with The Pitstop Box, featuring 24 essential and exclusive tracks. Originally available only in Japan via Far East Recording, this long-awaited collection highlights Yokota's signature blend of funk, hip-hop, electronic and Japanese influences. It features house classics like 'Right Here Right Now' and 'Night Drive', plus a cover of Haruomi Hosono's 'Simoon' and a collaboration with Soichi Terada that is packed with signature melodic sugariness. Inspired by his love for sports cars, The Pitstop Box is a brilliant overview of one of house music's finest talents..

Review: While Japanese house music owes a lot to the dusty drums and emotion of early Chicago beats, it has always had its own signature sound on top. The chords and pianos bring a happiness that cannot fail to get you smiling and that is laid bare again here and this superbly uplifting collection of nice analogue jams by Shinichiro Yokota on J-house legend Soichi Terada's Far Eat Recordings. There are bouncy vocal cuts like 'Timelaps', tight cosmic kickers and soul drenched vibes like 'Tokyo Traffic Paradise'. It's an impossibly pleasing collection with great use of sax in places, which is no mean feat.