Review: This third volume of instrumentals continues the faultless Isle of Jura label's deep dive into dub versions and beyond. Side one takes in references from UK street soul and reggae and features two late-'80s tracks by Howard Hill with machine-led rhythms, rudeboy reggae skank and soulful pads. Protek's 'I Love to Dance With You' is a proto-house gem featured in a Jura Soundsystem mix and here it gets a loving re-edit by The Nightlark. Side B includes an instrumental-driven track with spacey FX from The Cool Notes' and Ilija Rudman's 'Dub 4 Love' which is a knowing nod to acid house's golden era.
Nathan Haines - "U See That" (feat Vanessa Freeman & Marcus Begg - Atjazz Love Soul mix) (5:12)
The Realm x Atjazz x Kelli Sae - "On The Road" (vocal mix) (7:58)
Review: Back ion 2021, the relaunched Foliage Records imprint offered up a killer mix from NYC house legends Mood II Swing, the must-check Deep Rooted. Soon, the revitalised label will release a sequel, with long-serving British deep house don Atjazz at the helm. This sampler EP boasts six of the highlights from that set - all remixed and reworked by Atjazz himself. There's much to enjoy throughout, from the tense, slowly building deep-tech shuffle of Halo''s 'Glorty (Atjazz Galaxy Art Remix)'and the sun-splashed 6am bounce of Atjazz's remix of Dominique Fils-Aime's gorgeous 'Sun Rise', to the dreamy dancefloor wooziness of Ralf GUM's 'AWA' (re-imagined by Atjazz as an Osunlade-esque spiritual house workout) and the jazzy, bass-guitar-propelled broken house excellence of 'On The Road (Vocal Mix)', a three-way collab between Atjazz, Kelli Sae and The Realm.
Young Pulse & Fleur De Mur - "Smooth Sweet Talker" (6:53)
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: 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: Drop Music marks a quarter of a century of reliable and ever-on-point sounds with a special series of EPs that embodies what it's always been about, offering up both classics and never-before-released tunes. This one kicks off with 'Make A Move' which is chunky low-slung tech. It unfolds at a relatively slow tempo but that gives the fat acid gurgles time to really hit. Inland Knights then serves up the next three cuts, starting with the bass bin bothering sounds of 'Push It', the more silky tech loops of 'Long Time' and the vocal-laced acid-tech swagger of 'Same Talk.' Here's to the next 25 years.
Review: Will Hofbauer and Igaxx collaboratively expand the all-too-easily received palettes of electro, techno, garage all in between, and even more yonder, proving to us that the boundary edges of each genre may be blurred without worry. Sharing three groove-bays each on this latest 12", Hofbauer indulges an across-the-pond sojourn, guesting on Japan's Ladybug label, which is managed by the also eminent Igaxx, who occupies the B with equal grip. Hofbauer's 'Cricket', 'Clod' and 'Cocodrilo' bring three endocrine C's to a singly sanguine side, echoing a Hessle Audio-esque experimental dance sensibility while secreting all manner of vital sonic fluids from his ears unto ours; the last track is especially alarming; cursedly toothy, its growly lead zombifying the elsewise rapid mix by way of an enthralled grunt. Igaxx's contributions are relatively supportive and yet mad, moving from the squelches and pipey ascensions of '4 5 SL Trip' to the parabreaks flows of 'Liquefy' and the sloshing cosmo-funk astro-vista that is 'Ray In Space'.
Review: Ltd B's good recent run of form continues with another dive into lush deep house realms courtesy of ICTV. First off the mark is 'Hit The Floor' with its US garage-inspired drums and some old school hip-house vocals. 'Orange Mood' is a steamy one with romantic melodies soothing the soul and some smart vocals adding a tough of firey soul. 'Adrift' then picks up the pace with some high-speed jungle breakbeats and 'Dazzling' sinks back into loved-up late-night sounds with expressive vocal yelps. Last of all, 'Sunset Recall' takes things down into blissed out realms with dusty drums and wispy pads.
Review: Functional house experts Toolroom are back with Toolroom Sampler Vol 11 which is again packed with maximal club cuts for big dancefloors. Martin Ikin's 'Make U Sweat' is indeed sweet tech that never stops pumping under libidinous vocals. Flashmob's 'My Body' is loopy and manic tech with peak time intent and Nathan Barato and Matheo Velez offer up the macho grooves of 'Weapon.' Last of all, Jenn Getz & Alfie offer another slight tweak on try Toorloom sound with the grey and gritty white knuckle beats of 'Vibration.' A great EP for working DJs looking for instant impact.
Review: Ildec has become an increasingly vital artist in the last couple of years. His quality and tasteful output nudges at the boundaries of house and tech with unique sense of character. That's true again here on a new EP for Exarde that starts with a darker sound and snappy tech drums. Otis & Paul Lution remix with a hint of electro pop and futurism and 'Solo Para Adultos' then brings some shimmering synths to kinetic kicks and claps. 'Koala' is a textured stomper with an industrial cosmic edge.
Review: Give My Love by In Dat Groove & Lee Wilson is an infectious late-night jam with soft calypso vibe to it and the DJ Spen Rework elevates with soulful house flair, adding a depth and groove that's irresistible for dancefloors. The L'Amour Disco mix rounds out the package, paying homage to classic r&b, disco and house sounds with a polished nod to the 80s. Both versions offer a unique flavour, making this release a stunning collection that caters to diverse musical tastes. Whether you're in the mood for tropical warmth, soulful beats, or nostalgic disco, 'Give My Love' delivers beautifully.
Nothing Makes Me Feel Better (Ski Oakenfull remix) (6:30)
Keep Me In The Dark (Bluey's Uplifting Bass remix) (8:10)
Review: Incognito's 'Nothing Makes Me Feel Better' is a double-sided knockout that seamlessly blends house and soul music. Released on Splash Blue, this 7" offers two standout remixes. Side-1 features the 'Keep Me In The Dark' (Bluey Uplifting Bass remix), a house groove infused with funk, pop, and house elements. This track highlights the perfect marriage of soul and house. On Side-2, the 'Nothing Makes Me Feel Better' (Ski Oakenfull remix) ramps up the energy with disco and house vibes, expertly adding soulful touches. Both tracks exude class and showcase Incognito's ability to blend genres, making this release perfect for fans of sophisticated house and soul music.
Review: The Fourier Transform label outlay an arresting sonic journey on their debut release, bringing together breakbeat, ambient IDM, ambient techno, and prog house under a single banner. Opening with Inkipak's 'Betwixt', we're met with sonorous low-mid square waves and machine-gun-fire breaks, recalling the breathtaking, verging on apocalyptic expanse of a warehouse rave turned laser light show turned warzone. We break from this warring weir with 'Omnicron Acid' and 'City Of Tomorrow' by Gimmik and Brian Kage respectively, which lowers the intensity and sonic flow via spacious atmospheres and dudding percussive pops. Finally, the perfect fusion of the former two moods is achieved on 'Corrosive Tongue', the lead synth on which sounds like just that.
Review: Those of a certain age will recognise Inland Knights; during the 1990s and 2000s they headed up the UK deep house wave associated with the Smokescreen and DIY free party crews. Although the duo (Andy Riley and Laurence Richie) have continued to DJ, their releases have been few and far between in recent years. In fact, the aptly named Revive EP marks their first outing on vinyl since 2017. Opener 'Slummin' It' is loopy and trippy, with excellent use of cut-up r&b vocal samples, while 'The Game' is a chunky, bass-heavy and jazz-flecked workout of the sort they ysed to turn out for fun at the turn of the millennium. On side B, we get two versions of 'Deep In': their pleasingly sleazy, druggy and analogue-rich original mix (a proper five-in-the-morning workout), and a more musically expansive (but no less trippy) Jake Childs remix.
Review: Toolroom's Fool's Paradise offshoot has done a good job in offering up fresh, disco-inspired material, but it also acts as an outlet for key crew member Michael Gray's 21st century reworks of classic disco cuts. On this 12", the long-serving Essex producer puts his slant on Inner Life's boogie-era gem 'I Like It Like That', a 1982 Salsoul single fronted by a then young Jocelyn Brown and produced by Leroy Burgess and Patrick Adams associate Stan Lucas. Gray begins with a lightly housed-up - but suitably reverential - full vocal remix, ensuring plenty of space for the studio band's squiggly synths, bold pianos and dextrous bass guitar. Arguably even better is the B-side 'Dub', which alternates between heavy groove sections, extended breakdowns and effects-laden showcases of Inner Life's piano, bass and synths.
Review: Kaoru Inoue's latest EP continues the journey of his acclaimed long player Dedicated to the Island, which was recently released for Record Store Day 2024. This six-track sequel features a series of self-reworked tracks from the LP, a first-time vinyl release and previously unreleased material as well as a remix by Argentina's SidiRum, who is a leading tastemaker in the tribal and slower house scenes. True to its title, the EP emphasises enhanced rhythmic elements and delivers a blend of organic, left-field electronic sounds. Inoue's talent for crafting atmospheric, innovative sounds will only improve with this superb 12".
Review: Back in 2022, James Burnham aka Burnski started a White sub-series of his much-hyped Instinct label and the first one sold out as quick as a flash. Now he is finally back with a follow-up that will likely do the same. This limited one-sided 12" slab of sonic filth features just one tune, but what a tune it is. '02' is a house cut with elements of garage percussion, old-school dirty bass, and even some trance-infused chords that chime with what's going on in the dance world right now. Some return horns at the breakdown really send it into overdrive and it's not hard seeing this one blow the roof off many a club this summer.
Review: First released on Nice & Ripe in 1994 when it was produced by early UK house and garage dons Grant Nelson, Si Firmin, and David Thackeray, this track has been remastered for the first time. The reissue comes on Digital Tape Recordings and sounds as good as ever, especially given the current revival of original garage. Reminiscent of their iconic 24hr Experience and GOD releases, it opens with the gritty and low slung sounds of '1 2 Luv', features the more thumping 'Sampler', diva vocal cries of 'Groovement' and stripped back version 'Dubment'.
Review: Intrallazzi and Dario Piana have been friends and Milanese scene contemporaries since 1981, when they both fell in love with the distinctive Afro-Cosmic sound of local DJ (and later Piana collaborator) Daniel Baldelli. Since then, they have both made records aplenty under a variety of aliases, but this EP on Leng marks their first joint release. The headline attraction is opener (and lead cut) 'Out of Control', a dubbed-out cosmic disco chugger propelled by echo-laden percussion and a deep, low-slung bassline, smothered in psychedelic synth and guitar sounds. Fellow Italian producer LTJ Experience remixes, offering up a stripped-back and acid-flecked interpretation. Elsewhere, 'Lazise' is a TB-303-sporting cosmic shuffler and 'Saocraffen' is a Baldelli-influenced fusion of Afro-cosmic funk and ethereal Balearic sounds.
Review: In 1994, Vienna-based project iO, which was composed of Patrick Pulsinger, Erdem Tunakan, Umberto Gollini and Gerhard Potuznik, released a series of 12"s titled 'Attack', 'Decay', 'Sustain,' 'Release' on their iconic label Cheap Records. Known for their minimalist, Detroit-inspired techno, one standout track, 'Claire', broke the mould with its mid-tempo beat at around 110 bpm, jazzy chords, sample-based groove and sharp 909 drum sounds. It bridged techno, trip-hop and house and caught the attention of Mo'Wax Records in London, who re-released it to great acclaim. Embraced across genres, it quickly became a DJ favourite and remains a beloved classic to this day which is why it reappears here.
Review: By now a very well-recognised trailblazer of the minimal house and techno circuits, iO Mulen (Aleksandr Voznichenko) shares his third album, Rock Like This, through his own Mulen imprint. Refusing to fall back on heavy-handed press notes, the eight tracks on this perfect composite storm are enough to bewitch us of their own accord. These house and techno retrofusions play out like the kind of sounds that the impossible dangling contraption depicted on its front cover might generate; 'Rock Like This' throws back to Chicago deep house and jankout acid trance, magicking up a shockingly good fusion of disparate styles in a bionic mode, while the rising actions of 'How Do You Say' and 'Emergency' teem with twin enjoyments of and reverences for 90s Euro and acid techno. There are cosmic-trancier subplots on there too, such as 'I'm Waiting For', which selects its constituent sounds with an aesthete's ear, striking a difficult balance of the raw and the fine. Voznichenko refuses to privilege one referent genre over another, and it results in a respectfully done, carefully made and truly exciting dance record, unafraid of cheese nor sophistication, and reconciling the two.
Review: Carl Hardy's Animals on Psychedelics label doesn't rush things. It has put out a small number of relays over several years but each one is a classic. Swiss-Tunisian producer Ish is behind this next one and offers three mind melting jams. The epic adventure that is 'The Mind Is A Labyrinth' opens with sci-fi samples and warped basslines, trippy arps and silky pads that leave long tails in their wake. 'Humans & Robots' hits harder with hunched, thudding drum and more tightly looped synth phrases and 'Timewalk' has broken beats and swilling astral synths for mind, body and soul.
Review: Isolee will always be a favourite of many simply because of his classic 'Beau Mot Plage' tune on Playhouse some 20_ years ago. The same quirkiness and interesting sound design that resonated in that tune feature in these four cuts on the young but impressive Resort Island label. 'Chopstick!' is deep, dubby, swaying tech house with bubbling synth work and 'Love Algorithm' is another deep, paired back sound with musical bass and swirling pad work. 'OMG So Random' pairs melancholic chords with signature barely-there beats and wispy, nostalgic melodies and finally a 3rd Paces Dub of 'Love Algorithm' is a grainy, quietly intense roller to close.
Review: Two new, pure, unadulterated, deep house bits by The Italian Stallion aka. DJ Soch. These two tracks establish everything an idealist dance requires; warm pads, dreamy chords, jazzy keys, and all-round tough beats and driving basslines. A-sider 'Magic Touch' brings a pendular swing to things, with a mesmeric groove unfurling to peak on an especially brilliant vibraphone breakdown. B-side 'Dreaming A Better World', meanwhile, hatches the sonic blueprint for a new transition town, plunging our ears into vats of yearner vocals, three-note string cadences and high-on-life bass syncopations.
Review: Ruvenzori makes the move to vinyl with four artists breaking new ground in the field of organic, spiritual house music. There's a Balearic tint to these harmonious jams, which melt into each other like one extended blend for the terraza of your dreams. 'Uluwatu' features Stan Tone and Izhevski collaborating on a swirling masterpiece with the steady tick of minimal tech house as an undercurrent for ascendant chimes, fluttering guitar licks and vocal murmurations. On 'Ayomi' Talemates joins the pair as they match emotive piano chords with sampled vocal loops, capturing an endearing, eyes-closed vibe in the process.
Bessa Simmons - "Sii Nana" (JKriv Fit rework) (7:11)
Vincenzo - "Love Accurate" (6:54)
Ilija Rudman - "Discoteka Parmida" (5:25)
Yasmin - "Real High" (4:59)
Arnau Obiols - "Pagan Mambo" (5:04)
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: Since launching the Anva imprint in 2019, Tagir has used it as a vehicle for his own productions - albeit one with a notably sparse and sporadic release schedule. Here he continues that theme, offering up an atmospheric four-tracker made in cahoots with Indigo Minds (an outfit he previously worked with as part of the Jerry collective). They begin with 'Meditation Dance', a ghostly chunk of mind-bending minimal house moodiness full of glitchy grooves, weird noises and trippy spoken word samples (horror techno anyone?), before opting for warped bass, jacking tech-house beats and reggae-inspired stabs on 'Bandit'. Over on side B, 'Donut' is a shuffling slab of druggy tech-house insomnia, while 'Jack' is a stripped-back mix of Ricardo Villalobos noises, deep sub-bass, off-kilter minimal techno beats and strange electronic noises.
Iner - "Another Day Will Come" (feat Oiuna) (5:37)
Iner - "Another Day Will Come" (feat Oiuna - Johannes Albert remix) (5:33)
Iner - "Dobro House" (feat Oiuna - Crowd Control remix) (4:21)
Iner - "Kalibastr" (5:16)
Review: The glorious Dobro label gets to double figures in fine style here with a new album that finds Iner both going solo and collaborating with Oiuna on four new cuts which then get remixed. The originals are summery, airy, organic worlds of gentle deep house rhythms, feathery synth melodies and gentle hooks that have a subtle future feel. The remixes rework the tunes for more direct vibes in the club with Frank Music label head Johannes Albert going first and then Crowd Control also stepping up. Great artwork, too.
How I Feel (Inkswel Broken Soul instrumental mix) (6:40)
How I Feel (Leonard Charles Ponsonby Funk mix) (4:43)
How I Feel (Leonard Charles Ponsonby Funk instrumental mix) (4:49)
How I Feel (beats) (6:34)
Review: Before he passed away earlier this year, Detroit legend Amp Fiddler completed a number of recordings. This, a collaboration with Australian DJ/producer and all-round 21st century dancefloor soul don Inkswel, is one of the first to land in stores. Inkswel places his own 'Broken Soul' mixes on the A-side, with the full vocal version - featuring Fiddler in full flight as well as the legend's mazy electric piano, organ and Clavinet licks to the fore - being our pick of the pair. This is organic dancefloor soul with a ubbery 'broken house' groove and plenty of quality organic instrumentation. The newcomer Leonard Charles Ponsonby provides vocal and instrumental 'funk' mixes on the flip, both of which retain Inskwel's warm, organic-sounding groove while adding colourful electrofunk and P-funk style synths.
Review: Revered Japanese house producer and DJ Kaoru Inoue has been making his mark since the late 90s with releases music through his label Seeds and Ground and others like Mule Musiq and Groovement. Originally released in Japan in 2013, this newly reissued album blends world music, field recordings, ambient and electronic elements into an immersive and widescreen sound. It opens with the minimal gamelan ambient track 'Malam' followed by the Afro-Brazilian house of 'Selva' which is reminiscent of early Luciano and Villalobos. The album also features electric jazz fusion house, avant-garde tribal breakbeats and Balearic slow house. Closing with the melancholic new age piece 'Healing Force,' it's a timeless delight.
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