Back catalogue: House

Review: Luminaries of the St. Louis and Atlantan experimental dance circuits, Blvck Spade and Stefan Ringer reign over similar territories in the niche downland of raw, soulful house. Here the pair team up for the first time ever for a notable Touching Bass debut, with Ringer handling production and Spvde masterminding all things poetic, choral and verbal. Building on both artists' slowly accrued, and now prolific, contributions to such labels as Eglo, FWM and Dolfin Records, this newly erected album-temple hears the duo shift impossible sacral brickwork by the force of composition alone, with star relic 'YOURZZZ' especially cultivating an inner sanctum of humid cowbell, funky acid line, and theophanic vocal run.

Review: Massive jazzdance and UK bass fusions on the new e-glowup from Eglo (though the record is also released physically). Celebrating 15 years of the nominal "post-dubstep" label, this limited 12" EP hears four exclusive, unreleased tracks from an upcoming label-definer compilation, the third in a series. Born from the basement of Plastic People, the pressure has remained continuously on Eglo to keep the same foment of bass musical innovation that the club nurtured alive. Plastic People is a routinised object of nostalgia, and it is often deemed the last proper place for innovation in bass music before austerity Britain militated against it. Zed Bias's remix of Chunky's 'Dancing On Tables' with Metrodome - and the deep, bruk-inspired track, 'Minerals,' from Liverpool's rising star Sticky Dub - both prove this assessment totally wrong. Genius thrives. On the flip, we've also house legend Giles Smith (formerly of Secretsundaze) delivering fresh material, as well as label boss Alexander Nut making his official debut with the lo-fi electro house track 'Arcade Fun Pt. 1.' The full compilation, featuring artists like Shy One, Steve Spacek, and Fatima, drops in April.

Review: On his new 12" for his own kickstarter label Cosada, easy riser Laseech beseeches us to dance. Jazzy, soulful house music enlists the emosh but unrushed voice of Swaylo, snaring the essence of heartfelt house in a power-of-three-tracks net. Awakening the legend Ron Trent from his slumber, his deep, percussive touch and copy-paste-happy vocal science adds a happily haphazard twist. Inspired by the melodic landscapes of the Adriatic, the inaugural label name "Cosada" holds out a personal meaning for Laseech, drawing from both an idyllic island and the street where his studio lies, symbolising his continued hope to make timeless music.

Review: Former Dope Jams record store legend and deep house devotee Anthony Nicholson has linked up with Swaylo for this new outing on the Bak Muzik label out of the US of A. It features two versions of the same tune, 'Love Take Over In Deep Dark Space,' starting with a vocal. It's a track that locks you into a deep mental state with its spiritual pads and open word musings, wispy chords and deft, airy drums. The instrumental dub mix is even more focused on the lushness of the rhythms and melodies. Sublime.

Review: German duo Session Victim have always been about much more than just club tracks - their music draws on their playing skills and formal backgrounds so comes alive with meaningful melodies and rich instrumentation that elevates each track above the norm. This new EP on their home label Delusions of Grandeur kicks off with 'Screen Off' (feat Ras Stimulant) which is disco house with bubbly basslines and a retro feel. It also comes as an a cappella and on the flip 'Light The Way' is a seductively smooth cut with Balearic synths and floating pads that will levitate you off the floor. An Iron Curtis Illuminati mix brings starry-eyed electro vibes and his reprise closes out a lush EP.

Review: Four artists with a taste for classic deep house infused with more than a touch of house line on the Silver Walker label's sixth release. Following releases on the likes of Local Talk, Balance, Traxx Underground, Mate, Quintessentials and upcoming projects on Nervous and NDATL, Shaka opens proceedings with a flurry of Hammond and plenty of exotic percussion, lie Alan Hawkshaw riffing with Underground Resistance. Glenn Davis (Wolf, Yore Records, Deeper Groove and Selections Records) delivers a deeper house workout on the A2 house track, the jazzy keyboard chords, fluttering flute and restless synths working real magic. One of the masterminds behind the Silver Walker label, Diego aka DFRA, comes on all perky with the saxes and soloing Rhodes, on the second side's opener, 'Nitewax'. Then we close with Damien aka Keymono (founder of several labels including Monocturne Records and Funkyshirts) laying on the handclaps of classic disco strings, the snippets of funk guitar and vibes the cherry on top.

Review: Three top-tier house remixers, each offering their distinct flavour. Ron Trent opens with a tribal-infused rework of 'Move Ya', delivering irresistible rhythms and a soulful groove. NDATL's vocal remix follows with a Latin-jazzy reinterpretation, blending vibrant melodies and smooth vocals for a warm, danceable vibe. On Side-2, Ben Hixon showcases his versatility with two standout remixes. 'C'est Goodnight' transforms into a dynamic house anthem, while 'Just Can't Get It Right' channels classic Chicago house with elegant, timeless production. Both tracks exude sophistication and deep respect for house music traditions. With its mix of Afro, jazzy, and classic house elements, this EP has a little bit of everything a house music fan could want.

Review: Brothers Emanuel and Gerardo Cedillo are the family duo behind the Soul Of Hex pair and here they deliver a rich EP of essential house music on the ever more esteemed Mexican label Kilometro 4.5. Featuring top-tier collaborations with Kuniyuki and Underground Resistance's techno titan and "Mad" Mike Banks, this four-track release is alive with soulful l creativity and genre-blending energy. Infused with jazz, electro, soul, gospel and funk influences, each track channels those elements through a timeless house perspective and makes a great mark on the 'floor.

Review: The visionary electronic explorer that is Steve Spacek returns with a limited edition 7" release on his new label, SPA. It gets the full treatment with a full picture sleeve and he says there are no plans for a repress so this is your one and only chance to own SPA001. Opener 'Could It Be Your Luv' offers a gentle, soothing half-time rhythm that evokes a love bruk vibe that he says was inspired by the ethereal nights at the legendary Plastic People. The B-side cut 'Dancing In The Light' features a unique clippety-clop, horse-step rhythm that blends a futuristic lovers' rock style with bright synths and bold bass topped with a heartfelt vocal. It's designed for dancefloors that appreciate a one-foot skank.

Review: JKriv's classic Bukom Mashie Rework gets a deluxe revival in a delectable 7-inch package having long been hard to find if not out of print entirely. And now what's more it also features a fresh acid dub. The original eight minute opus has been expertly trimmed for a streamlined A-side stomper, while the B-side showcases a brand-new version with a reimagined arrangement. This edition is embellished with vibrant 303 acid lines and live flute by the talented Domenica from Underground System all of which ensure that it is sure to become a big summer anthem once more in 2024.

Review: It's All Happening marks the debut release from Finnish jazz drummer Eeti Nieminen under his solo alias Sun Dog. Known for his work with the Jimi Tenor Band, as well as collaborations with Laurell from Dalindeo and for being a member of the jazz trio Mopo, Eeti's solo work here dives into soulful, upbeat house music infused with virtuosic musicianship and plenty of great improvisation. The track features legendary musician Jimi Tenor on flute alongside contributions from various guest artists. It comes as a special single-sided vinyl in limited quantities and offers a fresh blend of jazz and dance that will make you want to move.

Review: Words of Knowledge is a spoken word tribute album honouring Jerwayne Balentine, who is also known as J-epic and was a gifted poet, author, producer, and illustrator. Jerwayne wrote the book Words of Knowledge and was working with Dave Maze and Spike Rebel on a music and spoken word album based on his book before he tragically passed away in 2020 at the age of only 23 due to muscular dystrophy. Proceeds from the album will support music programs for young adults with developmental impairments and fund muscular dystrophy research. This project is supported by Master Mix Academy and D&e Recordings Chicago and features six sizzling hip-hop cuts with a sense of storytelling and low-end menace.

Review: Aurore 404 know who to tap when it comes to doleful yet still soulful house, invoking Parisian producer Souffle Caramel (Romain Abreu) for a splendid six-tracker of the cleanest cafe-bound lyd-en-scenes we've heard in a good while. We're thoroughly impressed with what Abreu has whipped up here: storms, fusses, coffee creams. Welcoming but three session musician friends behind the espresso machine's controls - Anthony Colnard, Donald Devienne, Maxime Vioulac - the result is an easygoing, drizzle-against-the-windowpane, froth-hissing muse of an EP, mixing cleanly, livelily produced house with hygge midwinter jazz, chief among which has to be the careful drum brush lavers come breakbeat beatifics of 'Beautiful Swimmers'.

Review: The changing face of nu-jazz is heard mutating once more on this third album by Soulstatejazz, released via the Chapelle XIV label. Band-led by multi-instrumental talent Tom Ellis - who is here heard on drums, percs, bass, guitars, piano and synths - he's backed up by Bugu Pala and Charles Morgan on vocals, Michiel Renger on tenor sax, Dave Elson on electronic percussion and Vicky Flint on trumpet and flute. The result is a rich, hypnotic and swirling journey through the wateriest ends of improv-based electronic jazz, making for a landmark new album.

Review: It's a while since we last heard from Spiral Deluxe, the deep house/nu-jazz fusion project of Jeff Mills, fellow Underground Resistance affiliate Gerald Mitchell, jazz guitarist Kenji Hino and Buffalo Daughter member Umiko Ohno. Having previously released two EPs (in 2017 and 18 respectively), the quartet has finally got round to recording a debut album. Fusing beats and electronics rooted in deep house, jazz-funk and - in a roundabout way - Motor City tech-jazz - with the virtuoso playing of Hino and Ohno, the set delivers a more fluid, instantaneous and loose-limbed exploration of the jazz-house blueprint drawn up by St Germain in the early 1990s. Basically, it's an album that draws the best out of its contributors, and there's no greater praise than that.

Review: ***B-STOCK: Sleeve damaged but otherwise in excellent condition***


It's a while since we last heard from Spiral Deluxe, the deep house/nu-jazz fusion project of Jeff Mills, fellow Underground Resistance affiliate Gerald Mitchell, jazz guitarist Kenji Hino and Buffalo Daughter member Umiko Ohno. Having previously released two EPs (in 2017 and 18 respectively), the quartet has finally got round to recording a debut album. Fusing beats and electronics rooted in deep house, jazz-funk and - in a roundabout way - Motor City tech-jazz - with the virtuoso playing of Hino and Ohno, the set delivers a more fluid, instantaneous and loose-limbed exploration of the jazz-house blueprint drawn up by St Germain in the early 1990s. Basically, it's an album that draws the best out of its contributors, and there's no greater praise than that.

Review: French producer St Germain laid down a pretty untouchable deep house blueprint with his debut album Boulevard, then managed to go one better with Tourist a couple of years later. It had even more instrumental magic and jazz class to it, over the deep, driving yet cuddly house beats with plenty of spoken word tributes to house legends, hummable top lines and iconic flutes that have endured for more than 20 years since its release. The whole thing has been remastered and now arrives on translucent orange vinyl. A true classic that will never go out of fashion and works both at home and in the club equally well.

Review: A rare new V/A record from the diggers deific over at Time Capsule - Kay Suzuki and company - whose focus on reissues has thus far formed a dense but not unbraveable thicket of drummy disco, city pop, reggae and international rerubs. Formed out of the East London party scene centring on Brilliant Corners and Beauty & The Beat, this four-track haul of Choice Remixes is a surely credible little curation. Suzuki lends four flips to the record - first of Gaoule Mizik's 'A Ka Titine' from 2022, which reappears with expository force, providing a banging re-bake of the Guadeloupean gwoka original. The theme continues on a version of Broki's 'Es Que Lo Es', which veers Latin minimalia, before slowing to a chuggy pace on 'Sortez Les Filles', before a final, synthy piano duet leaves the proceedings on a piquant hurrah, 'Oyelo'.