Lumberjacks In Hell

Review: The Switzerland based group Alma Negra are offering a Afro- and Latininfluenced Disco EP tailor made for Lumberjacks in Hell. With all the instruments played live, this EP Sounds like and entire village celebrating the uplifting Alma Negra Signature Sound.

Review: It's all going on for Cervo at the moment. Having just launched the Banana Hill label with an excellent record from Majid Bekkas (that he also did an edit for), the UK-based producer has now been snapped up by Marcel Vogel's Lumberjacks In Hell label to drop more of his worldly edit science. "On Rhythm" leads the charge with confidence on the A-side, using a bubbling, Afro-infused disco-funk source and making it lean and mean for the floor. There's a distinctly Nigerian lilt to the guitars that cluck away through "Dancing Dream", but it's accompanied by bright chiming chords and a solid beat that will stand up to any contemporary house jam. "Banku" is even more explicitly modern, although still layered up with gorgeous vocals and percussion from Africa.

Review: Andy Compton & Shamrock team up with singer Asali for some sunlight drenched boogie sounds recorded in South Africa.

Review: Founder of White Rabbit Records and one of the hippest swingers in the Southern reaches of Italy, Giovanni Damico has more than proved himself in the field of boogie infused, disco flavoured house music. Following plentiful appearances on labels like Black Key, Movida, Geography and Bitter Moon, Damico returns to Lumberjacks In Hell with a serious serving of sultry grooves for discerning diggers to get all moist over. "Essential" keeps things hyped up and just a little feverish, with a distinctly funky stew of guitar chops, bugged out flute, Rhodes flares and more besides. "Look At You (Sugar Bomb)" is a deeper affair revolving around a particular looped up lick, and then "Drums & Keys" shifts the focus out into accomplished broken beat territory that confirms Damico's skill and adaptability across a range of styles.

Review: Koenig Saatgut supposedly appears for the first time in 15 years with this rough and ready piano house/breakbeat roller. "The Spirit" is an unabashedly big track, using a catchy 90s piano lick and sticking a brash boom bap beat underneath it. "Your Houze" is actually the smart pick here though, bringing a modernist approach to vintage, sample heavy house music. There's a whiff of French touch about this one, but mixed up with a ravey attitude that guarantees these tracks will be setting off more than a few dances.

Review: REPRESS ALERT: From the label: "This EP is a dedication to the Amsterdam based Alkebulan Project. Philou and Villy are both members of this project, the project brings artists from Africa & African Diaspora together. The Alkebulan Project is on a mission to change the perception of Africa an it's citizens. Nigerian artist Villy and his group "Villy & The Xtreme Volumes" are on a mission to educate Africans with their message calling for a revolution in Africa, politically and socially in all aspects. Philou has a combination of Congolese, Nigerian and Sierra Leonean heritage and it is in these roots that he has built his sound. His passion for the continent of his ancestors is fervent and his projects are challenging commonly held preconceptions about Africa. His goal is to challenge negative stereotypes, by making African cultures more approachable through music. Much love for Rudy Asibey for founding The Alkebulan Project and bringing the artists together and many thanks to Marcel Vogel for giving us the opportunity to tell our story through."

Review: Edit king Rahaan makes a connection with the ever-prolific Lumberjacks In Hell, and he's sounding feisty on growling lead track "Move Out Of The Way". Dirty, distorted drums and simmering acid gurgles make for a perfect seedy dancefloor lube, setting the scene for the more forthright jack beat styles of "Super Transfer". Keeping the fuzzed out Chicago styles at the forefront, "Blue Line" swoops in at the end like some long lost Trax off-cut with all the grit and guts you would expect from the earliest days of pure, electronic house music.

Review: Marcel Vogel's Lumberjacks In Hell label shows no signs of slowing as it ramps up a killer new salvo from debutant artist C Scott. "Climb On" is an uptempo workout to capture the absolute peak of the party in the funkiest of ways, while "Hands Free" provides an apt alternative with its slow, organ-led whimsy. Disco remains the backbone of the sound here, whatever tempo the track rolls at and wherever it may head. "Stuttering" demonstrates this perfectly with its heavily treated, head-spinning FX still capturing that classic good-time mood, while "At Ease" finishes on a life-affirming canter of Rhodes led celebration.

Review: Marcel Vogel's third record on his own Lumberjacks in Hell in a row, 'If You Like' comes in three versions A1 one featuring Brooklyn weirdo-rap veteran Sensational and Alma Negra's Wisdom Of Oz Remix. Juicy Patwchworks Remix of Brown Curls on A2 reminiscent of Roy Ayers perhaps?

Review: The unstoppable Vogel machine is back on Lumberjacks with another serving of soul-soaked house goodness to warm the cockles as we step into Spring. This time around he's called on one of the great house vocalists of our times, Khalil Anthony, to lay down a vocal on "Brown Curls" that melts over Vogel's peppy, organic production. Nebraska bring a deeper, chunkier flavour to the track with their remix, and the results are just as captivating. Anthony's also on hand to croon over "You Are A Star", an equally simmering jam with more of that dusty house pressure from the deep end of the pool, while "Those Moments" finishes the record off on a funky, instrumental tip.

Review: On the latest Lumberjacks missive Marcel Vogel invites one of the strongest house vocalists of modern times, Khalil Anthony, to lend his distinctive croon to a loose-limbed slice of low-riding funk. "Dance The Blues Away" is a gutsy, full-bodied production that shows off Vogel's instrumental skills at their strongest, and Anthony's vocal rolls on in the many-layered mix perfectly. BB Boogie injects a little disco stomp to the track for the first remix on the 12", while Julien Dyne gets to turn out a remix and a dub. Both Dyne's efforts tap into a Detroit house feeling, all dusty sample loops and a laid back, smoky mood. It's a record made up of killer soul-soaked house music from start to finish.