Outplay Vinilo y CD

Review: Fouking heck; is there any stopping this dynamic, vibe-hungry Dutch duo? Having buttered us up with funk on Outplay, they're now letting rip with three mating calls that are almost guaranteed to get you weak at the knees. "Mating Call" is premium uncut disco house that's rich in positivity and feels. "Just Feel Good" lives up to its name with its loose off grid groove and distant, hazy party feels running point throughout while "Down Below" winks good night with lavish Rhodes and a subtle but infectious percussion arrangement. Mate rates.

Review: Given that each of their previous releases has been on-point, it's little surprise to find that Fouk's latest 12" is packed full of warm, sample-heavy, disco-flecked deep house treats. We'd argue that the headline attraction is bouncy opener "Organ Freeman", a tasty workout that layers fresh organ solos over a house groove built around rubbery bass and obscure disco-funk samples, though the wilder and more driving "Wrong Way" pushes it close. Elsewhere, "Butterfunk" is a lolloping trip into mid-tempo deep house/disco/jazz-funk fusion, while closer "Winter" is a loved-up chunk of deep space instrumental hip-hop with added boogie synths.

Review: Junktion, Daniel Leseman and Kristoffer Ljunberg's Outplay imprint has been going strong for a couple of years now and the label heads have started branching out to new talent after each one of them put in an appearance early on. The dudes have picked up the up and coming Loz Goddard who comes through correct with four discofied floor cuts on the deep house side of things. Luscious basslines, gorgeous keys and intricate vocal chops make for an effective collection of tracks. Our pick is certainly "Monkey Tears" thanks to its jazzed-out vibes and rattling mass of kick drums...check "Move It On" for that French filter house sound, too!

Review: 2016 was Loz Goddard's year, without doubt. The talented Mancunian delivered a trio of fine EPs for Dirt Crew, Quintessentials and Razor 'N' Tape Reserve, in the process significantly enhancing his reputation. Happily, his first release of 2017, which also marks his return to Outplay after a two-year absence, is also rather good. Check, in particular, A-side cut "Hazy", a groovy, disco-influenced deep house roller full of swinging drum fills, twinkling keys and swirling samples. He's in immaculate, Larry Heard-meets-early St Germain mode on B-side leader "Peaches", then pays tribute to lazy, sun-kissed afternoons on effortlessly Balearic, jazz-funk influenced deep house closer "Murmur".

Review: Hans Peeman (Junktion) and Daniel Leseman's Outplay is strictly committed to spreading the gospel of deep house music and this sermon comes courtesy of the aforementioned, with a bit of help from Laurence Guy. He appears first with the title track, which samples a pretty breathtaking strings section mixed with a spangling Derrick May style synth melody which fades out and gives way to a pretty wicked arpeggio... and some cowbells; sold already? Next up is Junktion with "Breakfast At Midnight" an offering of deep and dusty late night disco that certainly takes its cues from KDJ, but that's totally fine by us. The Brame & Hamo remix is more dancefloor friendly, slo-mo deep house that fans of Genius of Time or MCDE will appreciate. Finally Leseman's "On My Mind" offers us another deep and dusty house gem that revels in its beautifully sombre Motor City vibes. Not bad for a guy from Utrecht!

Review: Junktion is Hans Peeman from Nijmegen, Netherlands, co-founder/A&R at Outplay. The deeper side of house and everything that goes with it is his thing and The Wide Awake EP is good evidence of this. There's a real Thomas Bangalter style vibe to this EP, as evidenced on the low-slung disco loop goodness of the title track and "What We Are" following in suit, with more wicked sample cut ups rocking the night away on this funky groove. On the flip we've got "Don't Mess Up" which is perfect for those Summer open-air parties with its dusty arrangement and hands in the air vibe; the real highlight on here.

Review: Fouk member Johannes Peeman has delivered some superb solo EPs as Junktion, including killer outings on Times Are Ruff, Sleazy Beats Black Ops and, most regularly, OUTPLAY. Here he returns to the latter label with his first fresh 12" in almost 18 months. He hits the ground running with swinging, loose-limbed sample-house workout 'Just a Disco Thing', where jazzy bass, tight organ stabs, sparkling synths and funk vocal snippets cluster around a superb broken house rhythm, before opting for a chunkier, woozier deep house sound on 'Real To Me'. Over on the flip, 'I Got Somebody (Yeah Man)' is a rolling deep house warmer blessed with squelchy synth-bass, while 'Tribute' is a superb slab of detailed, musically expansive deep house with an exquisitely dreamy, head-in-the-clouds finish.

Review: Hans Peeman seems to be using the alternative New Franklin Theory alias to deliver music that combines dusty, dreamy deep house tropes with tons of original boogie and electrofunk instrumentation. As this second New Franklin Theory 12" proves, it's a winning formula. The majority of the five tracks are propelled forwards by deep house beats and squelchy synth basslines, with Peeman altering the levels of disco and boogie instrumentation atop. For starters, check the bustling beats, rubbery synth-bass, jazz-funk flourishes and incessant energy of "Afterburner", the wonderfully deep and dusty shuffle of "In Orbit", and the pleasingly loose, tropical-tinged beats, spine-tingling deep house chords and loved-up vocal samples of killer EP closer "The Holtzman Effect".

Review: Fouk man and Outplay co-founder Daniel Leseman doesn't release much, but what he does put out is invariably excellent. The On The Fritz EP is his first solo vinyl excursion, and offers a trio of fluid chunks of Detroit-influenced deep house. There's an attractive wiggle to the effortlessly soulful "Drums", a study in atmospheric, melody rich house blessed with heartwarming chords, shuffling percussion and cascading riffs. "On The Fritz" takes a similar approach, with an epic breakdown - all lazy, twinkling piano, held-note chords and swirling pads - enhancing the dancefloor experience. Finally, the string-drenched "Time To Go", with its' winding synth solos and dusty groove, delivers a tactile chunk of hazy, late night deep house.

Review: New Franklin Theory: A shadowy new name with subtle clues from the label that we are likely to already know the identity behind the beats. Dare you unravel the mystery at such an early stage or should you simply enjoy the grooves for what they are? Either way the music speaks for itself; "Overhill Road Variation #1" taps deep into the roots with Chicago charm. Chunky, loopy and lean elements comprise to create an almost overwhelming groove. "Variation #2" meanwhile shakes with more of a foggier Claussel-style mysticism with more organic percussion, softer bass and guitar textures that could almost be highlife. The theory continues...

Review: Russian team Scruscru meets Meowsn on the 13th release from Outplay, Each of the respective artists have worked on cult labels like Nervous, Star Creature and Sloth Boogie and here cook up some sample heavy grooves that draw on jazz, big chords and sparkling synth sounds. The tracks have a real playful sense of character and tongue in cheek charm which makes them race even quicker into your affections. At times echoing the broken beat scene London was so well known for a few years ago, at others, something entirely new, it's an EP that certainly couldn't be classed as unlucky, despite the cat no.

Review: Following a whole string of dope dispatches on the likes of Dirt Crew, House Of Disco, Lost My Dog, London's Wolfman makes his debut on Dutch deep house imprint Outplay. Four cuts in total, as always with Harry, both vibe and variety are the main priorities. "Hitch" is a loose-grooved hazy strutter with alluring percussion, "Pigs In Blankets" is as tasty as its name suggests with velvet falsettos, dreamy pads and slinky sleazy bass, "Nemoto" is the stone cold jacker of the pack with powerful filtered licks and a beat that you never want to quit. Finally "STS 136" bids us adieu on a sub-100 slo-mo strut. Heavy in the reveries with deep woozy flourishes, it's the perfect conclusion to yet another perfect EP from Harry. Bon voyage.