Tags: Breakbeat House

Review: Omar S treats us to a second release in the space of a week, with a much deserved reissue of some 1996 Roy Davis Jnr rawness across the A Side. The Stevie Wonder classic "All I Do" gets chopped up, laid over a killer Chi town beat filled with instantly gratifying raw drum edits and augmented by some evil bass thumps. Relentlessly brilliant and sounds just as fresh some 14 years on. Echoing a current trend this side plays outwards from the inside groove. On the flip Omar S teams up with DJ B Len D for the bongo heavy deep groove of "Da Teys" a track that's characterised by melodic keys which increase with curveball drama as the track progresses.

Review: Some serious UK electro history here, as Running Back delivers a fresh pressing of Equip's rare 1984 gem 'XXXO', which was previously only available as a single-sided 12" back in the early 2000s. It's an undeniably far-sighted concoction which was produced by Greg Wilson, Martin Jackson and Andy Connell for - but sadly never included on - the pioneering Streesounds UK Electro album the trio created. Although technically electro, the track's 4/4 beats and proto-acid sounds make it a contender for the elusive title of 'first ever house record made in Britain'. To back it up, Gerd Janson has re-edited two previously unreleased electro beats recorded by the trio for a breakdance performance at the I.C.A, both of which sound like mutant, extra-percussive fusions of electro and post-punk.

Review: What started as an edit back at the beginning of lockdown of "There but for the Grace of God" for personal use, ended up as an idea for an underground black label alongside Prime Direct Distribution
This ended up a 45rpm full 909 house rework on side A with a far deeper cut on side B for the early mornings. And then Terry decided he fancied doing something for the voguers which became the jacked up third track finale.

Graeme Park:
"If you want to lose your mind to some gloriously funked up jacking goodness that is as addictive as hell, then you need to get involved with the superb new Giocoso BBQ Club mixes of Fire Island's epic "There But For The Grace Of God". Insane!"
Jovonn:
"Man this ep is amazing"
Justin Harris/Music for Freaks:
"5/5 from me A1."
When you get two veterans like Terry and Gary together to produce then this is what happens... all tracks firing, all 3 on my current playlist. Proper house Music!"
Hifi Sean
"An order of Deep Balearic garage with a jus of Chicago swagger, with a hint of disco on the side please. A fusion of all things Terry Farley with a jus of Balearic garage if such a thing exists"

Review: Second time round for Masarima's 'Freak Like U', a sparkling 2020 tribute to post-Italo-disco proto-house, co-produced by Whodamanny and Mystic Jungle. This time round, the track has been reimagined by two stellar talents: West Coast electro stalwart Egyptian Lover and Sheffield-based bleep, hardcore and acid revivalist Luca Lozano. The former handles side A, delivering warming, dreamy, tactile and glassy-eyed electro takes (vocal and instrumental) that reinforce the track's mid 1980s inspiration. Lozano, meanwhile, opts for another kind of nostalgia altogether, first combining house tempo breaks with echo-laden elements of the original (and a couple of hazy new synth stabs) on the 'Breakbeat Guy remix', before layering up the beats on a rather lovely 'Tribal Workout Dub' featuring percussionist Karlos Moran.

Review: Athlete Whippet's first outing on Toy Tonics, 2021's Vesta EP, offered a hugely attractive fusion of Berlin deep house nous and colourful jazz-funk/jazz-fusion instrumentation. This follow-up continues in a similarly vibrant vein, with the duo adding all manner of vocal and instrumental samples and a distinctive '80s boogie influence to their already rainbow-coloured trademark sound. Across the four tracks, the pair confidently skip between rubbery, summery house ('Noguiera'), thrilling P-funk/nu-disco fusion (the throbbing electronic bass, jumpy synth sounds, dreamy chords and tidy machine drums of 'Mesmerise'), cut-up boogie-house squelch ('I Think I See') and shuffling, breakbeat-driven deep house/synth-funk fusion ('Slow Down').

Review: London-based Italian Stefano Ritteri (Viaggio Recordings) is up next for number 32 of Shir Khan presents Black Jukebox. 'Slow Tripping' is a neon-lit affair, followed by the 'tribal' vibe of 'Donna', a collaboration with Mytron that sounds reminiscent of something legend Bepe Lodda would have played at Typhoon club back in the day. Over on the flip, you've got some dark disco flavour on the moody groove of 'Brutesque' followed by the bittersweet new jack swing of 'Robot Love'.

Review: Berlin based label Solenoid is headed up by Erta Ale, aka Italian producer Fabrizio Nocci. His latest release continues the theme of warm, big room house music he's been pushing for some time now, kicking off with the swirling pads and thumping rhythm section of 'Nirvana'. It's got a distinctly early 90s vibe, with plenty of melodic hand holds to dig your fingers into, while 'Panorama' has a swishy, disco-tinted sassiness to take you away in the heat of the night. 'The Cure' kicks off the B side with a springy, techy approach that doesn't hold back on the big synth lines, and then We Amps steps up for a remix of 'Panorama' which keeps things funky without losing that peak time demeanour which persists throughout the record.

Review: Andy Ash is one of the UK's most low-key house producers. He has released on an array of smaller boutique house labels and always brings some broad influences as well as great knowledge of the classics. Now he pops up rather out of the blue on Quintessentials with a superb album of stylish as well as useful house. There are steamy Windy City vocal cuts like the opener, jacked-up workouts like 'Life' raw yet somehow soulful groovers like 'I'm Here' featuring a well-placed sample that older heads with recognise and beautifully deep, balmy and heads-down numbers like 'Another.' A real house album for real house heads.

Review: Having already caused a stir with their various solo releases, old friends Klein Zage (real name Sage Redman) and Joey G (Joe Gillick) have decided to join forces on an EP inspired by their time living together in South London. While the EP is musically varied, there's a sonic coherence to the three original tracks thanks to the presence of Redman's spoken word vocals throughout. We're particularly enjoying the deep, emotive beauty of 'A Little Dissonance', though punchy, shuffling and spacey opener 'Folks Not Guys' pushes it close. Over on the flip we're treated to a trio of remixes: Ariel Zetina's intense, trippy and high-tempo take on 'Folks Not Guys', Local Artist's warming and rolling, Rhodes-sporting 'Disco Dub' of the same track, and DJ Python's pleasingly weird, mind-mangling version of 'A Little Dissonance'.

Review: Apparel Wax on Apparel Music records has recently started a 7" series of which this is the third instalment of. These 45 DJ friendly records are sure to be hits with house music DJs and fans both. The music does the talking as the tracks are simply called 'Track 1' and 'Track 2'. The first blends jazz, funk into a house instrumental frenzy that has all the makings of a classic late night success. The second one is quite unusual and unique, adding a broken almost jungle beat that goes great with the piano. This gives us some real early 90s UK rave flashbacks! This versatile 7" should go over great with those who hear it!