Tags: Detroit House

Review: There is a heavyweight selection of names on this first release from Norm Talley's promising new label Upstairs Asylum. Firstly, the man himself is a Motor City heavyweight who links with fellow luminary Omar S on the opener 'Muggy Detroit Heat.' It's an intense and steamy house track that bristles with raw melody. On the flip, French house icon D'Julz reworks a tune by Norm in cahoots with the one and only Moodymann. This one is all cuddly chords, romanic vocal chops and warm, rough edged house beats for those cosy basements.

Review: Six releases in and Michigander label head Brian Kage teams up with the legendary French Techno producer, Taho, aka David Jacopin. The electronic music world knows to put respect on the Motor City, but the "Detroit EP" represents a fusion, emphasizing l'accent aigu - not a typo or spec on your screen that needs cleaning. Between Kage and Taho, their production pedigree includes releases for labels like FXHE, Planet-E, Delsin, F.Comm, and more, so it's no surprise the pairing makes for a masterfully produced EP covering the spectrum of Detroit house and techno sounds, with an added deft touch from its French connection.

Review: The next phase for jazzy house, broken beat, uplifting house and all these rather loosely adjacent genres is, without doubt, Sounds Familiar. The new imprint, based in Italy, was launched recently as a home for the eclectic palette of the various tastemakers, producers and DJs at its helm. And their posse, of course: broken beat hero Dego, duo Kamma and Masalo, and new age houser Retromigration are all among its ranks. Highlights of their first volume of sundowners include the trance waver 'Neon Ocean' and the halftime nu-jazzer 'Pausenbrot'.