NEW JACK CITY Schallplatten & CDs

Review: Boutique French house label Vibes And Pepper come through with a Various Artist outing that pairs the new school talents of Tomska and New Jack City with the old school and enduring qualities of James Duncan and Jeremiah. James Duncan goes first with 'Track #2', a soulful affair with lazily jazzy chords and muffled vocals bottled up into a teasing house groove. The drums feel alive and the repeated melodic phrasing brings some nice tension to proceedings. Tomska's 'Stolen Moments' is a typically thick cut track with solid kick drums underpinning spoken word musings and colourful little melodies. It's physical and will make you dance without losing the important human connection. Jeremiah's 'Keep On' is much the same: this one has a classic feel to it, with warm pads softening the effect of busy, live sounding percussion. Some firing vocals help set the groove alight and re-call the classic days of 90s house with relying on the same tried tropes. Finally, 'Slow It Down' does not slow it down, but instead invites you to move your body with huge rubbery kick drums and shuffling claps. Dulcet vocal tones and garage-inflected percussion make this a hugely vibey affair to finish off another timeless house EP.

Review: From the Music Is Love crew that put out the New Jack City Back In The Dayz EP last year, Lovebox001 comes bristling with immaculately delivered garage house damage, ranging from ice-cold jackers to sassy diva cuts. The cheeky vocal snippets throughout the compilation come from well-worn samples, but they're fired off with true flair and sound ultimately fresh in amidst these undeniably potent floor burners. If you need some punchy garage house of the highest calibre in your life, get stuck into this box of love.

Review: After the runaway success of the Back In The Dayz EP, New Jack City returns with another heavy dose of classic, hi-octane garage house for the jackers in the dance. The beats are utterly relentless across the EP, all sizzling hats and an abundance of swing, while the vocal samples come in finely selected diva styles jammed on a loop. "You Got It" is the lighter of all the selections with its springy sax and chords, while Washerman gets busy with some piano stabs on the remix of "I Don't Wanna". Whichever angle you take it from, this EP is primed for peak time blaring through long hot summer nights.

Review: Dutch aficionados of classic bumping 90s house music New Jack City are on searing form with this new EP for Music Is Love. The EP kicks off on a stout deep tip with driving drums and simmering organ stabs, while the quintessential Chicago-style vocal guides you through the staccato funk. MIL's remix of "Back In The Dayz" opts for a more garage slant, nailing the perfect melodic DX7 bassline while the drums bump for joy in that most instinctive of ways. "Gimme The Chance" continues the shuffly goodness, while letting more chord dynamics steer the track in that sleek, late-in the-night vibe. It's "Golden Age" that makes the EP with its crisp edits from the Todd Edwards school of chopping over another ice-cold US garage groove.