Deep House Recommendations March 2013

Review: ** MCDE REPRESS ** Dani Plessow dons the Motor City Drum Ensemble name with Say A Prayer signaling a return to the production game following his much publicized creative burnout. It's clear that Plessow's period of convalescence has worked wonders, with the four tracks here every bit as deep and dusty as the much vaunted Raw Cuts series upon which the MCDE project was launched skywards. Proceedings open with the two part suite of the title track, laying down fuzzy chords and intermittent vocal swoons over a gritty 909 backbone on the opening track; part 2 meanwhile will have you digging out those Raw Cuts 12"s in order to do a MCDE master mix, such is it's immediate warmth and neck snapping drums. On the flip, Plessow uses "The Stranger" as a chance to traverse bleepier, rattling techno terrain with superb results, whilst "SP11" is rasping high octane house at it's finest.

Review: With two releases already under their belt, the quintessential anonymous producer Crue is back with another exercise in dynamic analogue house and techno. "Track 1" is a steady 90s house workout, rich with warm chord stabs and a punchy beat, primed for slotting in amongst other garage shuffle revivalists. "Track 2" is where things get spicy with the primal, Detroit-weighted clatter of the drums falling in an almost-breakbeat, and the melodic stabs zipping in overhead. It's a staggeringly fresh sounding track, even whilst using methods of the past. Whoever they might be, Crue is clearly in command of some serious kit and a keen ear for what works,

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: The legendary Chez Damier presents the first of two carefully curated 12"s under the Purpose For Design banner on his own Balance Music, carrying on the Chicago label's mission to deliver the finest contemporary deep house sounds. On the A-side, Ethereal Sound alumnus Miruga delivers "Midnight Theme", a jazz-tinged number filled with swimming keys floating atop a thick undercurrent of bass, while UG provides their mix of Brawther's "Endless", a garage-inspired track filled with feather light vocal snippets, creamy chords and a snappy, upbeat rhythmic flex. On the B-side, "The Way I Feel When I Think Of You" sees Introspective combine an insistent yet smooth synth pulse with reverb heavy piano chords resulting in an improvised, rustling percussive feel. Matthew Bandy's mix of GMS' "Tell Me What It Is" ends on an unexpectedly tropical note with high impact conga rhythms, sun drenched piano, rolling calypso-inspired bassline and bold vocal.

Review: After the warm reception of his Baseline 88-89 release, Huckaby continues to develop his own S Y N T H label with another EP of solid, dubby house music. "Sandcastle" is positively minimal in its construction, with a clean groove decorated only with occasional spurts of delayed atmospherics and a subby bassline, begging to be slid under something else in a similar restrained groove. "Flashbacks From The M1" is equally functional, although the moody chord that comes scrabbling through the core of the track lightens the mood somewhat. Either way, these are tracks designed to slowly bleed into their counterparts, albeit without the dryness that comes with brazenly marketed 'DJ tools'.

Review: The third release from the 124 Recordings label throws the spotlight on the current rich seam of house music bubbling up in Paris, with three producers from the French capital contributing to the Dubble Dubs 12". The tracks from K One, St Sene and Janeret are all united by their clear Detroit and Chicago influences; K One's "Escape" sets the tone with a classicist production characterised by intricate chords, luscious vocals and sparse percussion. "Let's Get Back" is the first of two Janeret productions and opts for a more bumping Chicago flex, all finger snaps and snatches of gospel vocal which is a real hands in the air delight in full flight. "Juke Joint" from St Sene opens the B Side in style, a deep vocal groover with a thick lead chord pattern that hooks you right away whilst Janeret's "My Flava" ends on a markedly deeper note.

Review: Quality deep house labels aren't hard to come by these days, meaning the fledgling Deep Down Slam Records has its work cut out for it, but given the strength of this first release the label should have no problems establishing themselves. The A-side features the talents of rising house producer Washerman, whose jam "Tell Me" kicks things off in a 90s New Jersey house style, but one filled with a contemporary production nuance that makes it stand out amongst the crowd, while "Come Closer" offers a similar cut with good time chords which owe a considerable debt to French touch house. On the flip, No Matter What don James Johnston provides two expectedly thumping house cuts; "The Music" combines belting piano chords with rubbery strings that pull you in deep, while the tribal feel of "On The Ground" is accented by some alluring Motor City melodies.

Review: Jason Grove's barnstorming arrival with the 313.4.Ever LP on Skylax last year was reportedly made up of recordings that had lain undetected on cassette releases since the early 90s. Now he returns with a bundle of fresh productions that retain the same spirit as the old material, but equally explore new ideas. The primal bumping house has been smoothed out in places, and waved aloft in others. "Track 9" is a heated peak timer for sure, but it's swiftly followed up by the seductive deepness of "Balance". "Deep Throat" can't help but stand out with its brushed drum percussion and understated swing, but from there the EP plunges into ever more mellow territory, winding down on the easy roll of "Back Home".

Review: Vester Koza is a fresh talent based in London, but his smooth, hypnotic brand of house sounds like it's come straight out of Berlin. "Mosquito" is a dubby basement jam whose nuanced production packs imperceptibly subtle percussive click into its warm chord arrangement, while "Transit" comes across as a slightly more motorik jam, with the kind of cavernous snares and tense chords Kassem Mosse would deploy in one of his darker Workshop releases, accented with lighter melodic chimes. Turn over for "the Pagan Groove of San Francisco", whose lively, funky groove is underpinned with a heaviness that puts it almost into dub techno territory, counterbalanced by "The Way (Of The Dub)", a masterful exercise in warm, unfolding deep house. On the strength of this release, Koza is one to keep an eye on.

Review: Both Alex Agore and Say Ahh! had impressive calendar years in 2012, and following several remix commissions for the breakout label run by the brotherly duo of MK and Scottie Deep, makes his full debut in impressive fashion. Agore's classicist house style is a perfect fit for Say Ahh! and set to be explored across two coloured vinyl releases; the inaugural Mizz Honey EP arrives on pink vinyl brandishing a superb title track. Thick, bassy drums lay down a bumping groove, whilst a filtered vocal sample and gloriously tinny piano line hook you right in. On the flip, "Becuzz Of You" adopts a noticeably deeper tone with a nice smudgey sheen coating Agore's trademark percussive bump, whilst "Unbelievable" wraps the titular vocal hook endlessly around a driving, searching, stripped back groove.

Review: The second Purpose By Design 12" from Chez Damier's Balance Music collects four more fresh tracks from the finest contemporary deep house producers, with the legendary figure's impeccable taste shining through in his selections. On the A-side, Kenny Cajual presents his mix of Minister Mike's "Collide", a rolling house number filled with jazzy keys and organ breakdowns, while London-based producer Soy Mustafa delivers "Maxim", a trippy slice of tech house which glides effortlessly from abstract, syncopated drum patterns into a enveloping wormhole of hypnotic chords and looping bass. On the B-side, Garrett David's "I Can't Take It" provides a hands-in-air piece of vocal-leaning, Kerri Chandler inspired house filled with pitched organ riffs, while Salah Arnse offers "Brother's Gonna Work It Out", a slice of classicist disco house edited skilfully by Blue Mondays, delivering the kind of good time horns and funk bass that puts you right in the Paradise Garage circa 1979.

Review: Concrete has been integral in the rebirth of Parisian clubbing culture, offering a unique 19 hour long party that begins early on Sunday and goes on and on in the picturesque setting of the Port De La Rapee on the River Seine. Looking to expand, this new Concrete Music label should operate as an extension of the party commencing with a series of three planned Textures releases inviting local talent and previous guests to contribute. Volume 1 inaugurates the label in style, brandishing original productions from the excellent Jared Wilson, Awanto 3 and Nsyde artist Samuel Andre Madsen as well as Parisian producer S3A (Sampling As An Art). "Sit On This" is a typically dusty slice of house from Awanto 3 which contrasts nicely with the percussion heavy classicist house of "The Ravist" by S3A and the deep acid of Jared Wilson. Madsen takes it deep and moody on "Waterwalking Paris" to end a superb and diverse debut release.

Review: The house revival continues unabated... And long may it continue while stone cold classics such as this are being re-released. The original is coated in mid 90s class as the bassy, garage groove forms the perfect bed for the looped vocal hypnosis that steals the show. London brothers Brodanse add a darker tech-teased twist, Matt Tolfrey strips things back and leans them just slightly to the left while 2020 Soundsystem drummer Moodymanc adds an authentic Hooj-style pump to proceedings. One classic, three stunning revisions.; long may this continue!

Review: One of the founder members of the DiY crew - whose records have been picked up by Zip for his latest Fabric mix, and whose legendary outdoor parties in the early 90s were instrumental in the government bringing in the Criminal Justice Bill - Digs is a long-time comrade of the Ornate Music crew, and his debut for the label comes keenly anticipated. Across three tracks of warm yet party-starting deep house, he demonstrates his keen ear for playful rhythms and interesting melodies; the abstract chimes and diva vocals of "Jus' In Style" are underpinned by a subtle acid bassline simmering to the surface, while "Loopdaloop" combines an insistent organ with clattering percussion that's more WAX than Kerri Chandler. "Gimme The Trus'" closes things out with a number filled with rolling drums, hypnotic vocal, sweeping pads and improvised synth jam that inject a bit of classic Chi-town soul into proceedings.

Review: Continuing to fuse his love of warm, soulful samples with techno frameworks, Cottam slides over to Sound Of Speed to serve up a no-nonsense three-tracker of high-grade disco heat positioned perfectly left of centre. "Ire-Work" stews a relentless guitar lick into a tumbling drum roll and keeps the techno siren leading the way throughout for a truly tense builder, while "Trouble In The Street" goes in stripped and heavy with a simple drum track and an ice-cold vocal speech for an equally dramatic finish. "Scientific" gets busy with the delay unit for a low-slung dub house cut that echoes into a glorious, strung-out groove.

Review: Getting in a lather for that classic 90s house sound, Spanish label Saft draft in three promising up and comers to show off their appropriations of the canonical era of house music. Brame weighs in heavy with "Love To You", getting some sizable chords into the fray amidst an uptempo garage groove. Gianni Siravo, better known as Washerman, gets freaky for his remix by firing off some fresh organ stabs and reaching almost for a transcendental techno experience by letting the melodies propel and the beat support. Adryiano's "Toujours" takes a more measured approach, falling into an understated groove with muted Rhodes chords and a percussive roll.

Review: Hitting that funked-up 90s vibe like it ain't no thang, Roberto Rodriguez's turn on Freerange bumps and flexes in all the right ways, slamming in some cheery piano chords and DX7 organ riffs while the drums swing jauntily on "Dance Like Nobody's Watching". With the high register notes coming on like Glenn Underground, there's a feeling of uplifting jazz woven into the bright and bashy elements. "Oxymoron" heads for a deeper territory, plying dubby chords and diva vocal snippets amidst a chunky beat with some sly MIDI sax thrown in for good measure. Black Madonna turn out a remix of the A side that tempers the boundless energy of the original by stripping things down and letting a filter take control of the central piano riff.

Review: The first installment of Alex Agore's Mizz Honey EP ensured the prolific German producer debuted fully on the Say Ahh! label. This second edition of the Mizz Honey series maintains those high standards and hopefully ensures the door remains open for subsequent Agore output on the label run by the brotherly duo of MK and Scottie Deep. "X" sets the tone, looking to a Salsoul gem for vocal inspiration and swamping the sample in a thick, bumping house groove spread across the A Side that must have instantly grabbed the Brothers Kinchen. The flip pairs the finger snapping, soulful slam of "Ice Crystals" with the immediately infectious piano house business of "Everyday (U Lift Me Up)".

Review: Made Fresh Daily follow up killer 12"s from Geddes and Mikki Funk with the debut solo EP from rising house producer Jackmaster K. Though indebted to the current vogue for the sounds of 90s house, Jackmaster K's productions are filled with enough unexpected twists and turns to keep the formula fresh; "House Ain't Givin' Up" switches things up with its NYC electro stabs, saxophone solo and swelling sub-bass, while "Get Up" takes things into deeper territory with its thick bassline and dubbed out, candy sweet Rhodes melodies. On the remix, James Johnston flips "Get Up" inside out, giving it some classic New Jersey bump and flex, and busying up the arrangement with added organs, while Rosenhaft's take on "House Ain't Givin' Up" is much more expansive, allowing the bassline to breathe in a spacious composition of pitched vocals and drawn out chords.

Review: Despite now mixing it with house music's global cognoscenti, Julio Bashmore has enjoyed a rather quiet year, production wise. Just as well, then, that "Husk" is arguably his most interesting release for some time. Built around the twin attractions of a twittering melody that sounds like it was taken from a record by long-forgotten early 90s ambient act Paradise X and some hissing jazz cymbals, "Husk" is more melodic, adventurous and touchy-feely than anything else he's done of late. "Pelican", meanwhile, is more typical of his previous work and should excite all those who bristle with excitement at his classic 2011 productions.

Review: With the new cycle of transformation that the change in the ancient Mayan calendar has supposedly brought, it seems fitting for NDATL to release a track namechecking a lost Mexican civilization. "Olmec Save Us" sees R&B powerhouse Donnie on vocals, while NDATL boss Kai Alce provides production; characterized by a typically classic style that nevertheless feels fresh, its high-end synth tones conveying the weird and otherworldly sense of Donnie's strange tale. On the flip, Osunlade provides his "Yoruba Soul Mix", providing a slightly deeper version of the original which provides a nice contrast to Alce's jazzier original. Instrumentals of both tracks are included for those who like their tracks sans vocal.