DJs: Most Charted - Deep House - Most Charted April 2012

Review: ** REPRESS ** Officially titled Wild Oats Proudly Presents Da Sampla West Side Sessions, you can tell straight away how much work Kyle Hall's label has put into remastering and reissuing this 1997 heat from Anthony Shake Shakir. Screen printed cover art, bonus material on an accompanying 7" and gloriously lo-fi photocopied insert - all these elements just add an additional sheen of "must-haveness" to some archival Motor City brilliance from Shake. All four rollercoaster rides through Detroit rhythms from the 12" Shakir released under his Da Sampla alias on the now defunct M3 imprint are present and sound just as vital now, not least the dizzying kaleidoscopic sensory assault of "Track 4". Two additional cuts of material produced by both Shakir and Hall occupy the red hand stamped 7", veering between the relentless carnival judder of "GJ" and the sparser alien sounds of "Frictional Beat #6" - both of which are complemented by locked grooves. Given the hugely popular nature of Wild Oats output to date, this won't stick around for long.

Review: Mahogani regular Andres comes correct once again with the debut drop on his new label La Vida, with three tracks that flow with that inimitable Motor City soul. Much like previous Andres output, the triplet on New For U draw obvious lines of influence from Dilla and Dixon Jnr, though it's all sprinkled with Dez's own unique touch and style, be it the infectious snap of percussion or deft and subtle implementation of samples. The title track is a gloriously ripe combination of both those elements as thick drums intertwine with the sumptuous waves of strings and warm chiming chords, everything worked into a rhythmic template that weaves with intoxicating energy. "Drama Around The Corner" makes for one of Andres' trademark neck snapping beatdown moments and the level of percussive detail that's apparent when you concentrate is stunning and is the charming almost brief interlude to the B Side magic. Commencing with a short, looped up jazzual intro, "Jazz Dance" swiftly settles into a stripped down procession of bumping drums, low reaching double bass and swift keys - all of which are intermittently complemented by some expertly looped vocal samples. Occupying most of the B Side, it feels like the track could reach into infinity without losing any charm. Rightly the 12" of the year for us and many others.

Review: Like many of Detroit's deep house and beatdown producers, Delano Smith has been an integral part of the city's musical landscape for nigh on 30 years - something amply demonstrated in the fascinating booklet accompanying his long-promised debut album. Musically, An Odyssey is typical of Smith's previous output, mixing smooth, hypnotic groovers and jazz-flecked deep housers with just the right amount of basement soul and melodic complexity. Given that the tracks - all previously unreleased - were recorded in the last two years, it's no surprise to find that the tracks sit together beautifully. Making a high quality deep house album is notoriously tricky, but Smith has achieved that feat - and with a style and grace that marks out house music's true masters.

Review: Let's Play House, the NYC label run with aplomb by Jacques Renault, James Friedman and Juno Plus scribe Nik Mercer, unveil their latest release will be an EP from mysterious production outfit the Dead Rose Music Company. Our pick of the jams on offer has to be "Faith", a moody, thumping disco reworking which is perfectly described by the label as "the jumbled recollections of last night's disco fading in and out of strobe-lit smoke on the dancefloor". Also do check the Dennis Parker sampling epic "Nutkins"!

Review: With their feet firmly positioned on Dutch soil, the heads and hearts of Detroit Swindle are nonetheless rooted deep into the soul of the motor city, and this EP of finely crafted grooves on Jimmy Posters and Huxley's fledgling Saints & Sonnets imprint is as brilliant a reflection of their obsession as you could expect. "The Wrap Around" combines a killer vocal hook with a silky line, but it's the bassline that marks it out, coming in with a thudding bassline that twists itself into all manner of unfiltered goodness at the halfway point. "Pain Tomorrow" meanwhile prefers to let its skipping percussion do the talking with a bumping chord led groove that would put MCDE to shame. The EP is rounded off with a killer remix of the title track from Deleusions of Grandeur's Pattern Select, turning in a sparse reworking which transforms the light original into a throbbing piece of basement house.

Review: The newly minted Wilson imprint come brandishing a steadfastly enthusiastic keep vinyl alive approach, warning people on their site to "play it on vinyl or don't play it" and their debut release shows an equal respect for the true production values founded in Chicago and Detroit. The Underground Warriors EP pairs the old and trusted with the new and exciting as respected producers Alex Agore and Washerman share space with the upcoming Italian duo Fabio Monesi and Luca Ballerini. Naturally the contributions from the Berlin dwelling Agore and Swiss producer Washerman demonstrate a clear level of accomplishment, with the former's "Stalker" dripping with emotive intent. Don't discount the tracks from the lesser known duo however with "Momma' Groove" from Monesi an excellent drum machine workout complemented by oven warm pads.

Review: Having steadily climbed the ranks of the European leftfield house scene via Bass Culture, Tsuba and Morris/Audio amongst others, Rio Padice is back with some assured groovers for Housewax. On the Moon Phases EP the ghost of deep Chicago house looms heavy, not least in the opening track. It's deliberately naive, easy-going music perfectly pitched to worm its way into a warm-up scenario, but with enough grit in the production to avoid the trap of background fodder. The B-Side is a touch wilder, as the syncopation of "Track 3" does damage with a sumptuous square wave bass while "Track 4" bumps on a nasty garage shuffle. Get on it.

Review: Italian producer Nicholas had a killer year, with a healthy string of releases on 4Lux and Quintessentials, not to mention his excellent podcast for RA, but his EP on Hometaping Is Killing Music was probably his best concoction of house beats to date. The title track "Love Message" is an impeccable 90s reminiscent deep house belter, taking some Pepe Bradock style drums and tearing them apart thanks to some gorgeous pianos and prophetic vocals. "From The Roots" was another massive track, where bumping bass lines meet suave piano keys to create a serious house explosion! The bonus beat version extended those thumping kicks and injected extra dubbiness for the true house heads. Big 12"!

Review: Such is the prolific nature of FXHE at the moment, which ever pressing plant Omar S uses must be pretty happy with their contract. Following swiftly from Omar S's ode to the Axel F sound comes the debut missive from Aaron "Fit" Siegel. Named so thanks to his work at the helm of Fit Distribution, Siegel is a key figure in ensuring the ongoing healthy output of Detroit's house and techno militia and "Tonite" proves to be an auspicious debut. Featuring the vocal talents of L'Renne, the track is one of those eminently soulful house tracks with a sparse approach to production, all the elements sounding so crisp and distinct in the mix but judged perfectly. Such a track and the tougher B Side Detroit Mix just demonstrate how on top of their game FXHE are right now - big tip!

Review: Rush Hour did us plenty of favours this year but by far our most cherished was the reissue of James Mason's timeless, proto-house excursions on the infamous "Nightgruv" EP. There's really not much to be said about these peerless productions, the original mix is a stunning voyage through glimmering synths backed by a chugging beat groove, but the unreleased longer edit is the one - voyaging through those gorgeous drums and piano keys like there's no tomorrow! "I Want Your Love" is another masterpiece - slo-mo hip-hop beats mixed in with those killer funk bass lines and the infamous vocals taking you to another dimension.

Review: London-based deep house label Ornate Music come through with another gem in the shape of the latest EP from Dubbyman, filled with robust, beatdown grooves. The EP opens with "Time & Sensibility", creating an all-enveloping atmosphere with its oven-warm pads and rich analogue bass, punctuated with jazzy chords and vocal murmurings. "Kirigi Is Coming", meanwhile, showcases Dubbyman's excellent knack for crafting Moodymann style textures with the depth to boot, combining a solid rhythmic snap with drawn out vocal landscapes and Detroit-referencing melodies. Finally "Uuuuhhhh!!!!" closes the EP with its breathy intro and low slung filtered grooves combining with bubbling laser sound effects.

Review: Swiss based Italian DJ Gianni Siravo has been slipping out house music in one form or another for a good few years now, most recently as part of Azuni (fans of Boe and Quintessentials will recognise the name). Undergoing a solo studio endeavour as Washerman, Siravo gets off to a flier with the double drop Kutz From The Basement EP for the Zurich label Drumpoet Community. As you'd expect from the title, the Washerman sound is focused on no nonsense house music primed for exposure in basement spaces. The simmering euphoria of A Side track "Basement Chord" is tempered brilliantly by the inherent dark, murky tones of flipside track "Basement Dub".

Review: More potent bodyjackers arrive with the recognisable LIES stamp thanks to the smart curatorial eyes of label overseer Ronald Morelli. There's a nice story to this release too - it marks the culmination of a five year plan to release material from Svengalighost after Morelli was introduced to his undeniably dystopian techno as his previous Below Underground incarnation via the NYC legend Pork Chop. Now reborn as Svengalighost, the three tracks here are culled from those archival sessions Morelli was so impressed by, with "Deep Into Memory" a suitably epic opener. Creeping up from the murkiest recesses of machine funk, Svengalighost gradually fills your dome piece with relentless elasticised analogue patterns flushed with increasingly ominous intensity. "Long Live Real Chicago Jack" reads the B side run out groove inscription and there is further evidence that is breathes with gleeful energy on LIES with the crystalline tautness of "Mars Out Of Range" and the abrasive Dance Mania from outer space pressure of "Marathon".