Deep House Recommendations May 2015

Review: Well, here's something to raise the spirits: a first new 12" from Frank Timm's Sound Stream alias for three years. Those familiar with the German producer's work will know exactly what to expect, namely delicious disco house cut-ups that turn selected loops from largely forgotten gems into insatiable dancefloor gold. A-side "Bass Affairs" is particularly good, delivering a perfect blend of sun-kissed Brazilian guitars, rubbery slap bass loops and lilting Rhodes chords (all accompanied, of course, by thunderous kick drums). There's a more traditional disco-house feel about the filter-heavy "Sweep Magic", while "Starstrike" is a throbbing, stripped back affair that makes great use of looped-up bass guitars.

Review: Gnork is by far our favourite Hungarian DJ and producer with a deliciously facetious name and no strangers to the mysterious Yorkshire trio responsible for the Blind Jacks Journey and Crow Castle Cuts labels. Having appeared on several 12"s by the former, Gnork now brings his glistening command of deep house to the latter for this superb fourth edition of the latter's Raw series. This is one of those records where the soundclips speak for themselves really, the six tracks the sort of deep house productions DJs want to play and club goers want to hear. All of them hit the spot but the rush-inducing madness of "Transylvanian Night Drive" is particularly special. Satisfaction guaranteed.

Review: Following a string of hot releases from Leif, Jonno & Tommo, Rai Scott and Jordan, London-based label Ornate Music is reaching across the channel to Parisian producers and Flyance Records founders Ka One & St-Sene - who deliver four tracks of pitch-perfect, soul-searching 4/4 that align perfectly with the sonic philosophy of the label.

The EP comes to life with the energised insistence of "Necessary Illusions", which capitalises on a sprightly rhythm section balanced out by sweeping pads that help the track straddle the warm-up / peak-time divide with grace.
"404 Page Not Found" takes a more heads-down route into moody bass tones, snapping percussive hits and mysterious melodic swirls lingering in the far distance, making a haunting foil to the inviting tones of the opening track.

On the flip, "F/ck The Hype" channels the spirit of dub techno into a subtly funky confection, letting the aqueous chords bounce in their feedback echoes, neatly sidestepping the soporific qualities normally associated with the style.
"Facing You" meanwhile makes for the ideal EP closer with its submerged beats and elegant swathes of harmony, conjuring up a captivating melancholia in each lingering piano note and chiming bell.

With each track telling its own unique story, Ka One and St-Sene have crafted a rich and engrossing release that shows how much diversity there is to be enjoyed in the contemporary house and techno scene.

Review: Omar S' FXHE stable has become synonymous with trend-setting house and techno over the last ten years. Moreover, each time Alex O Smith brings about a new name to the FXHE dynasty it's always exciting news - last time around OB Ignitt was introduced to us in fine style through his Star Wars-themed brand of raw-schooled house. John FM's "Where My Roots Lie" is similarly spacey and freaked out, synth-heavy and filled to the brim with intricate Roland percussion. On the B-side, "White Churches Be Like" is the ticket, where a broken beat arrangement is diced and shredded by ice-cold snares; but "Solace" is the unexpected track on here, a slow and funked-out r&b monster in true FXHE style. Another solid missile.

Review: REPRESS ALERT!! Superconscious is here with it's second instalment Last time we brought you a solo production from Imhotep, whom is one half the Zanzibar Chanel duo and co-founder of Ruff Records. This time we bring you the other half..mysterious Melbourne citizen and all round cool-guy Luis CL. Featuring four stompers which we wont bother trying to explain, because explaining music is like describing your dream last night. Just enjoy yourself and listen.

Review: Some 23 years after making his vinyl debut on Dance Mania, Glenn Underground continues to deliver high quality, musically expansive deep house. The prolific Chicagoan is at it again here, with three more chunks of soul-drenched goodness for the Strictly Jaz Unit label he founded around the turn of the millennium. The Afro-tinged opener "Sessions of the Soul" sounds like vintage Joe Clausell - all deep, tribal rhythms, loose percussion and enveloping chords - while "My Little Ebonie" laces African chanting, starry melodies and rich Rhodes chords over a loose, jazz-inspired broken house groove. Arguably best of all, though, is "Play Play Play", a sumptuous jazz-dance affair that sounds like a deep house tribute to Rotary Connection.

Review: The Black Ice Productions crew were putting out some mighty fine garage house back in the early-to-mid nineties and their infamous - and pioneering - EP's have become rather costly on the second-hand market. Thankfully, their first EP on Swing Street has been reissued and is now available in its original vinyl format! This is the sort of sound that plenty of contemporary house producers emulate on a constant basis, but it's Black Ice's freedom of expression which renders them so relevant to this day. Choppy samples, broken chords and viciously jacking beats make up these six house nuggets, and if you're into your Dance Mania s*** then you should look no further and purchase on sight...

Review: Following impressive collaborative outings on Dirt Crew and their own Splendor & Squalor label, Brame and Hamo once again join forces, this time for Detroit Swindle's Heist Recordings. Predictably, there's genuine warmth throughout, as the duo showcases more tactile deep house compositions. Opener "Parish Rumours" sets the tone, lacing filter-clad female vocal samples and twinkling melodies over a compressed, cymbal-heavy groove. The filters once again come to the fore on the sweet, soul-sampling "Ghetto For You", while "Hotshot" delivers the kind of loose, hazy and jazz-flecked deep house jam - think hazy horns, tumbling chords, held-note strings and bluesy vocal cut-ups - that evokes images of humid days reclining on Adriatic terraces and Mediterranean cliff-tops.

Review: Matches sets the scene alight in the early months of 2015 with this multi-faceted four track burner on Arkhive London.
Having cut his teeth on the East London party circuit as a DJ under various monikers, Matches has carved a superior workout inspired by some of motor city's foremost ambassadors of dark funk. This package is a full expose of his range as a producer, starting out with some early evening swagger before easing through the gears to a climax of an altogether housier ilk.

Review: Four Walls, or otherwise known as Mihail Shvaikovski is an up and coming house producer who has appeared on Traxx Underground and a number of other labels thus far. This time around he lands on Eat More House with a seductive and laid-back house four-tracker for the deep moments. From "Constellations" to "African People", there's a distinctly jazzy sound around his beats and basslines, our favourite of the lot being "Techride", an acid-leaning late night beast with a driving groove and one mean mass hook. Let's eat more house!

Review: The Jazzy Grooves EP", was the 3rd release in I Records history. Having already struck a nerve in house music with two vinyl compilations called "The Avenue Project", the label enlisted the talents of the now legendary duo "Jazz N Groove" to provide it's first all original artist EP. Delivering the firepower, the release featured 5 tracks and included the long awaited "Open Up". First released in the mid 90's,it was featured as an exclusive vinyl with full color labeling. This release has become one of the hardest I Records back catalog to find

Review: London based US Producer Lance De Sardi joins the Hudd Traxx fray for the last 12" before the label hits 50 releases and commence the 10th Anniversary celebrations. Although there's only three cuts on West Country, De Sardi more than shows his diversity as a producer and it's a fine addition to a discography that dates back to the '90s. "Pariah" kicks the EP off in fine style with smooth beats, an infectious vocal and lush pads ensure that this will be a big one for the heads. Flip for the B Side and find a tough acidy number in "Youth", and a groovy track in "Race the Clock" which is made for the dance floor. 2015 is already proving to be a big year for Hudd Traxx following releases from Iron Curtis & Nachtbraker, and Lance De Sardi keeps the flag flying high with this solid EP.

Review: Active since 2011, London 'music venture' Wotnot have really hit their stride in the past few years with records from K15, Glenn Astro, and Deft. Wotnot's first vinyl transmission of the year welcomes back the Astro traveller who has been making waves with releases for Tartelet, Box Aus Holz and his own Money $ex Records. Astro is on fine form with Hologram which operates in a similar hard to define space as Mo Kolours, Henry Wu, Jeen Bassa, Max Graef et al, pulling influences from house and hip hop and flushing it all with his own vibrant palette of sounds. On first listen you'll probably gravitate towards the oven warm house business of "User's Guide To" but give it some time and it will be hard to really nail down one particular favourite such is the strength of Hologram as a whole.

Review: The second offering from Brooklyn-based Let's Play House offshoot, Room Service, is, like the first one, a four-track solo EP by one of the most exciting house music talent's around. RECORDS features four originals by Spanish producer Kresy, who's already released a few 12"s on the esteemed Hivern Discs as well as Retrofit, Freerange, and his own Discomaths. The songs included here vacillate between hands-in-the-air feel good disco and jittery, shuffling house, though they're all unified by an inherent grooviness and bright tonality.

Review: YES! We hadn't heard anything from Detroit's Kai Alce in a while so it's an absolute joy to see him back on our shelves and doing what he does best. This, of course, is a reissue of the "Dirty South Dirt" anthem that came out as a 7" on Omar S' FXHE label a while back but it hasn't been around for a while and some of us still hadn't picked up this absolute gem! Slow-building percussion and funky yet minimal melodies make up the track, and you also get a string-heavy version, too! On the flip, you have "Late Night Theme" and the bumpy "Work The Dub" to swing you from side to side. Highly recommended and downright essential.

Review: In the third (and last) part of "So Many Ways Remixed" series we have yet another special set of heavyweights, delivering their own reinterpretations of Lay-Far original album tracks. Please welcome Kaytronik, D-Malice, Phil Asher and Red Rack'Em!

Kaytronik aka Karizma opens the EP with his Rub of "Yes You Can". Frankly speaking, from the very beginning of the project we were expecting something special from the Baltimore-based house guru, but the final result surpassed it all for us - what you're about to hear is a very soulful and deep dance number but with power and grit to shake large festival dance floors! Get ready!

On A2 the pro-active afro-house aficionado D-Malice (Defected, Soul Candi, DM.Recordings) delivers a percussion-heavy banger that will make you swing in no time. You know where it all began, don't you?!

The UK house legend Phil Asher kicks off the Side B with a remix of "Can't Deny", featuring Yannah Valdevit and Souled. Strong dance grooves is what Phlash has always been notorious for - this remix is another vivid example of the principle! Ain't no need to question the authority.

Last but not least we have the old pirate Red Rack'Em, delivering his trademark deep & dirty house sound with hints of Detroit and dub techno influences. A perfect soundtrack for a midnight voyage on a ghost ship or a basement party, maybe. Aye!

Review: No. 19 Music gets in on the Record Store Day hype with this special one sided 12" from none other than DJ Qu! After a relatively quiet 2014, Ramon Lisandro Quezada has really been on one so far this year with killer 12"s for Secret Sundaze and his own Strength Music label and "Cycling (I'll Wait)" is right up there with them. As with many productions from the Qu studio, it's a track that bristles with energy and dancefloor positivity when in full flight and there is a depth to the ideas that few other current house producers can match. Can't wait to hear this one in the dance.

Review: Paul Cottam's Ruff Draft label enjoyed a great first year in 2014, delivering white-hot material from the man himself, LK and Romansoff, amongst others. For the imprint's first missive of 2015, Cottam has recruited Cardiff-based rising star Chesus, who previously impressed via releases on Local Talk, 4 Lux and Catapult. There's naturally much to admire, from the acid-era electronics, delicate synth strings and shimmering chords of opener "Orbicular", to the DJ Gregory-ish stabs, wonky electronics and dense, organic-sounding percussion of "WYW". Bristol-based producer Owain K - best known for his hook-ups with Jamie Anderson on Dessous - lends a hand on "Let It Happen", a rather fine slice of warm, immersive, Balearic deep house goodness seemingly inspired by the Vangelis classic of the same name.

Review: Kensuke Fukushima is an up and coming talent from Japan. Growing up heavily influenced by rock and jazz, he learned to play multiple instruments like lead and bass guitar as well as piano. He's had a few previous releases on labels such as Onovu & Leap Records and was featured on a recent V/A EP on Roundabout Sounds entitled, "Fly Pattern EP". Label boss Joe Babylon reached out to Detoit house legend D Wynn to remix the title track. For those that don't already know, D Wynn was the resident DJ at the histroic Music Institute as well as tour DJ for Inner City. He's also one half of R-Tyme with Derrick May.

Review: After a rather successful debut in the form of a tight, house-laced white label, the meme heavy Doge imprint is back with its second outing and it's by another mystery person...the ambiguously named Cate. Much like the first EP, Heavy Breathing is a house four-tracker that is full of sincerity, giving to the house crowd what they love the most: jacking beats, hard-hitting kicks drums and evocative basslines. Our favourite cut of the lot is probably "Doges In Costumes", where a deep and utterly morphed low-end engulfs splattering percussion and messy beats in what is one hell of a groove!

Review: Holic Trax call on Italian producer Ivan Iacobucci to inaugurate their new sub label Monoklo which has been established to explore a deeper and darker sound. Producing since the '90s, Iacobucci's prior output for the likes of Nite Grooves, King Street, and Smoke Joke make him a logical addition to the Holic cause. Up first, "Router" is a deep, bubbly house track with corrugated drums and dusty hi hats. Spooky synths add a sense of space and depth and it's an intimate way to kick off the EP. "Anorak" maintains this level of deepness, giving off warm and cuddly vibes thanks to it's bubbly, soft edge drums and captivating rhythms. Vinyl only cut, 'De Mai Sus' then rocks back and forth with deep, bubbly basslines, streaming sci-fi melodies and kinetic percussive patterns that are subtle but really bring the funk.

Review: Release number five in the vinyl only Wolf White series and the quality remains undimmed, though the focus switches from full artist releases to a various artists affair that features the collective talents of Ishmael, Homework, Black Fan and Muzikschaft. This is one of those records the jobbing DJs will really appreciate as each artist contributes a cut that will fit snugly into different moments of a long haul set. Ishmael's "Gracey X" is a peak time hands high number, whilst the Homeboy dub of Homework's "Back To The Masses" is perfect for when you want to transition out of a deep moment, that release around the 3 mins mark! "Hercules & The Beast" is an analogue driven live take from unknown quantity Black Fan that could be layered effectively with a DJ tool whilst "Bread" by Muzikschaft is perfect for the early hours.

Review: Since making his debut for Futureboogie Recordings back in 2003, Ben 'Crackazat' Jacobs has become a fully paid-up member of the Local Talk family. Here he delivers a third 12" for the Swedish imprint in little over a year. "Eye Light" is deliciously positive, with darting synth riffs and a melodious bassline riding a surprisingly loose and swinging deep house groove. Jacobs own "It's a Jam" rework takes the track into deeper territory, layering smooth chords and vocal snippets over a West London style broken beat rhythm. Flip for two reworks of "Silent Sing" from last year's Candle Coast EP; a high-tempo, Latin-tinged summer jam from Jacobs himself, and a dark, throbbing, warehouse-friendly revision from Tiger Stripes.