DJS: MOST CHARTED - DEEP HOUSE - MOST CHARTED IN JUNE 2016

Review: Paxton Fettel has made a name for himself through the Greta Cottage Workshop label over the last few years, so we're always keeping our ears open when a new release by the producer drops onto our shelves. In case you hadn't gotten it, we're big fans of the GCW mandem. But, this time he's on the less expansive yet more incisive Kolour LTD label with the Will It Berghain EP, something of an inside joke within the house community. "Claire Likes To Eurodance" is gorgeous house tune that recalls Pepe Bradock material from the late 1990's, all filtered and groovy, while "Track To The Future" is deeper and more jazz-minded. On the B-side, "Buoyancy" contains a set of masterful disco sample strings and sublime stop-start rhythm, only for "You're All My Dreams Are Made Of" to deliver the FUNK. TIP!

Review: More than a few deep house DJs will be getting a little over-excited at the prospect of this Andres 12" on La Vida. It's the hyped Detroit producer's first outing since last year's tasty Believin' EP, and is as jazzy, positive and floor-friendly as you'd expect. The title track is the epitome of summer deep house, with the producer making great use of samples from an old, piano-heavy jazz-funk number. "Chevy Status" is a groovy, head-nodding, disco-influenced deep house shuffler featuring some familiar old school vocal samples, while "Pluck Away" sees him layer Balearic style acoustic guitars and sweeping string samples over a metronomic house groove. Yep, it's another must-have from Andres.

Review: The seventh release for Parisian label Sampling As An Art comes courtesy of Atlanta's Byron The Aquarius with the Euphoria EP. If you checked Byron's prior 2016 releases for Sound Signature and Wild Oats, you'll know to expect a diverse range of styles all produced with consummate expertise and that's exactly what we have on the Euphoria EP. There's some dusty hip hop joints like on "Intro", Coming To Detroit" and "The Essence" but there's also some real proper deep house. Like when we get treated with the wonderful "The Love Below" which is reminiscent of Fresh 'N Low and the rather KDJ sounding collaboration with S3A "Nights In Tokyo".

Review: Over the last 12 months, New Mexico-based label Plastik People has put out a number of superb EPs featuring little known, and hard-to-find house jams. The latest edition in their Collections series continues on a similar theme, and opens with the undulating boogie bass, drifting chords and wild organ solos of Kerri Chandler's 1999 cut "We Can" (initially released on Black Vinyl, fact fans). On the flip you'll find the classic U.S garage/soulful house of Andre Wade & Company's brilliant "Bend Over" - all woozy chords, chunky beats and rich organ lines - and the New Jersey style garage bump of Madagascar's overlooked "I Never Thought (Homegrown Dub)".

Review: French legend Ludovic Llorca is back under the Art Of Tones guise for the always impressive Local Talk. Acid soul funk? You bet! Take a listen to I "Just Can't (Get Over It)" and you'll believe there is such a thing. On the flip, the smooth and soulful groove continues on "Dirty Stories" which has an undeniably French touch about it, with good use wonky synths, emotive strings and SP1200 style vocal cut ups. Deepness in the vein of Pepe Braddock or Chateau Flight.

Review: The latest 12" from long-running Sahko offshoot Keys Of Life is the first of two split 'Balearic' releases from Sex Tags man DJ Sotofett and SUED co-founder SVN.. Sotofett's "Current 82" is a thing of rare beauty; an ambient house inspired chunk of lucid, mid-tempo dreaminess full of fluid chords, subtle, loved-up melodies and early Italian deep house bottom end. SVN continue the deep theme whilst doffing a cap to techno on flipside "Dark Plan 5". Their chords and pads are every bit as life-affirming as Sotofett's - even if they are a touch on the bittersweet side - but the accompanying up-tempo rhythm has a more ready-made dancefloor feel. Either way, both tracks are superb.

Review: Byron The Aquarius resurfaced earlier this year after a nine-year absence, delivering the future jazz/deep house fusion of High Life on Sound Signature. This speedy follow-up on Kyle Hall's Wild Oats label is, if anything, even better. Warm, rich, soulful and evocative, it includes six superb cuts. These variously touch on off-kilter modern soul ("Co$mic $hit"), Herbie Hancock-influenced deep house (the jazz-funk synths, woozy chords and smooth beats of "Moments In Life"), intergalactic hip-hop beats (the impeccable "Space N Time"), blissfully Balearic house (the hazy positivity of "The Sun"), and jazz-influenced house rollers ("Better Tomorrow").

Review: Having contributed a track to the split 12" that announced Voyage Records, founder Andy Hart has since largely focussed on building the label through some canny A&Ring that's seen singles from the likes of Harvey Sutherland, M5K and Urulu. There was the introduction of Hart's Auslander project with Tom Lalley and Fantastic Man in the label's 2015 output too, but the recently-settled Berlin resident hasn't offered up any solo output in some time! Which makes the clutch of brushed deep house burners that feature on this Mistress of your Mind 12" most welcome indeed Andy. There are hints that Hart's new surrounds and regular gigs in Berlin are starting to bleed through into his productions - see the heat-treated "Sorayama's Mistress" and full throttle percussive onslaught of "Vienen." It's a development we wholeheartedly approve of!

Review: XOA is an exciting new project fusing sounds from the golden era of '70s Afrobeat with contemporary electronica and modern production. The debut release AIYE LE, features the vocals of former Fela Kuti musical director and afrobeat royalty Dele Sosimi. Label boss Dan Shake steps up for the remix on the B side, bringing his signature Detroit house aesthetic.

Review: It would be fair to say that Mr Fingers 2016 is something of an event release, at least for those who love deep house. While Larry Heard has kept busy - largely with remixes and reissues - this marks the first 12" release under his most famous moniker for over a decade. He begins in contemplative mood, fusing tumbling music box melodies, creepy electronics and nagging 303 lines on "Outar Acid", before laying down some typically blissful, atmospheric deep house on the wondrous "Qwazars". Flip for "Nodyahead", an effortless mixture of heavy dub-house bottom end, African-influenced percussion and moody late night refrains, and the ultra-deep, piano-laden bliss of "Aether".

Review: Helpfully, there's little information about the mysterious artist - or artists - behind this first, four-track missive on the Decent International imprint. Musically, though, there's much to admire - not least the anonymous producer's penchant for combining Ugandan, Liberian and Ghanaian percussion with vintage drum machine hits and humid electronics. While there are some more purist offerings - see the looped indigenous samples, trademark guitars and fluid percussion of "Leaving You", and horn-heavy, vocal rich "When Koaa" - it's the more adventurous offerings that really hit the spot. Both "Uganda Futura 1" and "Uganda Futura 2" are delightfully out-there, pairing original African rhythms with the far-sighted electronics of Motor City techno - it's just a shame they both last no longer than 2 and a half minutes.

Review: Kiwi duo Chaos In The CBD has been on fire of late, delivering a string of deep and jazzy EPs for such labels as Rhythm Section International, Church, Mule Musiq and Amadeus Records. Predictably, this two-tracker on the freshly minted Youandmusic is equally as inspired. A-side "Global Erosion" is a warm and relaxed affair, despite the presence of rolling, Afro-tinged drums, with delay-laden horns drifting across the mix in evocative fashion. The duo's African influences are brought to the fore on "Global Explorer", a rolling, far-sighted affair full of dreamy deep house pads, twittering panpipe melodies and dense tribal percussion.

Review: For the latest release on his constantly impressive Apron imprint, Stevie "Funkineven" Julien has looked to Bristol for inspiration. Lend Me Your Ears marks the debut of new production twosome LMYE, a mysterious collaboration between two people that met at the city's record store Idle Hands. They start with "Cali 76", an intriguing fusion of techno kicks, wonderfully loose percussion, woozy guitar samples and dashing Rhodes notes. They push things up a notch on "Pays To Be Pushed", where exotic sitar lines and dreamy pads ride bumpin', garage influenced grooves. Interestingly, both cuts are notably different from either producer's solo work, making it harder to easily guess their identities.

Review: Christopher Rau's latest outing on Smallville - his sixth in total, including two albums - is a particularly jolly affair, boasting a quartet of tried-and-tested cuts. There's something extra-cheery about opener "Yamato", where jammed-out organ riffs combine perfectly with a darting synth bassline and unfussy drum machine hits. "Odd Regrets" is a sweatier deep house drum jam, while "Just For You" reinvents rave-era piano house for the bass music generation. Finally, "Early Korn" is a picturesque and hazy deep house jam full of tumbling melodies and chiming electronics. All four tracks are excellent, suggesting that this is an EP that may stay in your record box for a while.

Review: The mighty Recloose drops on AUS Music? Oh yes, you ain't trippin'. The Peacefrog, Planet E and Rush Hour mainstay aligns with Will Saul's label in it's tenth year of business and he brings with him a triplet of delightful house gems. "Honey Rocks" leads the way with a fluid, rolling groove filled with intricate melodies and a subtly tribalistic approach. "On&On" pushes forward a deeper, more swollen bass but the mood is still very much in the deep end of the pool, and "SideWalks" ties things off with a pulsating groove that is simply made for the DJ...

Review: Four tracks, four producers. One label regular, three new recruits. Four different takes on the deep house sound that we know and love here at PFT. Label regular/boss Goshawk kicks things off with the dubby slo-mo house grooves of 'Take You Home' which has a raw hypnotic disco inflected groove complete with chopped up vocals. Serious biznizz. Tatsu (aka DJ Isaac Indart from the Puro crew in Palma, Mallorca) offers up the bumping deep vibes on 'Walk Away' - think snapping snares, square wave basslines and sunkissed pads. WARM. Tim Tonal is most notably known for being part of the Alphadogs, whose incredible 'Bonelicker EP' on DIY is an all-time free party classic. He supplies another sure fire party starter with 'Love What U Feel', Nottingham soundsystem house at it's finest Finally, coming straight out of Bordeaux is Leon Revol (Apersonal) with the sublime 'Tape Loop' - a rolling, locked in groove with a fantastic arrangement which keeps the groove interesting throughout.

Review: London's Church imprint is keeping things on total lockdown, as always, and here you got the second chapter of their Volumes series...a chance for some collaborations from their department of HOUSE. DJ Aakmael's "Just A Track (Part 7)" is a slow, mindful brain melter perfect for a good old lean-back, and while Aquarium's "Slow Sunset Drive" has got more pace in its bones, it is still very much a classic chiller. Laurence Guy gets playful and expansive with the melting bass of "Wish I Knew", while Debukas delivers a fine, dubby house warmer in "Gas&Air".

Review: In truth, most of 1080p's vinyl releases have extolled the virtues of a Mellow Vibe, though few have been quite as dreamy and picturesque as this debut EP from Sophie Sweetland's new DJ Zozi alias. While each of the four tracks makes its' dancefloor intentions clear, it's the typically Canadian dreaminess of the accompanying chords, melodies and textures that catches the ear. Throughout, there are plenty of nods to early British hardcore breakbeat (see the cheeky "Zozi Theme" and "Up (Slammin Vers)"), as well as early 808 State ("Mellow Vibe") and bouncy, cut-up deep house (the hugely enjoyable "Snow Globe"). As you'd expect from both producer and label, the whole thing is vibrant, colourful and decidedly loved-up

Review: Party-loving Parisian Gilbert Cohen seems to have found a soul mate in DJ Sotofett. The duo have been regular collaborators for some time, and here join forces once more to lay down two typically eccentric, decidedly epic variations on a theme apparently laid down in the aftermath of a B2B session at Amsterdam's De School. "Cham (Version One)" sets the tone, combining the booming, sub-heavy bottom end of Robert Gordon produced "bleep" classics with all manner of psychedelic electronics and live, bongo-heavy percussion. In contrast, the flipside "Cham (Version Two)" attempts to reach the furthest parts of the galaxy, in the process delivering a dark, creepy, hypnotic and mind-altering blend of dub techno and discordant electronics.

Review: Earl Jeffers lands on Ten Thousand Yen after an impressive run of EP's for more illustrious names like 4Lux and Ruff Draft. This four-tracker is the perfect balance between style and effectiveness, with the beats running deep and the melodies exuding nothing but sexiness. The opener "Gloria" is THE perfect opener for any house set, and "Pleasure Signal" is its perfect companion thanks to the jazzy, Detroit-style Rhodes keys at its helm. The B-side features two parts of "Return To Forever", the first being a drum-heavy deep house monster, and then second a party-ready DJ weapon to bring the dance floor to life.

Review: Jordan Alexander's been rinsing it under his Mall Grab moniker, and every release since his debut back in 2015 has been hotly tipped by us here at Juno towers. EP's for Church, 1080p and Collect-Call have now earned him a spot on Unknown To The Unknown, one of our favourite labels and surely one of the most diverse, too. "I've Always Like Grime", as the name implies, is a house track made by someone who listened to high doses of Crazy Titch and Plastician back in the day, but "Black Palms" does its best to distance itself from the UK thanks to some pretty nasty acid bumps, and "Menace II Society" heads to Chicago with its singular vocal sample and dusty house flex. Sick!