Juno Recommends Deep House: June 2022

Review: Any new album from deep house pioneer and all-round legend Larry Heard is good news, but especially so when it's credited to his best-known and best-loved alias, Mr Fingers. Around The Sun Pt 1 is Heard's first album under the alias for four years and, unsurprisingly, it's as musically expansive, evocative, and atmospheric as they come. Naturally, it's rooted in the warming, dreamy, subtly jazz-flecked deep house style he's been tweaking and improving over decades, with occasional forays into sun-kissed downtempo grooves ('Touch The Sky'), angular acid tracks, Heard's take on dub house (the deliciously deep, micro-house influenced 'Marrakesh') and summery Balearic house ('Shimmer'). All in all, it's another masterpiece from deep house's most significant pioneer.

Review: Detroit mainstay Andres returns to MotorCity Wine Recordings with an anthemic 4 tracker entitled Sunday Kinda Love. For those that know, MotorCity Wine is the spot for Sunday parties, so we only thought it appropriate to have one of Detroit's most seminal producers highlight the vibe with this EP. On the A side is Andres's dusty house sound that we've all come to love, complete with bouncing basslines, slick vocal chops, and drums to turn out any dance floor. On the flip side Andres slows the tempo just a touch to highlight his chunky midtempo beatdown sounds, with "Rubin Samba" bringing a Latin flair and "Sunday Kinda Love" driving it all home. Essential Detroit music manufactured in Detroit and housed in a gorgeous vinyl package, TIP!

Review: While this appearance from Session Victim on Rhythm Section International is unexpected, to say the least, it does make some sense - after all, their warming, musically expansive deep house sound frequently offers nods to jazz, soul and disco as well as Balearic beats. All of those influences and inspirations are evident across the five tracks that make up Basic Instinct, with the German pair bouncing between subtly funk-flecked, piano-rich loveliness (the bluesy and atmospheric 'Trying to Make it Home', locked-in loop-house haziness (the sampled South Asian percussion and warming riffs of 'In & Out', ultra-deep dancefloor melancholia ('Orbits of Dust'), loose-limbed deep jazz breaks (EP highlight '5AM Continental') and sunrise-ready breakbeat lusciousness ('SFC (Hommage Mix)').

Review: Selections is a well established label despite this only being its sixth release. Each one so far has been an on point offering from underground heads and this is no different. It finds Intr0beatz step up with four cuts of well tooled house that is deep and dynamic. 'That Dank' is dubby with slinky drum loops and slightly paranoid pads. 'Move With Me' is more kinetic, with kicking drum programming and warped synths that twist and turn. 'Don't Worry' is even more heavy, with grainy and well swung drums pulling you in while 'Rib Dub' closes with anther well programmed grove that is both warm yet physical. A fine EP.

Review: It might now be 14 years old, but Tone Control's 'Illusion' - a 21st century deep house classic marked out by crunchy machine drums, booming sub-bass, soft-focus soul vocals and drowsy chords - still gets plenty of club plays. Since the original 12" is now hard to find, WOLF Music has decided to do a reissue, pairing Tone Control's own mix (here featured on side B) with a brand-new "translation" from the legend that is Theo Parrish. The Detroiter's take is naturally something of an epic: a near 10-minute excursion that slowly twists, turns and evolves throughout. It boasts fresh jazz-tinged house beats with that trademark Parrish swing, alongside freestyle electric piano motifs and plenty of Tone Control's original elements.

Review: Adeen Records breathes new life into a fan favorite with a collection of B-sides and unreleased gems in this stellar remastered series. First up, is the 2016 classic that started the Adeen Records label, DJ Spinna's mixes of Alton Miller & Sky Covington's "More Positive Things." this intergalatic soul deep house track was well sought out in it's initial pressing, and highly sought after. If you don't already have this classic Adeen release in your collection, this is a great way to get familliar with this trusted label.

Review: Bay-Area native Jason Sutton aka DJ Mes should require no introduction. One of the champions of the west coast house sound, he's run the Oakland-based label Guesthouse Music since 1994 which has released a prolific catalog of bass-heavy tracks that have scorched dancefloors over the years. For his imprint's 52nd release, he serves up four surefire tracks on the Doin' W3rk EP, which features 'Amour Est Libre' with its the funky disco loops, and the dubby and hypnotic shuffle of 'Good Love' which is a proper throwback to that early noughties sound he helped popularise alongside the like of Chris Lum, Jay-J and Hipp-E & Halo.

Review: Finding and buying original vinyl copies of Moodymann's brilliant second album, 1998's "Mahogany Brown", can be a costly business, so all praise to Peacefrog for offering up this much-needed reissue. Packed to the rafters with classic Kenny Dixon Junior material - see the woozy warmth of "Sunshine", where a children's choir rides a locked-in groove and jazzy electric piano solos, the sample-laden up-tempo bump of "MEANDNJB" and the sublime gospel house workout "Black Sunday" for starters - it's arguably the album that established the Detroit legend's trademark sound once and for all. When it comes to jazz-flecked deep house shot through with references to the history of black American music, there are few - if any - better albums.

Review: Last summer, veteran singer/songwriter Mike Lindup dropped 'Time To Let Go', a delicious fusion of synth-pop, Afro-pop and dreamy soul that was set to feature on his long-promised follow-up to 1990 album Changes. Now Masters at Work man Louie Vega has got his hands on it and delivered a suite of fresh, club-ready reworks. Vega's EP-opening 'Expressions NYC Mix' does a great job in wrapping Lindup's original vocals, fluid pianos, chords and squelchy synth-bass around a snappy house groove, subtly re-framing it for peak-time floors. The 'Two Soul Afro House Fusion' mix is arguably even better, with Vega adding layers of delicious instrumentation to a Tony Allen-inspired Afro-house beat. Throw in a couple of instrumentals and a handy 'Beats' version and you have an excellent package.

Review: Although they've been serving up high-grade blends of disco, funk, soul and house for some time, it's only in recent years that many of Micky More and Andy Tee's most potent productions have made it to wax. The two tracks here, which first appeared digitally in the middle of the last decade, are fine examples. 'I'm Another Man' is heavy, raw and impactful, with the pair adding rolling house beats to a horn-heavy deep funk song complete with gravelly male lead vocals. Over on the flip, 'Night Cruiser' is their (successful) attempt to make (and update) a Vincent Montana style, Salsoul disco instrumental with added house chops. Keep an ear out for the Roy Ayers style vibraphone solo that drops midway through.

Review: ....Ultra deepness once again from the deepArtSounds camp this week. The Never Enough EP is a various artists release curated by the Swiss imprint, featuring the emotively melancholic feelings of Benklawk & Mabutana's 'Dance' (feat Tshepo King) channeling that Prescription Records vibe of old, while Maltese duo Owen Jay & Melchior Sultana get an icy and cavernous dubwise style on 'The Drums'. Over on the flip, Tominori Hosoya serves up some sublime technosoul on 'Rodeo Drive' and Manuel Costela's stunning 'Remember Your Love' is real proper deep stuff - tip!

Review: In the nicest possible way, Weirdo is a perfect way to describe the music that comes from the mind of Theo Parrish. The Detroit badman has his own set of rules and they are constantly being re-written. His Sound Signature label is home to most of his work and that is where he lands here. The title tune is a rickety house workout with heat-damaged chords vocal mutterings and that grinding mechanical groove that is all his own. 'Original Weirdo' ups the ante with skittish drum patterns and more intense vocals while 'Imaginary Thugfunk' is a fusion of jazz keys, shuffling beatdown drums and dustiness.

Review: Once again Dungeon Meat bring the club heat with what will be their first ever double pack release on the label. A chunky collection of 7 prime cuts featuring new unknowns and more established names, some of them under mysterious alter egos which will never be revealed. It's all about the music for Dungeon Meat and this fresh selection of tracks and tools hits that nail on the head. Tried and tested as always this dynamite double pack will be one of those releases that never leaves the bag and is constantly reached for by discerning DJ's and ninjas who come to play and slay. Just like it says on the label, these jams are weapons of ass destruction. Handle with care.

Review: REPRESS ALERT: Plastik People is proud to bring you a new collection of vinyl classics that takes us back to those House & Garage vibes from our most loved era, the 90's. all are rare & hard to find track compiled with love by label owner Marc Cotterell.

Review: 22 years after his debut EP, micro-house classic Sporturlaub, hit stores, Dial Records co-founder Lawrence is still at the peak of his powers. That's certainly the conclusion we've reached having listened to Birds on the Dancefloor, a fine four-tracker for Mule Musiq full of evocative, melodious, atmospheric and morning-fresh deep house jams. Our pick of a very strong bunch is the ultra-deep, drifting, dubbed-out dancefloor drift of 'Everglade', though opener 'Highland Spores (House Mix)' - a heady and hypnotic fusion of micro-house and deep house - pushes it close. Elsewhere, 'The Awakening' sees the German pepper an undulating acid bassline and smooth beats with rising and falling melodies, while 'Meadows (sunrise edit)' is an intensely beautiful fusion of IDM electronics and soft-focus deep house grooves

Review: 'Breathiness' is one dance music texture not so oft trodden, but that's just what's been achieved on this new tech EP 'Mysteries Of The Universe', pondered by Chris Stussy of Up The Stuss fame. Neon cities bustle and flying cars whizz past, as vocoded vocals caress the low end on 'Hundu Boulevard'. 'Cant' Escape' meanwhile dubs things out further with janky funk and inescapable vocal whispers. A strong new one from the Amsterdam pusher.

Review: Rubicon marks the first physical edition of Galcher Lustwerk's driving-themed alias, Road Hog. Collecting tracks from seven releases spanning from 2014 to 2021, Rubicon serves as the project's Greatest Hits (for now). Including tracks from the Cleveland-dedicated album 'Tour De Hog' as well as the sharp toothed 'Spares' and 'More Spares' the pithy 'Haul Ass' plus some cinematic favorites from 'DWB' and 'On The Lam'. Originally meant to be digital only and listened to while driving, demand for certain tunes to be pressed to vinyl has risen with each release. From the Road to the Club, Lustwerk's got you covered.

Review: Both a fan of the number and the machine, Michigander Music boss Brian Kage has always related eight to the paths we take in life - and being on the right one. For the label's eighth release, Kage pays homage to electronic music's futuristic past by bringing it up to speed with the present, including reimagining one of his own releases from when net labels were a thing.

Review: Earlier this year, we were treated to two top-notch Joaquin 'Joe' Claussell remixes of 'Inner Light', one of the standout cuts from Nicola Conte and Gianluca Petrella's fantastic collaborative album People Need People. Here we're treated to two more fresh takes on cuts from that essential LP. On side A, DJ Spinna gives his 'galactic soul' take on 'New World Shuffle', re-imagining the track as a languid but floor-friendly fusion of cosmic soul, neo-boogie, deep house and contemporary jazz-funk electronics. Equally as impressive is former Ron Trent protege Anthony Nicholson's remix of 'Inner Light', where twinkling jazz pianos, spacey synth sounds, evocative synth-strings and Raashan Ahmad's fine spoken word vocals rise above a sumptuous and luxurious deep house groove.

Review: Soichi Terada returns to Rush Hour with Dutchman Bobby Masalo, who team up to produce club mixes of tracks from Terada's twelfth LP Asakusa Light, which was released last year. On the A side you have the uplifting classic house vibes of "Diving Into Minds" (club mix) with its emotive early '90s sound, while over on the flip you have something more energetic in the form of "Double Spire" (club mix) with its infectious melodic bass and majestic strings underpinned by syncopated rhythms in an undeniably Motor City style.

Review: Ronen Sabo is Obas Nenor, a DJ and producer from Tel-Aviv, Israel who heads up Nenorion Music, as well as being part of the RaBo & SnoB duo. He returns to Razor N Tape Reserve to follow up 2020's On That Day EP with another four hot edits on this one. On side A, you've got the hypnotic electronic disco scorcher "How Can I Be Free" followed by the sunset balearica of "Do You Remember" which heads totally poolside. Turn over and you're treated to the deep, down and dirty late night vibe of "Work That".

Review: wewillalwaysbealovesong has very quietly become a much treasured outlet for classy hosue sounds by those who know. It is the on form Retromigration who steps up now following EPs on Handy and Wolf Music that deserve more attention than they seem to have so far got. He brings his sleek modern deep house style to the fore here with opener 'Secret Of A Pimp' layering up crispy boom-bap house drums with warm, whirring pads and smart vocal sample. The don Jimpster adds his textbook musicality to a fine remix, then 'Flying Lotus' brings a more airy and melodic vibe for outdoor dancing. The Franc Spangler remix is dubby and deep as you like.

Review: 

This second release on Heads High brings an EP from label owner Mike Misiu under the moniker Day Out Of Time. Four diverse tracks forged from a year of studio jams, road tested on airwaves and discerning dancefloors and now honed and available for your delectation.

Opening 4/4 cut 'Rising Tide' builds the atmosphere and tension with synth stabs, morphing arps and a throbbing sub-bass. 'The Urge' struts in on a hybrid electro-funk tip, twisting, chopping and vocoder-ing an 80's rock vocal and sax into a dance-floor detonator.

On the flip side 'Private Ay' chugs along on a mid-tempo Moog bass groove that re-imagines and re-works some infamous guitar licks, before the E.P. climaxes with 'When Love Beckons' - a pulsing electro-discoid ode to love, powered by moody analog bass, acid lines and an impassioned poetic vocal.

All tracks produced by Mike Misiu, mastered by Curved.

Review: Midway Hustle proudly returns with another release straight from the Southside of Chicago. "Ed Nine" Delivers a 6 track EP packed with deep & soulful vibes, a bit of oomph, & a heavenly vocal tune featuring Detroit native "Javonntte".

Review: Marseille-based label Ravanelli Disco Club welcomes back Amsterdam-based producer Malik Kassim aka Retromigration for the evocative sunset groove of 'Jeffa' which is perfect for poolside vibes, which then heads inside to the club for some deep, late-night mood music courtesy of Ron Basejam on the remix. Over on the flip, Nephews serve up a slo-mo heater reminiscent of French deep house from the turn of the millennium on the sultry 'Reingelaxed' which gets a re-rub by Razor N Tape main man Jkriv on the flip.

Review: Ten years have now passed since Spanish trio Bassfort delivered their double A-side single Moon Shadow/Moon Light, which Mad Mats and Tooli selected to be the first ever Local Talk release. In honour of the popular deep house label's tenth anniversary, they've splashed out on some new remixes. Joaquin 'Joe' Clausell delivers an exquisite A-side rub of 'Moon Shadow', peppering a futuristic synthesizer bassline and unfussy drums with luscious jazz piano, echoing vocal snippets and wayward electronics. Long-time Local Talk artist Kyodai takes over on the flip, reframing 'Moonlight' is a lusciously string-drenched, subtly jazz-funk influenced slab of organic broken house rich in warming bass guitar, twinkling pianos and languid beats.

Review: Second time around for Steffi's first collaboration with life partner Virginia, killer 2010 single 'Yours'. Now fully remastered, this much-needed reissue boasts the three most essential versions of the track, which was subsequently featured on her Ostgut Ton released LP Yours & Mine. In its original form, 'Yours' is an unashamed throwback to the halcyon days of house and techno at the turn of the '90s, with sweet and memorable lead vocals from Virginia rising above a crunchy drum machine rhythm, rising synth stabs, warehouse-ready motifs and a simple but effective bassline. Arguably even better is the ultra-hypnotic, locked-in dub, where echoing synth sounds, percussion hits and keyboard stabs combine brilliantly with Steffi's groove to create something akin to a Berlin take on a mid-90s Inner City B-side dub.

Review: Ralph Lawsons'20/20 Vision label has done a fine job of evolving and re-emerging after its 20th anniversary and is now serving up cutting edge sounds from fresh new artists once more. It has done plenty of good work in the world of electro recently but here it goes back to deep house from a fine rabble of artists. There is a slick bump n funk to the opener before warped cosmic tones and neon colours define the speedy deep techno of Harrison BDP's 'Dirty Mochyn.' On the flip are some more of those breezy Adam Pits beats and Keisuke's 'OK Taiko' then brings an early, percussive house vibe that takes us back to late 80s Chicago.

Review: Examine Alex Albrecht's small (but undoubtedly impressive) discography, and you'll find an atmospheric, opaque and undeniably dreamy mix of ambient, deep house and downtempo grooves. His calling card, then, is not his adherence to a specific style, but a love of immersive aural textures, sonic warmth and sunrise-ready melodic motifs. This trademark sound is to the fore on A Clearing, his first Mule Musiq outing. Check first the detailed, subtly dubbed-out deep house dreamscape of 'Stranger', before admiring the ultra-deep, half-asleep excellence of 'A Clearing' and the Latin-tinged, ambient house bliss of 'Cabin in the Meadow'. He opts for a Sprinkles-goes-Latin house flex on 'Gibbon's Call', fuses jazz-house and ambient on 'The Walk' and doffs a cap to Susumu Yokota on 'Kennet River'. In a word: wonderful!