Juno Recommends Funky House: May 2024

Review: 20 years ago now, Michael Gray secured what you can rightly say was a global and monumental crossover dance hit when he dropped 'The Weekend' in 2004. To mark its 20th anniversary and as part of this year's Record Store Day celebrations, it is making its way, for the first time ever, to a limited edition coloured vinyl 7". This one comes with the celebrated original sleeve artwork and that's not all, because it also includes a previously unreleased 7-inch Version from Gray himself: titled the 'Sultra 7' mix, it comes with live strings and a lush ambient feel that makes this even more essential.

Review: Frosted has pulled off a big one here as they snap up the one and only Chicago house gangster, long-time vinyl advocate and BBQ king, DJ Sneak. His debut on the label goes big, as the man often does, with 'Beat Generation' showcasing his mastery of drum loops and smart filters. It's unrelenting and funky in its own low-key way then a Horns mix brings some extra fun. 'Fair & Square' has an old school feel with sweet little guitar riffs stitched into the arrangement next to yelping vocal as the dusty drums roll on. 'Mother Of Funk' has a deeper feel and will lock you into its warming embrace.

Review: Hyper Go Go's 'High' white labels hit the scene in 1992, helping launch the Hooj's journey to international recognition.'High' quickly stole the spotlight in clubs with its infectious piano house groove. It emerged fully formed and destined for success. Its timeless appeal and joyful energy remain undeniable, solidifying its status as a classic in the genre. The release, including three mixes including the very special Cloud 9 mix, epitomizes the essence of early 90s dance music and serves as a cornerstone in Hooj's storied legacy.

Review: Alison Limerick's 'Where Love Lives' is the sound of a generation, a reminder of one of the most vital cultural movements of the last 100 years. It is a perma-hit that unites all ages, colours and creeds, even now, 30 years after it first got hands in the air and tears in the eyes on dance floors of cult clubs around the world. To mark the occasion it gets a special remaster treatment and 12" release for Record Store Day. The Classic Mix - which is still the best - kicks off, followed by a big piano version from Mo Knuckles and a darker, more stripped back Cut To The Bone mix.

Review: X-Press 2 signed a deal with Acid Jazz that not only means all their back cat is now more widely available, but also that the legendary house outfit will release new music with them. However in the midst of that and a superb new album comes this, a reissue of a 1992 classic for Record Store Day 2024. It features two bold and anthemic treks that tap into their signature style which is raw, stripped back, driving and hypnotic with subtle but smart samples adding just enough detail to really keep you laced in for the ride.

Review: Is it just us or has the quality of Record Store Day releases really levelled up in recent times? No longer do we just get unwanted new formats of the tired old classics. Instead we get genuine treasures reappearing, vital reissues popping up and interesting remixes like the one. It finds global tech house titans Solardo adding their own spin to Patrick Prins' seminal 'Le Voie Le Soleil' n the occasion of its 39th anniversary. It's full of mad pianos, euphoric drums and feel good energy that is perfect for festival season. A Pat Re-flex on the flip seals the deal.

Review: Apparel Wax on Apparel Music records has recently started a 7" series of which this is the third instalment of. These 45 DJ friendly records are sure to be hits with house music DJs and fans both. The music does the talking as the tracks are simply called 'Track 1' and 'Track 2'. The first blends jazz, funk into a house instrumental frenzy that has all the makings of a classic late night success. The second one is quite unusual and unique, adding a broken almost jungle beat that goes great with the piano. This gives us some real early 90s UK rave flashbacks! This versatile 7" should go over great with those who hear it!

Review: German house mainstay Oliver Dollar knows a thing or two about crafting smooth and seductive sounds, and that's just what he does here for Matt Edwards's Rekids. He opens up this 12" with 'Before You' (with ADMIN - feat Apropos) and layers up the summery beats with spine tinging diva vocals and warming coos that will get the good times going. 'Portamento Track' finds him link with Austin Ato for another feel good and upbeat house cut that is effortlessly cool and sunny. The flip-side features a Brian Page remix of 'Strings 4 Life' that soars though clear blue skies on hip-swinging beats.

Review: Joe Smooth's 'Promised Land' is one of house music's most vital foundational tracks if you ask us. It has everything that made the genre great from the start - the deep, pulsing drums, the melodic bassline, the lush synth strings, and most importantly meaningful vocals with a social conscience. We shall nerve tire of hearing it so we are happy it gets rereleased here as part of a new 12" on DJ International that pairs it with an equally emotionally enthralling and impact early house cut, namely 'It's All Right (House mix)' which also has epic synth strings, a heart aching falsetto and chord vamps you hope never end. Pure house bliss.

Review: Chicago DJ and producer JayCee Indamix is back to take care of the second instalment of the Ginzu Edits series. Up first is legendary New York street poet and soul innovator Gil Scott-Heron whose lovely 'Grandma's Hands' gets a funky rework with some busy broken beats and layers of extra instrumentation. On the flip is another classic, this time from the great Luther Vandross. His 'Until You Come Back To Me' becomes a deep and funky house cut with soaring vocals framed in a soulful groove with lots of special effects adding a contemporary twist.

Review: Mega-exclusive, exquisite house, funk and disco editry from Almacks, who follow up two just-as-delightful introductions to the series with a welcome third. This furtive operation is almost entirely mediated by retailers like us, and is billed as a purveyor of 'tried and tested sure-shots' in very limited runs, whose coveted lipid discs help bolster "community in secret places". Of course, what would be a sense of community without a sense of exclusivity to match? The crux of the art of the five tracks here, though all largely instrumental, is indeed penetrable; all the numbers here home in on the glisteny downtime moments heard on many a classic disco and funk tune, in which time seems to stop, nerves grow tender, and high strings and ghostly vocals take flight. Keep an eye on this series; it reminds us of a funkier-intoned Ghost Phone; 'Track 4' is the real odd highlight.

Review: Bright Light Bright Light is the perfect antidote to overly serious dance music with a sound that is uplifting and floor-focussed and full of catchy energy and synth radiance. Enjoy Youth is the fifth studio album from the project and it features Ultra Nate, Mykal Kilgore, Berri & Beth Hirsch plus production from Richard X, Babydaddy and many more. Each track is overloaded with goodness and comes with irresistible hooks and rhythms that show great songwriting ability and dexterity while also never forgetting the needs of a good party.

Review: Pahua, the Mexican singer, percussionist, producer, and DJ, debuts on Razor-N-Tape with a monumental remix project. Formerly part of the beloved band Sotomayor, Pahua embarked on a solo journey in 2020 which culminated in her acclaimed Habita LP on Nacional Records in 2023. With millions of streams, Habita solidified Pahua as a modern voice in the Latin alternative folk and pop scene and now Razor-N-Tape showcases her sound to global dance floors with remixes by both label staples and newcomers. From JKriv's late-night bass mix to Clive From Accounts' moody nu-disco rendition, each track honours the original while infusing quintessential RNT club-ready vibes.

Review: French label Skylax has a freaky new one on 12" here - it is a rare edit outing for the label that deals in raw house and techno and finds some well-known pop sounds reworked into devastating dance floor cuts. 'Acid Edit ' has swirling falsetto vocals and a menacing acid line lashing about over stripped-back and raw drums. It's a playful yet effective tool for sure. 'Acid Tool' then offers up the same sound but without the vocals do is a more strobe-lit and direct offering for heady dancefloors. A great pick-up for when you need a hit of timeless acid.

Review: You can never second guess what is going to come out of the Studio Barnhus camp and so it is that this is another left of centre 12" from Blende. It comes on limited purple vinyl and opens with 'Rodeo' (feat Mickael Karkousse) which is all ricocheting synths, sleazy vocal sounds and meandering house drums. 'First Rodeo' (feat Smiles Davis) gets more languid and loose with its 80s chords dancing over hiccuping beats that recall the beguiling work of DJ Koze. 'Kampai' closes out with more peak time sounds that are awash in bright chords.

Review: ***B-STOCK: Slight surface marks ***


Demon Records share a reissue of Urban Cookie Collective's 1994 mega-hit The Key, The Secret, adding three lesser-known cuts to the fore as well. The brainchild of one Rohan Heath, who founded the project in the late 1980s, Urban Cookie Collective amounted to a bewitching UK funky house formula, responsible for many a sort-of-underground hit. Not overproduced nor underproduced - cooked just right - 'The Key The Secret' is a prototypical example of uplifting UK-Euro house and synthpop, perhaps with hints of Italo disco thrown in courtesy of a sample from Glam's early 90s club stomper 'Hell's Party'. Meanwhile, B-side cuts 'Feels Like Heaven' continue to charm and bemuse with their completely earnest and unironic Euro-piano uplifts and motivational spirit.