Back catalogue: Deep House

Review: Roy Davis Jr, a staple of Chicago's house scene, partners with Jay Juniel for a reissue that encapsulates the raw energy of late '90s underground house. Originally released in 1997, this remastered edition brings new life to the gritty, soulful rhythms that first defined the era. Davis, known for his iconic track 'Gabriel', layers deep bass and atmospheric textures, while Juniel's experimental edge infuses the tracks with an unpredictable twist. Opening with 'Transition', a steady groove builds to 'Musical Sense', where spoken word and complex beats converge. On the flip, 'Funktion' and 'Digital Rhythm' hit with infectious basslines and high-octane energy. The remaster gives the original its due clarity while preserving the essence of Chicago house's emotional depth. This reissue isn't just a nod to the past, but also a reminder of why this sound still dominates dancefloors today.

Review: The eighth instalment in Running Back's playful Hits! series arrives with a globetrotting batch of quirky dancefloor charmers, spanning interstellar disco, Italo throwbacks and Berlin School eccentricity. Kicking things off, Skatman leans into sleazy synth funk and smoky melodrama with 'What I Am Feelin'', a crooning synth-pop number pitched somewhere between space cabaret and Metro Area. Baron Von Traxian Australian prince of peaktime pompibrings glitzy melancholy with 'If I Only Knew', layering ascending Italo arps and soft pads over a chugging disco pulse. Janis Zielinski and Sowhy3 (both Berlin-based) turn in 'In Your Eyes' twiceifirst as a vocal daydream of euro-pop yearning, then as a sleek instrumental. Morphena's 'Venus Underworld' dials up the noir with icy stabs and new wave propulsion, while Zoe Zoe's 'Palikau Dzemperi' signs off with a Tangerine Dream-style glide repurposed for the club. There's no unifying concept, but as with earlier volumes, that's the point: a polychrome snapshot of Running Back's curious, cosmopolitan world.