Back catalogue: Deep House

Review: Sweat It Out Records kicks off their tasty Sweat Sampler series with their first volume, cutting niftily across four exceptionally sweaty bops, spanning tongue-in-cheek deep tech reworks and downtempo disco delights. First off is the dream team of Cid and Havoc & Lawn, whom together deliver a hilariously effective house version of America's 'A Horse With No Name'; this is shortly followed by Saturday Love, Kon and Furious's 'Come Out', a rejigged nu-disco samosa packed with some rare vocal spices; then there's 'Give It To Me' by Marco Lys and Ben Miller, a bass-driven bouncer unafraid of lasershot winddowns, injunctive vocals and risers; and finally, there's Set Mo's 'Could I Be', the anthem of the bunch, whose buildup and drop is alarming, affecting, cumulatively awe-striking.

Review: This is the fourth compilation installment in Peace Symphonies' series that features multiple artists they are working with. Since starting up two years ago, this Moscow label is fast becoming one of the top avenues for house music in the country. DSF offers us 'Yes, Of Course' and 'Zorbas' for the A-side. The first one is a melodic builder that is equally beautiful as it is driving, giving us some soft trance vibes. The latter is a grooving techno jam that is spacey and ideal for stargazing on the dancefloor. For the second side, 'Ashwaganda' by Ventt & Keparys has a more tribal and African flavor to it. The EP closes out with the pair doing a fast-paced tech house gem in 'Saltwater', tinged with some superlative Balearic sounds.

Review: Jonathan Kaspar returns to Damien Lazarus' Crosstown Rebels for another round of captivating and melodic techno by way of his latest EP 'We Come'. Already having graced the discographic annals of Cocoon and Kompakt, Kaspar's sound is now well established; his pushes and pulls adeptly between big room, dubby trance and broken-down electro and house, never quite placeable in the intermediary spaces between them. One could call it progressive house, but that would be underselling it; 'Flash Point' is the highlight here and the case in point, making masterful use of ducking and distortion to really flesh out the central syncopated stab as a focal point of the track. Nor should Paul Brenning's version of 'Transposed Sky' be missed for a second.

Review: Matt 'Radio Slave' Smith's Rekids label is always good value when it comes to useful and contemporary club cuts. Katerina provides more great evidence of that with this fresh 12", One. The title cut managed to be both dynamic and driving yet also nice and heady with well-crafted ambient synths floating round up top. Aleksi Perala remixes with a more trippy sense of melody and faster drums, then 'Papu' ups the ante as B-side jams tend to do. Last of all is the majestic 'Look Into My Eyes' with its wispy celestial chords and stripped-back minimal rhythms.

Review: Keraw's In My Soul EP, is a deep dive into the realms of deep soulful house, with tantalizing specks of tech house interwoven throughout. Side-1 kicks off with 'In My Soul', a classic house anthem brimming with soulful melodies and a subtle jazzy undertone. Following is 'Multichord Of Madness', a house stomper fueled by strong piano chords and delivering undeniable 90s vibes, perfect for igniting dance floors. Flipping to Side 2, 'La Segunda Vibra' takes listeners on a Latin-influenced journey, blending elements of jazz into the mix for an intoxicating sonic experience. Rounding out the EP is 'Midnight Sherbert', a seductive deep house gem tailor-made for late-night indulgence. With its sultry rhythms and immersive atmosphere, this track beckons listeners into a world of sensuality and intrigue. Overall, In My Soul EP shows Keraw's strength's in crafting deep and immersive house music, with each track offering a unique sonic journey that captivates from start to finish.

Review: Soul Departure clicks up its fifth EP here with Kikko Esse the able producer at the helm for the occasion. 'Deep Mind' is indeed deep but it's fulsome too - warm pads rush through the air waves as the drums and kicks establish the groove below. '4 PM' is more stripped back to the thudding kicks and lo-fi synth leads but diffuse chords bring plenty of late night soul. There is an upbeat energy to the surging house warmth of B-side opener 'Take It Easy' then 'Make It' shuts down in devastatingly emotional fashion with heart-melting chords and nagging little vocal hooks.

Review: Mint Condition continues its run of strong reissues of house and techno music. Originally released on the cult label Robs records in 1995, Kilowatt's 'The Last EP' is finally getting the much deserved repress. Included is the wicked acid banger 'Loose End' which is a diamond of the mid-90s bleep house sound. 'The End' is another standout track on this release that gives us great memories of all the exciting IDM related going ons in the mid 90s - not least in the club of the same name - with echoes of 808 State from the late 80s too. Sometimes you aren't sure why a record's been reissued, but this one is definitely a worthy case. Expect these copies to go fast.

Review: The Soul in the Horn label is "a movement" with roots in New York City. It is a collaborative project from music curator DProsper and resident DJ Natasha Diggs that is now back with another party-ready 12", this time from Knevrmind. It kicks off with a rugged house cut that chops up some big Kendrick samples to make for something of an anthemic opener. 'Major Hot' then flips the script with more sun-kissed and dusty house loops that are nice and loose and 'Matters Of Time' slows it down again to late-night and loved-up dub house. An instrumental strips it back so the cosmic synths shine brighter.

Review: Kolter, hailing from Cologne, Germany, delivers a fresh - we don't use the word lightly - new four-tracker, 'That Was Fresh'. Centring nominally on the infamous literal breakbeat vocal sample, this EP plays out as a contemporary take on the breakdances and funk backbeats come electronic dance bangers of yore. Beginning with an impossible-missioned eponymous A-sider, before moving into flat beat electro house of 'This Is It' and the cascading metro-synths of 'Feel', before finally concluding on the retro trance rejoinder, 'I'm Fine, Thanks!', there's really something here for everyone.

Review: Electronica production duo Arnau Obiols and Kayyak, who've laid down a name for themselves for their distinct blend of cultural influences and captivating soundscapes, here present two new tracks that seamlessly fuse Afro-inspired rhythms with groovy organic beats. Barely letting us clock for a second that these are in any way electronically programmed or sequenced, this fresh Compost Records 12" hears its two new cuts, 'Faith' and 'San Diago', abound in the ambered, sandy interim of a clear-skied evening, in which cocktails flow and smiles widen. Remixes by Prins Thomas and Medle & Dele Sosimi do just as well to complement the mood.

Review: A follow-up to last year's successful compilation 'Faith Presents: Ain't That A Groove', is given to us by the London-based label Faith ran by DJs Terry Farley, Stuart Patterson and Dave Jarvis. The high energy house party sound kicks off with Nolan who features the legendary house voice of Sir. Robert Owens. Hilit Kolet isn't shy with the extended remix of 'POV Siren'. This sound is synonymous with Feller and Heller DJ sets of the mid 90s. Philippa's extended remix of 'The Night' by Roach Motel backs that one up with another prime floor filler with hardly any let up. Lastly, Terry Farley, Wade Teo & Kameelah Waheed brings he deep groover "Dancing After Dark" to the party. These tracks will have you and the nightclub crowd out dancing all night.

Review: One of Italy's premier deep house labels, MoBlack is back with their ninth volume of their gold series. This edition features four different producers that each take their turn pushing boundaries within the sound of their culture. Rancido & AfroTura & Bun Xapa's 'Kibe' has a driving beat to it with a strong vocal performance by Aziz. This track sets the tone for the album. Frankie Lluc's 'Burlan' is deep and tribal, riding an organic free flowing tech house to great success. For the second side, Klement Bonelli presents 'Pesna', a unique euro house sound rooted in early Italian disco. We can't help but think it reminds us of 'Rhythm is Dancer' by Snap. Fahlberg's 'The Light' ends things on an uplifting note with a dreamy piano builder that delivers. We think this is a great example of different regional producers making house music.