A Soft Mist Production - "Upside Down Rainbows" (5:01)
Dr Sud - "Zaffiro" (Jazz cut) (3:59)
DatSIM - "Influx" (4:40)
The Rabbit Hole - "Tail Groove" (4:27)
Review: No matter your particular preference in the deep house world, this various artists' outing from Q1E2 Recordings is sure to have something for you. Mike Riveria & Marco Ohboy, for example, tap into an early sound on 'Euphoria' with its big, brash piano stabs and whistles, while A Soft Mist Production keeps it all cuddly and deep with languid chords draped over gentle drums on 'Upside Down Rainbows.' DatSIM brings in some space-tech vibes for a deft rhythm and neon infused sound on 'Influx' and The Rabbit Hole's 'Tail Groove' has a mad double bass sound jumping about beneath frantic jungle breaks.
Santonio Echols - "Piano In The Light" (Emanuell Echols mix)
Brian Kage - "This Saturday Night"
Ryan Sadorus - "Down Below"
Review: Upstairs Asylum is kicking off the year in some style with a couple of killer new EPs. This one is the first in what is presumably a new series to showcase the talents of the Motor City. Mike Clark & Marcus Harris get things underway with 'Hey' which has a subtly uplifting feel thanks to the bright, sustained chords and cuddly drums. Santonio Echols's 'Piano In The Light' (DJ Emanuell Echols mix) is laidback, playful deep house with magical chord work and Brian Kage brings his classy depths to the smooth grooves of 'This Saturday Night.' Ryan Sadorus brings things to a close with the smoky 'Down Below.'
Reel It In (feat feat Madaline - Fingers remix) (5:53)
Between Us (feat Madaline - instrumental dub) (6:40)
Reel It In (feat Madaline - Summer Acid Burn) (5:49)
Review: 40 years have now passed since Larry Heard made his first record. Heard is, of course, without peers when it comes to deep house - he pretty much drew up the blueprint after all - though he does occasionally invite other producers to bask in his reflected glow. That's the case here, as he and Memphis-based Michael Kuntzman (an artist who has previously released music on Heard's Alleviated imprint) deliver a notable collaborative 12". Guest performer Maddaline whispers, sings and vocalises her way through the dreamy, richly electronic and sonically pristine 'Between Us', which is accompanied by a typically gorgeous 'Instrumental Dub'. There are two versions of 'Reel It In' - also featuring Maddaline - too: the deep tech-house shuffle of Heard's'Fingers Mix' and the back-to-Chicago-87 flex of Kuntzman's 'Summer Acid Burn' take.
Review: The endlessly fertile scenes that are minimal and tech house yield more essential DJ goodness here as Bread & Butter assembles a selection of talents for this ninth various artists' release. Alex Font & Aron open up with 'Walking On Clouds' which is not as airy and dreamy as it might sound, but does lay down a nice deft minimal groove. Beiger has a more sunny outlook with the mellifluous synth clouds of his 'Audible Illusions' and Mihai Pol then brings ouse late night jazz house cool to his 'Bip Bip.' Iuly B completes a varied package with the heady loops and wispy cosmic synth motifs of 'Bouncing Lights.'
Review: Chicago's Tied label rolls out a 17th release as good as all the previous ones, this time with a four-track various artists EP that showcases emerging talents from deep, spacey electronic realms. Just_Me's 'Laser Brane' launches the journey with electro-funk propulsion, while Lumieux's 'In Your Space... It's Me In Space' drifts into cosmic grooves and ambient textures. On the B-side, Constratti's meticulously crafted 'Bind' delivers intricate synth delays and solid rhythms that capture the feeling of interstellar motion. Label head Max Jacobson and 97 Till close with 'Orion,' a break-infused and celestial house cut built for late-night floors.
Review: Japanese DJ, producer and remixer Makoto Nakatani is the man behind the M-Scape alias, and he straddles genre borders with the four cuts he serves up for evergreen UK staple Local Talk. 'Urban Reconstruction' is propulsive deep house with Detroit-style hi-tek synth magic colouring the airwaves. 'I Do' is an ass-wiggling heater with stylised vocals and colourful melodic motifs triggered by the drums. 'Freedom' is all early Chicago jack, cowbells and sugary chord progressions, then 'Let The Drums Play' taps into sun-kissed London broken beat with cosmic melodies adding a futuristic twist. There are a lot of different moods touched up on with this EP and they are all high-class.
Review: Tasteful Scandi label Sakskobing welcomes rising talent Mace, who we're told is a devoted house music enthusiast. This is his debut solo EP and was made in Germany, where Mace has spent years immersed in the dance and now explores all the many influences he has picked up in that time. The A-side is club-driven with the punchy drums of the title cut and space-tech energy of 'Energy', while the B-side embraces a deeper, more atmospheric sound with soothing pads, particularly on the new age bliss out that is 'Greetings From Italy' which more than nods to the great Don Carlos.
Review: Bjorn Wagner's all-star tropical disco band, Magic Source, loves a cover version. The outfit's first EP boasted, as a bonus cut, a superb (and colourful) take on Tom Tom Club's 'Genius of Love'. On this belated sequel, they've gone one better by re-inventing A Guy Called Gerald's pioneering UK house classic 'Voodoo Ray' as a driving, all-live tropical disco jam. It's cleverly done, with all the key elements being replicated, sometimes in canny ways (the acid lines now become Clavinet lines, the synth-bass is now bass guitar, and so on). It's a fantastic cover all told and one that is far more than a smile-inducing novelty. Also superb is flip-side 'Interplanetary Bounce', a spacey jazz-funk/disco fusion cut rich in fuzzy horns, vintage synth sounds and shuffling drums.
Mariche & Gutt - "Phone Call" (Guile remix) (6:59)
Review: KUNST is a new series from Spanish crew Spherart Wax that looks to serve up nostalgic progressive and tech from the 90s and designed for packed dance floors. To kick things off, up step Mariche and Gutt for a mix of solo cuts and collabs. 'Autogroove' gets things underway with tight and turbo-powered tech, which ADR remixes into a deeper sound. Gutt's 'Your Mind' is taught and bouncy tech with wispy cosmic synths and then the pair come together for 'Phone Call', which is a standout cut with playful dial tones and rugged low ends all packed up in club-ready beats.
Review: For those who have been digging deep & minimal house for decades, this 12" is a mini modern classic from 2004 by Mazi Namvar aka Audio Soul Project. Once a hidden gem, exposure in plenty of high-profile DJ sets means it has become a sought-after record with second-hand copies fetching up to $170. Enter this reissue to make it available to all, as good music should be. As well as the lush original cuts, this version includes a bonus track, 'Murmurs Low,' featuring Jimmy Tripp on saxophone and Mazi's spoken word, while standouts like 'Tattoo Of You' and 'Down' still hit the sport perfectly.
Review: It's five up for the small but already fine NRV label who welcome Me&MyDog for this one. There is a darkness to their brand of tech that is evident from the off with 'Body Move' with its stark drum hits and twist deadline, all topped with some moody vocal mutterings. 'Moonside' brings kinetic rhythms that have carefully designed percussion sprinkled over the top to bring some looseness. A login bassline keeps things firmly rooted to the floor while 'GR308L (6AM mix)' gets more trippy with some acid modulations and wispy synths all fleshing out the minimal grove.
Review: It seems as though Mike & Benney have come completely out of leftfield to drop this - details on the pair are exceedingly thin on the ground. That doesn't matter, though, cause this new EP is a big opening statement. 'Ready For Tonight?' It's thudding but well swung house with smart synth lines and a funky bassline, while 'What Can I Say?' Brings more kaleidoscopic colour and gurgling synths to a cruising groove. 'Les Oiseaux' has a militant snap to the drums that's softened by the gooey pads, and 'Bird Vocalization' is just that - found sounds that place you outdoors during a frenzied morning call.
Review: Flexi celebrated 40 years of energising dancefloors and championing underground music back in 2024. What began as a haven for vinyl lovers and evolved into a cultural force dedicated to high-quality sound. To mark the milestone, Flexi's indie off-shoot Flexi Cuts assembled this limited-edition compilation across several 12". Minimono opens this one with some super smooth deep house on 'Before Morning' and Delphi then switches it up with more twitchy, synth-laced and tense house while DJ Rou's 'Elastic Body' brings acid charm to steely mid-tempo beats. Relative's 'The Piece' shuts down with a darker heart and prying synths.
Jamma D - "Don't Wanna Leave The Couch Today" (4:20)
Roche - "House Shuffle Boogie" (6:13)
Darone Sassounian - "Arms" (6:18)
Review: This deep, jazzy and lo-fi house 12" is perfect for escaping at this time of year as the hustle and bustle of the holiday season and the general weight of modern life can get all too much. It comes from an array of standout producers from around the world including Darone Sassounian, Jamma D and Jarren from Los Angeles, Roche from Portland and Morris Mobley from Nancy, France. Between them, they offer the cuddly, cloudy depths of 'Drippin'' (Sauce dub), humid and jazzy heat of the sumptuous 'Don't Wanna Leave The Couch Today', playful rhythms of 'House Shuffle Boogie' and more besides.
Review: Originally released on Stickman Records in 1997, this bass-driven house delight delivers glitching synth lines that recall Martin Bonds' Reel By Real project. It comes with a deep and soulful vocal that echoes the legendary Robert Owens and its silky tones perfectly complement the sensual pads. DJ Decent's Acid Mix injects squelchy 303s and a tough breakbeat that completely flips the original and Wamdue's remix takes a hypnotic turn that layers reversed strings and granular FX over a wobbly tech-house groove. A fine reissue that will still do plenty of damage in the club.
Review: Forest Jams takes us further into the unknown with Mori Ra's Mantra, an EP of four cosmic edits for curious minds and forest wanderers. Osaka-based DJ Mori Ra is known for blending Balearic, cosmic and electronic disco and has graced labels like Rotating Souls and Macadam Mambo. In Mantra, he becomes a mystic guide offering sonic parables hidden in four tracks, including 'Catharsis', which launches us into a digital odyssey and 'Seinn O!' exploring communication through atmospheric chants, while the Japanese titles on the flip captures the dystopian bustle of a simulated city and brings reflection in the form of a timeless tunnel of discovery. Wonderful.
Review: Mr Lode is back with more surgically designed breakbeats that are aimed both barrels at the heart of the dance effort. They come with plenty of retro stylings and old school stylings that will unite dancers from across the ages and first up is 'Journeys' which is unrelenting drum funk and retro-future samples. 'Rhythms Of The Night' ups the ante with some mad whistles and soulful pads, then 'Happiness' tapes into Latin energy with raw South American horns and tumbling, funky drum patterns. 'Revival' shuts down with more drum-led goodness, underpinned by fat bass and with some kooky vocal samples.
Review: The still newly established Rhythm Traxx kicks on with more fresh, club-ready house music here. It's Finky and Ben Murphy who step up for this one and deliver the goods, starting with 'What Is Disco Tech' which does a fine job of answering its own question. 'Danger' then switches up it with some garage flexing in the drums and spacecraft transmissions for vocals. A brilliantly infectious energy defines 'Dance Potion' with its naughty baseline and cheeky bounce and for the big finish, 'Rhymes & Rhythms' brings acid stabs, drum fills and vocal chops to some peak time tech.
Neg & Franz Di Maio - "A Bright Spot" (Paradise edit) (6:40)
Neg - "Echoes Of Thoughts" (5:02)
Neg & Marco Spinetti - "1112" (5:27)
Neg & Franz Di Maio - "A Bright Spot" (DJ Soch remix) (6:41)
Neg & Franz Di Maio - "A Bright Spot" (DJ Rou On The Surface remix) (6:54)
Review: Hello to Metrica Recordings, a new label from Italy that wants to win hearts and minds with its take on minimal and tech house. It begins with an EP featuring Negs on all cuts but with various collaborators. Franz Di Maio is first on the classically inclined deep house of 'A Bright Spot', while 'Echoes Of Thoughts' is a solo cut with more early Chicago synths and dusty drums. Marco Spinetti steps up to help on the more marching and moody '1112' and two remixes of 'A Bright Spot' shut down with a blend of Balearic and Italo style.
Review: Fresh from dropping a fine stream of loopy filter house fun on their own Jolene Records, The Parton Brothers fire up the dancefloor with their sizzling debut on Pomme Frite and channels classic French touch vibes with style. Danny & Mike deliver cuts that could have easily slipped out of the Roule camp in the late 90s here with tracks like 'Extraball,' 'Gemini,' 'Luniz' and 'The World Without You' packed with crunchy disco loops, rich filter-funk and irresistible groove. It's a tribute to that beloved French house sound we all know and love - warm, raw and homemade with love. A must for vintage deep house heads.
Review: The best catalogue naming convention in all of music belongs to the Club U Nite label, and the beats they offer up ain't bad either. This latest blue 12" is the third volume in their Dee Tax series and brings an array of fine artists to the fore. The sounds are house with a traditional bent - Purple Kush's 'It's A Feelin'' is deep but jacking with jazzy motifs, Mellow Man keeps it classy with a garage swing on 'Touch The Sky', Manhattan Project taps into a 90s New York dub house vibe on 'Get It Right' and a second Mellow Man shuts down with seductive smoothness.
Review: No nonsense analogue house champions the notorious R-A-G team are back once again with more goodies on their home label M>O>S. For this one, they drop four outstanding and acidic deep house jackers. Featuring the skills of Aroy Dee, MaSpaventi and G-String, it is the former who kicks off with 'Touch', which is dusty and far-sighted. He then features with Maspaventi on 'Horizons', which is a dreamy and low-key sound with backlit chords. R-A-G then hook up for 'Wired', which is a twisted and trippy after-party mind melter and 'All Forgotten', which is moody, shadowy and traces a line to the best Detroit house from their long-running Amsterdam studio sessions.
Gari Romalis - "Electronix (I'm Ya Dancer)" (7:31)
G Major - "Metro To Downtown" (6:27)
Chuck Daniels & Hazmat Live - "I Want You" (6:25)
Max Watts - "Velocity" (6:35)
Review: Norm Talley's Detroit label Upstairs Asylum comes through with another various artists gem here: Gari Romalis kick off with the sort of smoky house depths you always expect from this imprint. 'Electronix (I'm Ya Dancer)' is dubbed out but dynamic, then G Major's 'Metro To Downtown' brings an injection of soul warmth and percussive looseness. Chuck Daniels & Hazmat Live's 'I Want You' is a darker, more heads down affair with freaky vocals and digital synth patterns over gritty, US garage styled low ends. Max Watts then cuts loose with the undulating dub techno depths of 'Velocity' to round out a varied EP.
Review: This new VA from the young Swiss label Covered compiles four forward-thinking artists pushing sonic boundaries in their own way but united by detailed sound design and refined instrumentation. Olivier Romero opens with bold, wave-driven rhythms while Luise brings intricate sequencing and crisp minimal percussion. Maik Yells follows with atmospheric depth built from lush pads and ghostly harmonies, weaving a moody narrative. OneKnock closes with a hypnotic blend of shifting rhythms and sub-heavy foundations. These tracks form a nice listen when played together and are rooted in rich texture, tone and subtle storytelling.
Review: LowMoney unites fresh global talent for another big serving of their signature club sounds. Ukrainian producer Rustam kicks things off with 'Happy Comby,' a gritty acid-tinged groove built on deep, dreamy basslines. On A2, Jordan Lakofski delivers 'The Heat,' which is a nostalgia-soaked roller with a punchy 8-bit synth and infectious bassline. Glasidum nails the warm-up vibe with his trippy, groovy and perfectly deep opener on the flipside. Closing it out, Dutch duo MASI serve up a lush, introspective house cut that floats into the sunset. From acid edge to dreamy depth, this four-tracker has got something for everyone, which makes it a hugely useful 12" from the LowMoney camp.
Tm Shuffle, Monoder & Tapani Rinne - "Velvet" (Tm Shuffe Housedub) (7:44)
Tm Shuffle, Monoder & Tapani Rinne - "Velvet" (6:29)
Aleksi Myllykoski - "Slowburn" (feat Tapani Rinne) (8:45)
Aleksi Myllykoski - "Slowburn" (feat Tapani Rinne - Tm Shuffle Distant dub) (6:50)
Review: The second Soulful Dubs outing is full of a load more of just that. It's a various artists affair with Tm Shuffle, Monoder & Tapani Rinne hooking up for the opener which comes dubbed out by Tm Shuffle. It is gorgeously evocative and subtle with organic, wooden hits and synths floating up top while steamy sax adds the romance. The original is a minimal and slow-motion dub cut that rides a nice broken beat. Aleksi Myllykoski steps up on flip for 'Slowburn' (feat Tapani Rinne) which is more paced but no less deep. Last of all comes the Tm Shuffle Distant dub for more heady and zoned-out vibes.
Tm Shuffle, Monoder & Tapani Rinne - "Velvet" (Tm Shuffe Housedub) (7:44)
Tm Shuffle, Monoder & Tapani Rinne - "Velvet" (6:29)
Aleksi Myllykoski - "Slowburn" (feat Tapani Rinne) (8:45)
Aleksi Myllykoski - "Slowburn" (feat Tapani Rinne - Tm Shuffle Distant dub) (6:50)
Review: The second instalment from this young but already cultured label delivers another round of superb dub tracks and they come on a cool eco-vinyl pressing. The release starts off with a collaboration between Tm Shuffle, Monoder and Tapani Rinne. Tm Shuffle's dub version sets a subtly evocative mood with wooden hits and a steamy sax adding a loved-up feel. The original version is a minimal, slow-motion dub with a broken beat then Aleksi Myllykoski contributes a deeper, more propulsive track and closing is Tm Shuffle's final dub to offer some more warmth to sink right into.
From P60 - "Sun-Kissed Shores" (feat MnemonicKiss) (5:48)
Forteba - "End Of The Day" (6:18)
Review: Zoltan Nagy AKA P60 has spent the last four years slowly building up his Midnight Fashion label and its dedicated downtempo offshoot, Midnight Fashion Chill. Following a handful of solo EPs on the latter imprint, Nagy has now decided to offer up a first imprint compilation - one that not only showcases his work, but also that of Marcel (AKA sometime Cookin' Records artist Marcell Dudas) and Plastic City regular Forteba (AKA Hungarian stalwart Krisztian Dobrocsi). Musically, the set lives up to its' title, offering an enticing and undeniably blazed mix of DJ Calm style trip-hop, warming 1990s style downtempo grooves, slow-burn Baleric soundscapes, Onra-esque neo-boogie beats and warm, deep and languid, jazz-flecked mid-tempo house.
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