Back catalogue: Deep House

Review: If anything, the hugely prolific Motor City mainstay that is Omar S seems to be getting even more prolific as time goes on. His vast catalogue grows once more here with Fun House, which finds Alister Fawnwoda exploring a wide range of dance music styles alongside guests such as FXHE regular John F.M., plus Mitchell Yoshida, Super Cool Wired, Troi Alexis, Tyesha Blount and more, with all the production, lyrics and mixing taken care of by Omar S himself. The tracks range from seductive deep house to edgy mechanical techno, dubbed out downbeat joints and smooth electronic Detroit soul. It is yet another crucial chapter in the FXHE and Omar S story.

Review: The glorious Dobro label gets to double figures in fine style here with a new album that finds Iner both going solo and collaborating with Oiuna on four new cuts which then get remixed. The originals are summery, airy, organic worlds of gentle deep house rhythms, feathery synth melodies and gentle hooks that have a subtle future feel. The remixes rework the tunes for more direct vibes in the club with Frank Music label head Johannes Albert going first and then Crowd Control also stepping up. Great artwork, too.

Review: Celebrating 25 years of two of the most influential house labels around, this joint double-pack from London's R2 and Osunlade's Yoruba Records is a heavyweight offering that bridges soulful roots and dancefloor depth. Karizma's long-awaited 'Spirit' appears in multiple formsihis original gospel-powered burner, a Josh Milan remix (as Honeycomb), and a dub version featuring Nicholas Ryan Gant, all radiating righteous, late-night warmth. The second R2 cut, 'W!thout !t' is stripped and punchy, full of Karizma's trademark percussive invention. Yoruba's side sees Osunlade light up the system with 'Electricity' and 'Sumpin' Like Dis', both steeped in rhythm and spiritual uplift. Afefe Iku's '823' dives deep into his signature twilight textures, while Karizma's Baltimore remix of Mr. Flip's 'Drippin'' closes the set on a loose and funky high. It's a snapshot of two defining voices in house musicirich in groove, spirit and intention.

Review: Given their shared musical heritage - both are members of the extended Firecracker Recordings crew - it's perhaps something of a surprise to find that Face The Facts marks the first serious collaboration between Linkwood and Gav 'Fudge Fingaz' Sutherland AKA Other Lands. It's less surprising that the album is really, really good. Touching on warming synth-boogie, head-nodding downtempo jams, mutant beatdown, Balearic beats, sunset-ready soundscapes and warming analogue deep house, the 13-track set is notable for the pair's extensive use of dusty old drum machines, tactile instrumentation (think smooth Rhodes solos, languid guitar solos and blissed-out synths) and Sutherland's hazy, sometimes seductive singing voice.

Review: Some years back, Ben Norris AKA O'Flynn looked set for a major breakthrough, with his EPs on Blip Discs and Ninja Tune getting singled out for praise. Since then, his career has stalled, though we wouldn't be surprised if this impressive debut album propels him into the spotlight once more. It's a wonderfully fluid, evocative and enjoyable set that attractively sashays between languid ambience, Afro and Latin-influenced cut-up club cuts that cannily fuse disco, nu-disco and deep house, drum dubs and percussion jams, and off-kilter affairs that defy simplistic categorization. Highlights are plentiful throughout, from the dreamy dub disco flex of "Tru Dancing" and jazzy deep house warmth of "Painted Wolf", to the huggable dreaminess of two-step shuffler "Celestine" and the loved-up haziness of enveloping closing cut "Neptune".

Review: Crosstown Rebels continues its spell of dance albums releases with a fresh one from Oceanvs Orientalis (Safak Oz Kutle), Portrait Of The Obscure. After three superb singles on the label over the past four months, this nine-track LP offers a comprehensive exploration of the Istanbul-based talent's rich, globally-infused, captivating sound. As if to bottle the essence of the awe of travel, either everyday-real or astral - and the personal developments and realizations that come of it - onto a single record, Portrait Of The Obscure skirts the possible limits of progressive dance, fleshing out a talent for layering that we'd wager many artists only ten years or so ago would've thought impossible. Just listen to the hullabaloo that is 'Neutrality'; despite the name, it's hardly neutral at all, coming as an immense positivisation of moving parts and godlike sonic entities, which sound to dance around a central kick axis, one that we're surprised Oceanvs was still able to fit into the mix.

Review: Embark on a journey through Berlin's pulsating house music scene with Italian-born, Berlin-based Luca Olivotto, who infuses his beats with the energy of the city's underground while blending in his Mediterranean roots. This album encapsulates the essence of Olivotto's musical universe: a fusion of cultures, a celebration of diversity, and a testament to the universal language of music. Highlights include 'I'm (Not) Sorry,' which delivers a smooth New York house sound, embodying late-night beauty with its uplifting and deep tones. It's a perfect combination for those seeking a soulful experience. 'Don't Change' offers another excellent eyes-closed house burner, maintaining the album's deep and introspective vibe. Also, 'You & Me' stands out as the hands-up moment in any house set with the peak energy and communal spirit of the dance floor at its heart. Olivotto's ability to command dancefloors as a DJ and evoke emotion as a producer shines through in this double pack.

Review: ***B-STOCK: Creasing to corner of outer sleeve but otherwise in excellent condition***


Embark on a journey through Berlin's pulsating house music scene with Italian-born, Berlin-based Luca Olivotto, who infuses his beats with the energy of the city's underground while blending in his Mediterranean roots. This album encapsulates the essence of Olivotto's musical universe: a fusion of cultures, a celebration of diversity, and a testament to the universal language of music. Highlights include 'I'm (Not) Sorry,' which delivers a smooth New York house sound, embodying late-night beauty with its uplifting and deep tones. It's a perfect combination for those seeking a soulful experience. 'Don't Change' offers another excellent eyes-closed house burner, maintaining the album's deep and introspective vibe. Also, 'You & Me' stands out as the hands-up moment in any house set with the peak energy and communal spirit of the dance floor at its heart. Olivotto's ability to command dancefloors as a DJ and evoke emotion as a producer shines through in this double pack.

Review: Alex "Omar" Smith has never been one for modesty, so we shouldn't be too surprised that he's called his latest full-length - his fifth in total - The Best. To be fair, he is rather good at producing high-grade deep house, and here unveils another eleven gems. Interestingly, he's recruited an impressive cast-list of collaborators and guests, including Norman Talley, Kyle Hall, OB Ignitt and, most surprisingly of all, Bristol-based Tom Bug. Highlights are plentiful, from the dusty afro and blues influences of the tribal "Chama Piru's", and hazy, Rhodes-heavy vocal cut "AhRevolution", to the hip-wigglin' disco-house influences of "Seen Was Set", and retro-futurist, Inner City style Divinity hook-up "On Your Way".

Review: The second part of Omar S' You For Letting Me Be Myself album in vinyl form sees another 8 tracks across four sides of wax; aside from the '80s inflected sounds of the album's title track, the 303 workout of "Ready My Black Asz" finds itself with the dubbed out loops of "Messier Sixty Eight". As a bonus for those who already have the album, this part contains two vinyl exclusive tracks; the soothing deepness of "She's Sah Hero Nik" and the delayed organ weirdness of "Broken Bamalance Horn" - both more than worth the price of admission alone.

Review: Those who've been paying close attention will know that Alex 'Omar' Smith has been mixing things up musically of late, veering away from the deep Detroit house he's famed for in order to explore a wider range of influences. New album "You Want" doesn't exactly reverse this trend, but it is far more rooted in his particular brand of seductive, off-kilter deepness and techno-tinged hypnotism than recent singles. That's undeniably a good thing, because nobody does crunchy, machine driven club jams better than the Motor City producer. There are nods towards Italian style piano house, disco, broken beat, jazz funk, Masters at Work and - more surprisingly - industrial techno (see the filthy closing cut) - but the resultant cuts don't sound like anything other than tried-and-tested Omar-S club jams.

Review: As much as Detroit legend Omar S can do utterly freaky and experimental sounds, he also knows how to kick out some floor filling jams. On this double album from back in 2005, he manages to do both. The bleepy madness of 'Strider's World' with its meandering bass and raw drums was a classic that got hammered by everyone at the time, while 'Congaless' was another favourite on cultured floors with its lovely claps, hissing synth details and low slung beats. In between are plenty of archetypal Smith cuts, but the best might be 'A Victim' with its aching vocal.

Review: Oasis Collaborating is the name of two different double albums that Omar S and Shadow Ray put out under their Oasis alias back in 2005. They are both hugely original and essential works of stripped back Motor City house music perfection. This one is packed with gems like the wispy pads and metallic synths of 'Oasis Fifteen', the low slung rawness of 'Oasis Seventeen' and the brightly, optimistic melodies and twanging chords of 'Oasis Twenty Five'. Each of the tracks sounds like they were recorded live, with two masters of their machines just jamming away, tweaking knobs and cooking up pure house magic.

Review: Omar S and Shadow Ray hooked up back in 2005 as Oasis and turned out a low key classic with Collaborating. It's an essential double album packed with signature Motor City heat and dishevelled deep house workouts for mind, body and soul. Things open with the slow paced crawler 'Oasis 4' then take in 'Oasis 11' with its pinging percussion and stripped back grooves, the standout 'Oasis 1s-1/2' with its gorgeously melancholic synth bleeps and heart melting chords and the darker energy of 'Oasis 7'.

Review: It may have taken a while - his massive debut single 'Hyph Mngo' was released 12 years ago - but Joy Orbison has finally got round to recording his debut album. It's a highly personal affair, peppered with speech snippets from various family members (including his mum, dad, sister, cousins and famous uncle, Ray Keith). It's a narrative device that works well, providing a unifying thread throughout a woozy, musically eclectic concoction that sees the now veteran UK producer give his distinct spin on ambient, slow house, two-step garage, deep house, post-dubstep beats, dubbed-out soundscapes, British bass music, experimental electronica, cutting-edge deep D&B and much more besides. It's perhaps not the all-out assault on the dancefloor some may have expected, but it is a genuinely brilliant and entertaining album.

Review: Orpheu The Wizard is a Dutch DJ and co-founder of the infamous but sadly now defunct Red Light Radio. Coming through for the fifth edition of the Sound Of Love International series - which showcases the eclectic musical tastes of the DJs who play at the Love International festival in Croatia - this fresh selectors' comp hears Orpheu crate-fiddle through cosmic disco, Balearic pop, synthwave and ambient, by the likes of Khidja, Benedek, Donato Dozzy and Gaussian Curve.

Review: Osunlade's latest release continues his transformative journey, evolving from a major-label ghostwriter to one of deep house's most spiritually attuned and culturally conscious figures. His Yoruba Records imprint has long been a conduit for globally infused, soul-drenched house music, but here he turns inward, stripping things back to something more meditative while maintaining his signature warmth. 'Wiggle Room' opens with rhythmic vocals, strings and congas that gently invite movement. The pace slows in 'PASS!!,' building a quiet tension, before 'Hang Nail' introduces Middle Eastern-inspired melodies and sharp, punchy beats. 'Luv' offers a burst of warmth with lush chords and smooth vocals, capturing the essence of that classic deep sound. In 'She Represents,' heavy 303 basslines pay tribute to Shirley Chisholm, intertwining excerpts from her iconic speech with commanding rhythms. 'So Long...Stranger' reflects on the isolation of the pandemic, a quiet moment of introspection, before 'Modular Movements' closes the collection with an emotionally charged resolution. This set offers a journey that balances movement and stillness, reflecting Osunlade's own pathideep, unhurried and reverent, like the house music he's crafted throughout his career.

Review: This is Oye Manny's second album and it is a fine progression from his first across six tracks that blend classic Salon-style house with the producer's own unique rhythm-forward sensibilities. His personal Houston roots and a wider sphere of timeless deep house influences all feature in dynamic and percussive tunes that are built on propulsive beats and rich textures. Congas, bells and timbales weave seamlessly into four-to-the-floor rhythms as each track reflects Manny's skill as a producer and composer. This one hits a perfect sweet spot between classic and contemporary and is sure to sound good all year long.