Back catalogue: Deep House

Review: FaF's Marseille-based label Durite has assembled another Various Artists compilation full of global soundscapes inspired by Middle Eastern rhythms on one side, while the other blends psychedelic Japanese and Chinese samples into trippy, atmospheric cuts. Italian producer Nativo balances deep house and electro with worldly flair, French artist Pagenty keeps ting dubby and slow with snaking leads and hiccuping drums. Fellow Frenchman Blinkduus Dischetto sparkles with raspy synth leads and celestial keys and Crane De Poule then serves up 'Lucky,' the clear EP highlight with its hurried Eastern Melodie and vocal samples over a clipped and tight tech beat.

Review: Two Balearic musicians with no relation beyond chemistry, Kiko Navarro and Pere Navarro debut as a duo with three tracks that stitch together house and jazz with an intuitive ease. Kiko's Mallorca-honed sense of deep, groove-led house is given new colour by Pere's nimble trumpet work, rooted in his training and practice across Ibiza's jazz and club scenes. 'Byrd's Groove' opens with dusty swing, its crisp drum programming softened by Pere's sunny phrasing and melodic asides. 'Keepn On Loving Me' is the standout, built on a chunky low-end and looped vocal that moves like classic New Jersey house, with trumpet lines that smoulder and lift. 'Blown Flow' closes on a dubbier, more headsy tip i less peak-time, more sunrise session i giving a stylish finish to an impressively coherent first outing.

Review: Just in time for a hot disco summer, Fatty Fatty kicks out this essential 12" packed with glittering and golden grooves. The irresistible EP has three tracks that have never before been available and showcases Pablo & Shoey's range. Side A opens with 'Raw Human Emotion Part 2,' which is one of those end-of-the-night anthems that will lodge long in the memory and no doubt bring tears in the right setting. It's soulful disco perfection. On the flip, two rediscovered bangers from their Do It Backwards EP emerge: 'Shoey's Acid Trip' is a euphoric acid-disco slammer, and Pablo's warped, rave-ready 'Air Raid Dub' does exactly what it says on the tin. With support from tastemakers like Severino from Horse Meat Disco already in the bag, this one is perfect for late-night mayhem and festival sunsets alike.

Review: "Are You in Heaven?" Is a phrase immortalised by Roxy DJ Eddy de Clercq during one of Amsterdam's earliest house parties and it captures the spirit of what was a transformative era. Arnoud Winkler and Jochem Peteri (later known as Newworldaquarium) dropped this EP back in 1991, and it explored a then-new mix of euphoric energy with youthful, clever charm. Drawing inspiration from the booming European dance scene of the time, it's a passionate Dutch interpretation of American house music that very much stands up. Featuring blissed-out pads, dub textures and peak-time vibes, the reissue includes a new Gerd Janson edit of 'Ulysses Horizon' that brings it right up to date, plus the dreamy melodies of 'Flowerdale Beach' and the title track, and all three are timeless cuts that still radiate magic and meaning.

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 Montreal-based boutique label, Aissa Records, a vinyl-only sub-imprint of Suleiman Records, continues to carve out a niche for sophisticated, nuanced techno with this new one from Pheek. 'Maybe It Was A Dream' merges ambient textures with crisp minimal techno that is dreamy and hypnotic. 'Goldfish Memory' is a track that feels both meditative and kinetic so is perfect for deep listening or late-night sets. On the flip, Mihai Popoviciu delivers a tight, club-ready remix that adds punch without losing the original's subtlety and lastly, 'YEAH' is a dubbed out and reverb-rich roller with abstract sonic details keeping the mind as busy as the body.

Review: Sydney talent Pistaccio delivers an operatic deep progressive debut for Perspective, the fresh new label helmed up by Kepler. Pistaccio, an emerging artist, disobliges us of the need to crack open the clamshell to get to the flesh; these cashews come ready de-shelled. 'Wonkers' sends us bonkers with its forgiving, smooth-groove sound palette, while 'Eukalyptus' and 'Swallow' fly south through increasingly tricky and unvarnished shuffles. The title track closes things out on a well landscaped front-porch popper, complete with "confused?" vocal samples and quizzical sus chords on Rhodes.

Review: Marcellus Pittman is one of the Motor City's finest. The long-time house explorer has a singular sound that is built around brittle drum loops, hissing and dusty hi-hats and loose-limbed arrangements that are stark and dehumanised but somehow full of intriguing machine warmth and soul. Take this EP, 'Loneliness Leave Me Alone,' first dropped back in 2010: the title cut has bouncing, bulbous bass and jacked up drums that sound both menacing yet playful, which the fizzy, sugary chords spray across the mix like a mist of pixelated water. 'Razz 09' has that Omar-S style melancholy and trudging rhythm that's heightened by the curious melodies which unfurl with a mind of their own in the background. Superb.

Review: The recently revived Hard Times Records revisits Karen Pollard's 1996 house anthem 'Reach Out To Me' with local lad and Leeds legend Paul Woolford dropping two standout remixes. First up is his extended mix, an epic ten-minute trip that features the scoring vocals with signature drums and sun-soaked guitar solos that hark back to the classic house era but not cloyingly so. Under his Special Request alias, Woolford then gets wild and delivers a breakbeat-driven remix infused with UK garage vibes and bass-heavy low ends that again join the dots between the past, present and future. Both versions have been road-tested and are already tearing it up thanks to Woolford's versatile production prowess.

Review: ***B-STOCK: Sleeve damaged but otherwise in excellent condition***


A mesmerising blend of organic textures and synthetic precision, delivering a fresh take on techno and house. The title track, 'Upside Down', kicks things off with a clever nod to the glitch and microhouse era of the very early 00s. Its gorgeous melody and intricate layering make it both nostalgic and forward-thinking. 'Eyes Between Letters' follows with a deeper bassline and spacious, intricate production. Side-2 opens with 'Beyond Light & Shade', where Asian-inspired melodics weave seamlessly with a balanced blend of techno and house, offering a richly textured and emotive piece. Closing the EP, 'Complementary Senses' delivers profound depth, bringing an introspective quality to its lush production. A unique release tailor made for fans of innovative, boundary-pushing electronic music.

Review: DBH welcome Mihai Popoviciu & David Delgado the the Pleasure Zone series with the 'Evolution' EP. Bringing jazzy, sloshy, jerking flavours to the tech house palette, 'Evolution' and 'Shifting' evolve and shift, convoking a delegated moot of propulsive chords and forward-driving janks, conveying the mood of a finely tuned closed clockwork system chugging away like the central engine of a wider contraption. Closer 'Black Light' operates more readily in the lower regions of things, proving unafraid of sounds that lean towards the more peripheral and umbral.

Review: This isn't an EP of house tracks crafted in the mid 1990s by the late member of the royal family, but rather a dive into the back catalogue of New Jersey producer Heeley Calator of SMACK Productions fame. In keeping with much of Heeley's work, the four tracks on show (all originally released in 1994) are undeniably X-rated and full of sexually-charged vocals. Check first the 'Instru-Beat' mix of 'Whose Dick Is This', a rolling, low-slung and lightly soulful garage-house workout, before admiring the warmer, dreamier and jazzier 'What's My Name (The Tribe & Friends Mix)'. Over on the flip, WOLF has served up two takes on 'Big Dick - Mutha F*cka': the percussively dense, organ-rich New Jersey garage heaviness of the 'Sample Mix' and the stripped-back tribal house headiness of the 'Drum Mix'.

Review: Finland's Common Labour label unites four different producers on the fourth volume of its Odd Jobs series, and each of them goes deep in their own inimitable way. Omar Santis begins with an unhuried and smoky dubbed out house with wispy pads and subtle vocals on 'Pinoki.' Flabaire ups the energy with some slick, tightly programmed but smooth drum loops that bounce freely beneath warm pads which infuse the mix with soul. Thomas Wood's 'All It Takes' has molten bass and liquid synths for a dub house delight on 'All It Takes' and Potholes's 'Bromsman' is the headiest of the lot with DJ Koze-style melodic whimsy.

Review: Disco Tape 4 is a compelling collection that navigates the full spectrum of disco's evolution, seamlessly blending house and late-night techno grooves. The Mechanical Man's 'eyes supreme' stands out with its melodic hook that gradually intensifies the energy. It's a slow-burning groover featuring soulful disco lyrics, creating an atmosphere that's both beautiful and entrancing. 'with you' by Just Guess and Tecam takes a funkier route, with a vibrant guitar riff and a soulful house vocal reminiscent of the best Naked Music releasesiideal for setting a warm, inviting vibe. Other great highlights include the other Mechanical man track 'Space Exploration,' a track that dives into deeper techno territory. Its wicked atmospheric groove adds a layer of sophistication, perfect for those late-night moments when the dancefloor craves something more introspective. Closing out the highlights, Ohn De La Noise's 'good afternoon' offers a smooth deep house sound that blends late-night disco into house, creating a seamless transition that's both elegant and satisfying. A very well-rounded record, expertly capturing the diverse influences of disco's enduring legacy.