Back in stock: Deep House

Review: Only a week after his last outing on this label, DJ DSK is making another return with more of his masterful edits. Volume 6 finds him open up with 'Remind Me,' which is a soulful and jazzy jam, with tumbling drums and nice wet claps. The vocal is the real winner, though, as it tugs at those heart strings. Flip it over and you'll find the much bigger anymore bumping 'Knee Deep' which has myriad recognisable samples all reworked into a party ready hip hop funk joint for the b-boys and girls out there.

Review: Though his career has taken many turns over the last decade, DJ Koze has remained that most illusive of creatures: a minimal-minded producer with an ear for a melody. This fourth full-length, packed to the rafters with big-name collaborations (Apparat, Caribou, Ada and Matthew Dear all feature), continues his move towards the home-listening sphere. So, while many of the heady rhythms and shuffling grooves hark back to his stripped-back past, Amygdala impresses with its woozy songs, genre-straddling fusions (see the modern soul meets deep house of "Homesick" or the steppy, tropical vibes of "Marilyn Whirlwind") and homely atmosphere.

Review: Alleviated's trawl through the (admittedly limited) back catalogue of Larry Heard's long-forgotten Loosefingers alter ego continues. The three tracks here were originally released back in 2004 on the When Summer Comes EP, and see Heard at his deepest and most sensual. The ten-minute title track is particularly gorgeous, sounding like a blueprint for all those hazy "beach house" releases that followed in subsequent years. Pleasingly, there's some more aggressive, in-your-face material on the flip, with the rubbery "Transmission X" and bold "Acid Bounce" recalling Heard's more robust, acid house-inclined work (Gherkin Jerks, "Washing Machine" etc). In fact, it's these two cuts that make the EP nigh on essential.

Review: Harry Dennis and Larry Heard began making music together as The IT in the mid-80s, releasing records on D.J International and Black Market until the duo took a break from collaborating in 1990. A staggering 21 years later they resurfaced on proud Chicago DJ and producer Kevin Starke's label, and following that split 12" they now debut on Heard's own Alleviated Records. "Somebody Somewhere" is a classic Chicago house track with pained spoken word lyrics talking about the struggles of life, while "Crying" is deep and kooky in a Perlon kind of way. "Utopian Dream" is piece of street poetry laced with club music that blends electroclash with house, while "Beauty In A Picture" is tribal and bassline driven. Club music doggerels from the street.

Review: It's been a minute since we last heard from Earl Jeffers, the Cardiff-based artist who has been steadily making his mark in the house scene with a soulful style that calls back to some of the foundations of deep rooted Black house music from the UK. As such, it's significant to see him returning from a three year absence in collaboration with the imperious Kaidi Thatham. Their joint effort, 'The Essence', is a soaring, invigorating workout overflowing with Thatham's incredible musicianship front and centre. 'Higher' is a skipping, up for it garage house heater with raunchy organs and an infectious bounce, and it comes with an additional 'Alt Mix' which takes things a touch deeper for the late night crowd.

Review: Omar S' Detroit proud FXHE now has a staunch reputation as one of those buy on sight labels for a reason. This new release by rising star John FM follows up the well-received Alone and Where My Roots Lie EPs. Starting with the soulful machine funk of "Jehks" truly capturing the sounds of the city of industry in its heyday. There's then the fine R&B jam of "Motion" somewhat reminiscent of Theo Parrish & Andrew Ashong, but it's his smooth vocal delivery which undoubtedly makes it his own! On the flip, the mysterious and melancholic Omar-S remix of "Alone" is absolutely sublime, but just wait for the tough acid fuelled groove of "Gump" which truly takes it home in right fashion.

Review: Irish house producer Lerosa appears on Simoncino's HotMix label for the first time after a 10 year career that's seen his music released with Uzuri, Quintessentials, Millions Of Moments and Ostgut Ton. Here he provides a four-track EP of varied house styles that only someone who knows what they're doing could provide. "Inverted Castle" has a beefy staccato bassline with deep flecks of piano chords to offset the heat, while "Tango" is minimal and deep but jacking. It's quality Chicago house at its most elemental on the B-side with "Horatio" while "All The Same" throbs with a bubbly pulse while filtered keys and chord progressions are played by what sounds like a pianist trapped underwater.

Review: It is very nearly a full ten years ago that Takuya Matsumoto dropped his masterful EKR's Galactic Dance EO on Clone. Fittingly, it now gets reissued by the ever vital Dutch label. All four tracks explore medic house with deep grooves and a far-sighted sense of reverie. The A-side is taken up with a pair of tunes that are split into two parts and both just roll and roam with a delightful freedom. 'The Sun On The Refugees' has a more unsettled melodic phrasing that loops and loops until its joined with some extra keys that release the pressure then 'Satellite Orbit Funk' is downbeat and dusty house a la Theo Parrish. Superb.

Review: Miguel Migs has been producing expertly well crafted, superbly polished house tracks for years. He has a sound rooted in deep house, but always draws on things like r&b and soul, as well as the scorching hot sun of his native Californian. This new album was written in lockdown so focuses a little more on proper song craft. The results are fantastic - these are tracks that ooze pool-side cool. Their rolling beats and bass perfectly designed to hook you in and make you smile. It might be his best yet.

Review: We've got some of that naughty and irresistible white label madness here from new and mysterious label and production outfit Outtaface. It comes with a label that references the energetic cartoon stylings of the late Keith Haring and a bassline that will melt your face. The 'Vocal' track mixes up disco, skank, rave, The Prodigy references and outer space designs into a truly unusual blend that will bring colour and craziness to the floor. The flip side dub slows it down, fleshes out the low and and allows the cosmic synth work more room to shine. A handy 12" for sure.

Review: It would be fair to say that Henry Maldonado, known more widely as Son Of Sound, has been one of the few revelations to come out of New York City since the early 2000's. For a city which gave us so much in the 80's and 90's, there have been relatively few new names to carry on the dynasty, but Maldonado's sleek and thoughtful style for imprints like Disrtrict 30 and Speak Recordings has provided a bit of life and love to the American Dream. Moreover, the man appears on Delusions Of Grandeur, one of our all time favourite labels when it comes to house, and one that we wish was more present again. The deal here is simple; Son Of House provides us with three sultry, laid-back house groovers with plenty of soul and homebred sensibility, rolling and pushing its solid grooves over bouncy, seductive melodies and feel-good charms.

Review: Thatmanmonkz is Scott Moncrieff to be precise, a Sheffield based producer who been making house music since around 1997 but more recently on Kolour LTD and of course Delusions Of Grandeur: where he's recognised as a label mainstay. His new album Colombusing is a mighty 14 track effort, and there's a wide variety of moods and grooves, not to mention collaborations! Some of those very hookups are the highlights on here, we must say. There's a couple of tracks with San Francisco minimalist/human beatbox Dave Aju; "Turn It Out" is a deep and sleazy funk jam with Cameo-ish vocals, while "Boogie Down" features the sweet lungs of Erik Rico whose Curtis Mayfield impressions suit this feelgood soul jam just perfectly. "Baked" features the deep poetry of NYC's Malik Ameer on this on this dope jam full of urban flavour. There's music to dance to too, rest assured: "Take U 2 My House" featuring Khalil Anthony is surefire deep house aimed squarely at the dance floor.

Review: Piero Umiliani aka Moggi, is the man behind Omicron Records and plenty of seminal library records from the 1970s. The Italian jazz musician, most famous also for scoring many film soundtracks, here has one of his most dance-y tracks served up by Four Flies. It features an original version as well as a special edit retouched by Jolly Mare. The original was recorded in 1978 under one of his many other monikers, Rovi, as a way of not over saturating the market with his name at the time. It is a cosmic beats that chimes with the emergence of that sound and still does today.

Review: The first compilation on Koze's Pampa label is a lovingly curated affair. It starts with the left field house of Herbert's take on Lianne La Havas and Ada's r&b-infused "You & Me", as well as DJ Koze's own hymnal take on Roman Flugel's "9 Years". Other Pampa regulars like Axel Boman are well represented and he provides the ultra-mellow "In The Dust of This Planet". Equally though, Koze also provides a platform for newcomers to the fold. There's the utterly bizarre, glitch-hop of Nasrawi and Funskstorung's contributions, and at the other end of the spectrum, wide-eyed deep house from Mount Kimbie and Jamie xx & Kosi Kos' pumping indie-dance "Come We Go".