Back in stock: Deep House

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: 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: Victor Simonelli's house music legacy is assured - he more than made his mark on the genre back in the 90s with plenty of iconic cuts and legendary DJ sets and now that is all being highlighted by this ongoing multi-part series from Unknwn. The comprehensive collection looks at the early years here with some of his top mixes including those that have not previously been released. There is an in-depth almost hour-long audio and written interview between BTG founder Alex Rose and Victor to go with this release that is well worth finding.

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: When it comes to 90s Dutch dance music we tend to think of formative techno and the monolithic rise of gabber, but there was also some golden house music being produced around that time. Now German label Anacalypto is taking a trip into these less explored realms to offer a finely curated compilation with eight deep cuts for the discerning dancefloor. Max 404's sublime 'Infinite Legs' is an ambient house fantasy of the highest calibre, while Galaxy's 'Axis' is similarly trippy and soft around the edges, setting the tone for the deeper, techno informed shades of house we're in for across the collection. This is elegant, heads down gear which has been coveted by diggers for decades, now available freshly remastered and pressed up in one place.

Review: For their 12 year anniversary, Munich's Compost Disco serves up 15 previously unreleased tracks. The variety ranges across the floor from classic soul (Ed Lee's 'You Are The Star' feat Allison David - extended dub) to boogie (Dimitri From Paris & DJ Rocca's 'The Compass Point') to some Italo (Ron Deacon on 'Killersong' or Imperial Porcelain's 'Tulip Moon'), and even a bit of deep disco (as heard on Mark E's playful 'I'm Your Eversion'). 12 Compost Disco Years is what the label best described themselves as tasty, hypnotizing and emotional.