Deep House charts

Review: Fresh off that awesome Unit 2 reissue of Happy Recordings, Running Back now look to some early works of seminal NYC duo Mateo & Matos under their Alex M. alias: its namesake dedicated to Mateo's late brother. The EP was originally released in 1992 on their Final Cut sub label, which became defunct the same year after around eight releases. On the A side is the deeply sublime and evocative zeitgeist of early 90's house; Big Apple style, on "It Works" and the deeper "Without Thought (Bassline 1)" which is more reminiscent of the Windy City sound actually. On the flip, the funky and stripped back late night groove of "Lakeview Slang (First mix)" is a familiar groove with a mesmerising melody and those dusty swing fuelled rhythms beneath. A time capsule from an important time in the genre's development by house music royalty on this respectful reissue.

Review: Numbers hold the key to unlock the universe. So, a six-pack can either consist of six bottles of beer, very well developed stomach muscles or in our case: a string of smash hits. To take it even further, it's exactly six tracks for the sixth part of the VA-series that is One Swallow Doesn't Make A Summer. Hit men include friends new and old: Llewellyn, Stereocalypse, Zillas On Acid, Storken & Hammer, Ede, SeNor Chugger & Count Van Delicious. The pace is cool and hot at the same time. Rave signals by Ede foil the nouveau disco by Stereocalypse or Storken & Hammer, Llewellyn does a classic house piano hop, Zilles On Acid deliver mid-tempo acid, and last, but not least, SeNor Chugger & Count Van Delicious strike a delicious pose.

Review: Gerd Janson's Running Back seemingly has no borders or boundaries when it come to the sort of music it will put out. Next up is Partiboi69 with Call of The Void, a zippy outing that kicks off with the psychoactive synth swirls and hurried beats of 'Playin'' while 'Bodies' is a sleazy and ghetto-tinged tech pumper with well-treated vocals and big old school piano chords that endlessly stab away. 'Feel This' brings a subtly celebratory mood with splashy cymbals and wispy cosmic pads darting about up top and 'Call Of The Void' shuts down with a deeper house sound but one still lit brightly by the astral pads.

Review: Running Back presents the fourth edition of the Swallow This various artists series, featuring five tracks by five different producers, all straddling the line between 'remodeled deep house techniques and floor mechanics.' On the first side we have the deep, down and dirty retro house shenanigans of Yungruzt's 'Starlight' (feat Eluize) followed by strobed-out rave energy of Baldo's 'Human Connection'. Over on the flip, 9th House delivers the EP standout on the glassy-eyed and bittersweet 'Ara', while Delphi gets a vibe reminiscent of Sueno Latino on the epic '7_11 House'.

Review: Since making his Running Back bow 12 years ago, Sebastien Kramer has periodically returned to Gerd Jansen's label to deliver EPs (and one memorable album). Acid Leak is his eighth release in total for the imprint, and as the title suggests makes extensive use of sounds created by the small-but-mighty TB-303. Kramer sets the tone with the title track, a triumphant blend of acid house and Detroit techno sounds featuring some classic, Underground Resistance style synth strings, before cannily combining rising and falling melodies, buzzing electronics and undulating acid lines on 'Wing Wing'. 'Acid Flow' is a more jacking, forthright and mind-mangling slab of breathless peak-time brilliance, while 'Frantic' sees the experienced German producer join the dots between sci-fi-powered excellence and tactile deepness.

Review: Roman Flugel has been one of the European underground's most consistent and innovative names over the last 20 + years working on everything from acid to minimal to tech. He shows a slightly different look on this new EP for Running Back with a disco-tinged and happy melodic house cut 'Lucky Charm' taking up the a-side in three slightly different versions. The flip then has three more originals - 'Luv Armour' is a zippy house cut with big percussive energy and 'Whatever This Is' is then a beautifully innocent and playful cut with naive melodies. 'Film 4' is a moody downbeat piece to close out a varied and vital outing.

Review: Frankfurt producer Shan has enjoyed a long and productive friendship with Running Back Gerd Janson. To date, it has included a swathe of collaborative tracks and remixes, as well as regular solo releases on the label. Shan's latest EP for the imprint is naturally packed with playable material. Saucer-eyed, retro-futurist opener "Who Run Tings", for example, underpins jaunty, Inner City style stabs and piano riffs with corking, hip-house style breakbeats, while "Awakenings" offers a slightly more muscular, big room-friendly take on the turn-of-the-'90s piano house blueprint. Shan deviates further from the script on the Nu Groove style vintage deep house musicality of "English Summer" and deep '80s synth-pop-meets-deep house flex of closer "Take Me To The Top".

Review: Eagles & Butterflies has had plenty of notable tunes over the years. No doubt that is why he gets the nod from Gerd Jansen's legendary Running back label to offer up Retropolis Vol 01. It is a four-track EP that shows off the producer's well-realised sounds. The title track is the real standout - 'Retropolis' brings electro-styled synth work with brilliantly future retro euro-disco energy. It's packed with hints of Italo and is sure to light up any club scene. Says the producer of the EP, "Retropolis is the past meets the future. I love influences and technology from the past and making music that sounds like it could be from a time yet to arrive." Mission accomplished.