Back catalogue: Funky/Club House

Review: It's (almost) summertime which means all bets are off, sets get more playful, DJs slacken their own usual rules and reach into a wider world of vocal, uplifting sounds to please sun burnt dancers. Enter this reissue of Michel Cleis's stone-cold Ibiza classic 'La Mezcla.' It's got a chunky groove, fluttering flutes that bring Latin flair and carnival vibes aplenty. This 12" also comes with two remixes - Paul Kalkbrenner flips it into a deeper, more loose and languid groove with tribal funk and the Charles Webster club mix is pure warm and soulful goodness.

Review: Veneno is the most beloved transgender TV star in Spain and now she arrives on the equally revered Dark Entries label as part of Madrid Pride on June 30th. Cristina Ortiz was a sex worker when she was discovered by the TV program "Este Noche Cruzamos el Mississippi." She became a regular on it with a great sense of wit and a unique way of relaying stories about her work on the streets. Her career in music started in 1996 and has seen her serve up big Eurobeat tunes like 'Veneno Pa Tu Piel' and house cuts such as 'El Rap De La Veneno'. Two mixes of both of those hit tunes are presented here and are enduring gay anthems that will light up any party.

Review: Adeen Records returns with a superb EP that blends a classic with three new and fresh unreleased tracks. Deep house don Chez Damier's Panorama Bar Remix kicks off and is a a 2021 standout with a killer baseline and Spanish guitar that brings some sunny soul and makes for some top level house grooves. Makez then shines with 'Rocket Music' which has a chunky low end and glistening, golden piano chords making it a late night favourite. On the B-side, Adeen regular Alkalino delivers a tropical-infused edit for the peak time and Gledd closes with a classy cut 'Sere Yo' that is all about the drums. Lovely stuff.

Review: Legofunk serves up a 10th does of its futurist and floor funk here with Dirty Elements and Drunk Drivers at the helm. It's a De Gama Re-Groove to kick things off with super smooth house grooves and florid Latin influences over heft kick drums. It's a carnival waiting to happen, frankly. The original is a more stringy and percussive, but the weighty drums still establish a killer groove. Last of all is 'Cuica Groove' which is sunny and has a weird and wonderful vocal floating up top.

Review: Jaisiel distills the magic of his previous releases on this colour and kaleidoscopic new outing It's A Pleasure which really has something for everyone. 'Nada Que Ver' is refracted new school electro-disco-tech with warm synth smears and vocoder vocals bring future vibes. The Lipelis ADHdance mix then reworks it into a pumping house cut with sensuous vocals and 'El Amanecer' (Tenerife '89 mix) is a blissed out and sun down Balearic sound. Last of all is 'Sobre Cien,' an old school broken beat jam that will get you partying like it was 1989.

Review: Micky More & Andy Tee's remixes of 'Gypsy Woman' and 'Special Love' by Montefiori Cocktail and Jestofunk respectively are jazz-infused delights that bring new life to these classic tracks. On the A-side, 'Gypsy Woman' exudes Latin disco flair, with infectious rhythms, a stunning horn section and uplifting strings that create an irresistible dancefloor vibe. Meanwhile, the flip features the iconic vocals of Jocelyn Brown on 'Special Love,' seamlessly blending disco and house elements for a soulful and energetic experience. The live instrumentation, including bass and horns, adds depth and authenticity to both remixes, enhancing their appeal to DJs and listeners alike. These remixes are sure to light up any dancefloor with their timeless appeal.

Review: Natural Rhythm make their Sounds of Style Records debut with 'Solo Tu,' featuring the sultry spoken word of Lyssa. This deep house gem seamlessly blends Latin House, Jazzy House, and US Garage influences, showcasing why the group has been a favorite among top DJs like Mark Farina and DJ Sneak.The title track 'Solo Tu' is an uptempo funky banger, embodying the classic early 90s house vibe with a smooth, deep house foundation. JT Donaldson's '90s Rework' on the A-side masterfully channels vintage vibes through his SP1200, delivering a timeless, classy US house music experience. Hotmood's 'House Vibe Mix' injects an upbeat energy perfect for any setting, from poolside fun to sweaty warehouse parties. His version is a testament to house music's versatility, ensuring it gets the job done no matter the occasion. Natural Rhythm's "Solo Tu" is a vibrant, multifaceted release that promises to make your ears smile and your feet move, making the label's first release a memorable one in the deep house scene.

Review: BBE is the kind of label you can trust with any kind of reissue project, and when they call upon DJ Spinna and Kai Alce to look back over the foundations of house music, you know you're about to get a masterclass. This intermittent series has seen the two US DJ/producers picking through seminal house joints, editing the most crucial mixes to fit on a 7" as a neatly presented series for anyone wanting to point out exactly what house music really is. This time around they've turned to Sandee's 'Notice Me' - a Latin house joint from 1988 which rocked clubs like Tunnel and Palladium in NYC and Riviera in Chicago upon its original release.

Review: The Tasty Treats label is weaving an intriguing path thus far, having recently released an album of future jazz magic from Kirk Degiorgio under his Offworld alias, and now they're welcoming Shaka onto the label to indulge in some effervescent, richly musical house music good n' proper. 'Shadows Of The Past' has the kind of star-gazing arps and uplifting string stabs which speak to early 90s Detroit techno at its most joyful, but there's also a house sensibility driving the groove. Meanwhile 'Southbound Path' pivots to some red-blooded Latin influence, from the percussion to the nagging piano and beyond. If you need some technicolour magic to sprinkle into a party situation, this record will serve you well.

Review: Portuguese producer and Enchufada label owner Branko is back with his fourth full-length solo album and once again he pushes his own high standards even further. Soma was recorded in Lisbon over a three-day jam session that saw him asking plenty of top local Lisbon-based musicians to improvise over rhythmic frameworks. The resulting man-hours live recording was the blueprint for the album which Brano then worked into the compelling and worldly tunes you have here with vocals from the likes of London, Cape Verde, and Brazil, including Jay Prince, June Freedom, BIAB, and Tuyo.

Review: Those hoping the latest record from Sofi Tukker was a reworking of the score to the Liverpool-set, mid-1980s British sitcom, Bread, will find themselves coming up short here. In contrast, those who were expecting this to be the difficult third studio LP from Portugal's most in-demand festival darlings and electronic-pop crossover stars are very much in the right place. Not so much an acquired taste, but certainly upbeat and accessible enough to put chin-strokers off, on record number three Tukker seem to distill a wealth of dance styles into what is ostensibly a carnival of a release. 'Perfect Someone' opts for soul and jazz house, veterans might pick up on 'Spiral' giving (perhaps an accidental) nod to late-1990s trance anthem 'The Orange Theme' mixed with girl band bubble gum, 'Woof' almost feels like a Mr Scruff production, and 'Guardian Angel' serves sunset at an Ibiza restaurant.

Review: French label Wagram is a go-to when it comes to quality compilations that take a broad look at certain sounds and scenes, and this one is an on-going series that focuses on house sounds with an Afro undertone. The grooves are lively and often come with plenty of percussion. The drums hit hard but with funk, the vocals are Afro-centric and plenty of irresistible hits come thick and fast from the jazzy tribal swagger of 'Imbalaye' to the big steel drum party sounds of 'Viet Dao' (Klement Bonelli & Yann DL remix). Another great collection of colourful Afro house sounds.

Review: Did you know that the Wagram label in France is working on a bare minimum of 17 different compilations at any one time? That might not be strictly true, but given how many they release and how consecutively they seem to arrive, it sure fells like it could be. This one, quite simply, is aimed at serving up some summer ready Brazilian Vibes from serval different sound worlds. There are gems form electronic acts like Jazzanova, house leaning cuts from French icon DJ Gregory, funky reworks by US titan Kenny Dope and Bossa bombs from the likes of Jose Padilla and many more.

Review: French label Wagram knows a thing or two about putting out superb compilations that take a widescreen look at a diverse array of genres. For this latest double album release it carries on in its Africanism series with a second volume of house sounds with an Afro undertone. French legend Bob Sinclair appears several times with his lavish house sounds, and countryman Martin Solveig brings the heat with 'Heartbeat', a bright, prickly and vocal jam with plenty of irresistible hooks. It's a great collection of party-ready sounds.