Review: There is very little info out there about the Milkcrate Mondays label but we do know that their only other release last year was well hyped and quickly sold out. This second one is likely to follow suit. It comes from Able and is a dusty house cut with an old school feel thanks to the gentle breaks that power it along as a signature smoky soul vocal from Amy Winehouse brings plenty of emotion to a-side cut 'Winehouse Magic'. On the flip is 'Drake Punk' which pairs Daft Punk filter house loops with auto-tuned vocals all sure to bring some fun to the 'floor.
Review: Three standout tracks from Dave Lee's 2023 album Metamorphosis - which he dropped under his AC Soul Symphony alias - now get pulled apart and reworked by the one and only Dub-disco king Ray Mang. First comes 'It's Got To Be Love' with its super funky and bubbly bass and lush string elegance, then he flips 'Tradewinds' into a deeper, still lush and lavish instrumental disco gem that is seductive and warm for the winter months. Last but not least, 'K-Jee' brings an infectious groove to the dance floor with a little more percussive energy and upbeat bounce - but again swooning strings are the icing on the cake. All three of these are classy and sophisticated reworks from the one and only Mang.
Let Me Be Your Fantasy (Dimitri From Paris club mix) (6:14)
Let Me Be Your Fantasy (Dimitri From Paris dub) (7:16)
Let Me Be Your Fantasy (Masters At Work Clap Yo Hands dub) (7:25)
Let Me Be Your Fantasy (Moplen remix) (5:03)
Let Me Be Your Fantasy (Mousse T Fantastic Shizzle mix) (6:00)
Let Me Be Your Fantasy (Blackchild remix) (6:00)
Let Me Be Your Fantasy (Two Soul Fusion remix) (12:05)
Review: Anane's soulful vocal delivery takes centre stage on her reimagining of this evergreen disco cut - originally crafted by Love Symphony Orchestra in 1978 - rebooted here through a series of new mixes from some massive house names. Dimitri From Paris delivers two irresistible cuts, his club mix a vibrant and energetic journey through classic house sounds, while his dub strips things back to a hypnotic groove. Masters At Work's 'Clap Yo Hands Dub' injects a dose of infectious energy, while Moplen's remix takes a more atmospheric approach, its swirling synths and hypnotic rhythms creating a mesmerising soundscape. Mousse T's 'Fantastic Shizzle Mix' adds a touch of soulful bounce, while Blackchild's remix delves into deeper, more tribal-infused territories. Two Soul Fusion's remix closes out the collection with a smooth and uplifting vibe, its soulful melodies and infectious groove leaving a lasting impression. A true classic reimagined through the lens of a host of diverse, talented producers.
Tell Me That I'm Dreaming (Louie Vega mix main) (5:45)
Tell Me That I'm Dreaming (Louie Vega mix instrumental) (5:44)
Tell Me That I'm Dreaming (Dave Lee Disco Not Disco club No Drop) (8:13)
Review: The Cape Verdean model, singer, DJ, artist and philanthropist Anane is up next on esteemed New York City label Nervous with 'Tell Me That I'm Dreaming' which is remixed by her husband (and partner in Elements Of Life) Lil Louie Vega. He injects the track with some late night boogie-down action which accompanies her fabulous vocals just perfectly. The same quality you've come to expect from one half of Masters At Work. Over on the flip, veteran British producer Dave Lee's Disco Not Disco club No Drop is ultra smooth and as low-slung as you like it. The man has the midas touch, what more can we say.
Review: Some four months after he lost his battle with cancer, BBE is releasing Paul 'Trouble' Anderson's final production - a fittingly joyous, upbeat and life-affirming cover of gospel standard "Happy Day" featuring the impassioned vocals of soul singer John Redmond. On the A-side of this 12" edition you'll find the "Classic Main Mix", a bouncy and rubbery fusion of soaring gospel vocals, bumping house beats, mazy organ solos, rubbery disco bass and clipped guitar riffs. It's superb all told, and a fitting final hurrah from one of the UK's most significant DJs of the past 40 years. Over on the flip you'll find the slightly more stripped-back "Classic Dub", where impassioned vocal snippets ride Anderson's killer groove, bouncy pianos and spacey synths.
Master Fusion (All My Love) (Albert Menendez instrumental mix) (6:47)
Review: We love nothing more than house music direct from the Windy City and that's what Vick Lavender's Sophisticado Recordings has got for us here. Angel-A is actually a native of Detroit currently living in Chicago and influenced by everything from jazz to gospel. She brings that to the fore here on the 'Master Fusion' single which is as soulful, lush and heartwarming as house can be. Her voice takes on many different forms from wordless coos to expressive declarations of love via diva wails. Lavender himself serves up a mix, while Albert Menendez offers both a piano-laced vocal mix and a broken beat, jazz-licked and synth-heavy instrumental which does still have the standout original vocal.
Review: Apparel Wax on Apparel Music records has recently started a 7" series of which this is the third instalment of. These 45 DJ friendly records are sure to be hits with house music DJs and fans both. The music does the talking as the tracks are simply called 'Track 1' and 'Track 2'. The first blends jazz, funk into a house instrumental frenzy that has all the makings of a classic late night success. The second one is quite unusual and unique, adding a broken almost jungle beat that goes great with the piano. This gives us some real early 90s UK rave flashbacks! This versatile 7" should go over great with those who hear it!
Review: Stockholm based Ari Bald is up next for Better Listen after inaugurating Honey Butter Records last year with that great release. He keeps on with that deep disco spirit with these four funky and lo-slung jams. On the A side, we have two ergonomic edits in the form of "That Lonely Night" and "Enchantress" respectively which are looped to perfection with some somewhat familiar hooks that gradually build up to that drop! That's where the thumping kick comes charging in and it's sure geared for maximum dancefloor dynamics. On the flip, get ready for the funk explosion that is "Moonshiner" or what could be your First Choice (mind the pun!) in the form of the smooth and sexy late night groove of "Are You Mesmerized?"
Missing You (Eric Kupper Director’s cut Tribute To Fk remix) (6:57)
Missing You (Ridney rework) (6:03)
Review: First released a decade ago and revisited periodically ever since, Arftul and Ridney's collaboration with UK soul queen Terri Walker is a 21st century house classic. This 10th anniversary edition - released in limited numbers for Record Store Day 2023 - pairs fresh revisions with classic reworks. Michael Gray steps up with a funk-fuelled, disco-tinged revision, before the insanely talented Opolopo opts for a deeper, jazz-funk-flecked revision that's as classy as it is soulful. Elsewhere, Eric Kupper's 'Directors Cut Tribute To FK' version is a strings-and-piano-laden treat, while Ridney's own 'Rework' is a tasteful, piano-sporting deep house shuffler.
Review: Los Angeles-based ASHRR are back on 2020 Vision ahead of a new album and this time serve up their own superb version of The Romantics's 1983 hit 'Talking in Your Sleep.' In their hands, it becomes a club-ready sound with a vocal you may recognise as it featured in the Mad Max episode of Stranger Things. Add in some DFA-inspired punk funk vibes and with all the instruments reapplied while new layers of bass and synth are added and you have one fantastic new version. Balearic don Fernando steps up for two remixes, first stripping things back to a deep house sound and then bringing some dub disco vibes to the fore.
Review: Toolroom has gone from underground house label to one of the UK's most successful and large scale dance brands. They keep on serving up the sort of hits that become big festival anthems and this is another one, with new school Chicago artist Gene Farris paired off with ATFC for big, rollicking piano house sounds on 'Spirit of House.' 'R U' then gets more tech edged and sweaty on a big synth loop and walls of drums, while 'Tech House Kinda Thing' is a supersized tune designed to do plenty of damage. There is real funk and soul in the cut up and filtered vocal loops of closer 'Not Enough.'
Review: The Stamp label is up to its 18th outing here and once again it is an irresistible coming together of club-ready grooves with well-chosen and well-worked samples. First up the essence of one of George Benson's most iconic cuts gets reworked into a smooth house beat with the guitar kicks, vocal inflections, claps and melodies all getting you up on your toes on 'Night' (dub). 'New York To Rio' then brings some dusty deep house grooves and impassioned vocals for a more upbeat kinda party. Hand-stamped white label business this, so do not hang about.
Review: Sundries' Disco Goodies series, which rounds up the best of the label's digital releases and presents them on multi-artist EPs, reaches its fourth instalment. It hits home hard from the start, where Berobreo's 'Soul Driven Dynamics' provides an attractive mix of 1970s orchestral soul samples and rubbery deep house beats. Experienced re-editor Oldchap brings the goods with a lightly tooled-up and beefed-up rework of an orchestra-sporting disco gem ('Coloridos'), before X Gets The Crest delivers a percussive, hot-stepping and filter-smothered re-wire of a much-loved Cymande classic ('Still Come Home'). Over on side B, Alexny's heavy disco-funk re-edit ('People Says') is joined by a hazy and horn-heavy revision courtesy of Sould Out ('City Gal') and the pitched-up disco loop-funk of 'Since You Came' by Workerz.
Review: The Moiss Music label seems to like to drop their EPs two at a time. They did it in February and they're doing it again in May. This eighth outing collects four more lively disco cuts, each with their own subtle influences. Berobreo's 'White Rabbit' for instance has funky undertones with loopy guitar riffs and nice breaks. The Magic Track's 'Jamming With Mom' meanwhile is more sensuous and deep, with late-night synth work and seductive vocals. Oldchap's 'I Want To Show You' has an expressive soul vocal with more low-slung grooves and Alexny's 'Not Bad' then gets quick, clipped and loopy for its lip-pouting disco thrills.
Mood II Swing - "Closer" (feat Carole Sylvan - King Street Moody club mix) (6:17)
Ananda Project - "Cascades Of Colour" (feat Gaelle - Wamdue Black extended mix) (6:46)
Review: Earlier this year, legendary NY house label King Street Sounds was acquired by Armada Music. The Dutch imprint plans to reissue many of the well-known - and lesser-celebrated - gems from the King Street vaults in the months and years ahead. To kick things off, they've delivered this vinyl sampler featuring some of the stable's most admired cuts of all time. So, we get Dennis Ferrer's iconic remix of Blaze and Barbara Tucker's gospel-powered soulful house anthem, 'Most Precious Love', the 'King Street Mix' of Jovonn's legendary deep, bumpin' tribute to New Jersey's Club Zanzibar, 'Back To Zanzibar', Mood II Swing's hot and heavy 'moody club mix' of their own Carole Sylvan collaboration 'Closer' and the all-time deep house classic that is the Wamdue Black extended rework of 'Cascades of Colour' by Ananda Project. Simply essential!
What Would You Do (Expansions NYC dub vocal) (7:10)
Review: Get ready for a rush-inducing dose of proper soulful vocal house from the mighty Dames Brown. On this record for Defected, Detroit's foremost trio of Athena Johnson, Lisa Cunningham and Teresa Marbury linked up with the mighty Amp Fiddler and Andres for a rip through house music as real as it gets. The original 12" mix of 'What Would You Do?' is hard to beat for raw, heavy-hitting groove and production, but there are some choice remixes included here for those who have different needs, whether it's the bouncy jazz funk of Two Soul Fusion's version or the smoother sound of Folamour creating a sleek disco house variation for the peak time crowd.
Review: Leading big room house label Toolroom, which hassling been under the charge of boss man MArkKNight, is back with more firing and high energy sounds. ESSEL & Alex Mills are on this one and unleash 'Rave Is The Weapon' which has got it all - wonky hooks, white noise blasts, chunky drums and a firing vocal that is sure to electrify the floor. On the reverse, it is ESSEL who goes solo for 'The Edge' which is a pumping house cut with some swaying tech beats and a nice hooky vocal up top. Great fun.
Herd & Fitz/Hannah Wants/Abigail Bailey - "I Just Can't Get Enough 2024" (6:39)
Herd & Fitz/Jakkob/Abigail Bailey - "I Just Can't Get Enough 2024" (5:26)
Herd & Fitz/Abigail Bailey - "I Just Can't Get Enough 2024" (5:16)
Herd & Fitz/Abigail Bailey - "I Just Can't Get Enough 2024" (H&F Sunrise mix) (6:00)
Review: Back in 2006, Jason Herd and Jon Fitz scored a colossal club hit with 'Just Can't Get Enough', a funky and chunky house number featuring impassioned lead vocals by Abigail Bailey and a prominent sample from Kariya's late-80s dancefloor classic 'Let Me Love You For Tonight'. 18 years on, the track has been given a makeover. Hannah Wants steps up first, retaining the vocals and Kariya synth samples while combining it with a beefy, tooled-up house groove, before Jakob reaches for mid-90s organ bass, a grandiose breakdown and even bigger builds. Flip for two reworks by Herd and Fitz - a rushing, peak-time friendly, radio-ready big room house re-wire, and a bouncier, piano-sporting 'Sunrise' revision.
Sweet Love (Luke Solomon Always Love Revision) (6:50)
Sweet Love (Sweet Lovin' mix) (6:36)
Review: Following their collaboration in 2023 on Luke Solomon's Classic Music Company, Sophie Lloyd & Amy Douglas return with a remix package of the track 'Sweet Love', featuring the label boss himself. Luke's Always Love Revision of this modern disco anthem ups the ante, adding huge swathes of energy to the previously sensual record. The two-track package also features the 'Sweet Lovin' Mix', which capitalises on the raucous finale from the original 'Love Hangover Mix', making for a worthy mini-comp.
Review: Micky More is the alias of Michele Mingo, an Italian DJ and producer who's co-founder of Ancona-based Groove Culture Music with Andy Tee. His latest track is his best yet; 'All About The Culture' features US legend Cevin Fisher and it is real proper deep house with an infectious vocal underpinned by surefire elements, such as a low slung bassline and creamy Rhodes keys - enough said! If that's not enough, over on the flip Mingo taps the one-and-only Roland Clark for his participation on 'The Rhythm', a serving of low-slung, ultra smooth mood music for the late night.
Micky More & Andy Tee, Reverendos Of Soul, Anduze - "Devoted" (6:23)
Serge Funk - "Can't Get Enough" (6:30)
Danny Losito - "All I Want" (Micky More & Andy Tee mix) (6:11)
Micky More & Andy Tee - "Philly Sensation" (6:55)
Review: There is an immediately loveable vibe to the carefree and breezy house music that the Italian label Groove Culture deals in. This is the 15th such offering - a third volume of its Jam series - and again the good times flow from the off. 'Devoted' is a four-way collab between Micky More, Andy Tee, Reverendos Of Soul and Anduze that layers up the soulful drums and disco percussion with buttery smooth soul vocals. Serge Funk's 'Can't Get Enough' is all swirling strings and sunny trumpet motifs over funk house beats and then Micky More & Andy Tee appear to remix 'All I Want' into another future Body & Soul classic. The duo's own 'Philly Sensation" is a disco-tinged, string-heavy house dream to close.
Fleur De Mur - "Ease My Mind" (Micky More & Andy Tee mix) (5:48)
Derrick McKenzie & Angela Johnson - "On My Way Out" (7:02)
Ron Carroll - "My Prayer" (Micky More & Andy Tee mix) (6:21)
House Freakers - "Tease Me" (feat MO) (5:34)
Review: Sultry purist disco house moods from Groove Culture Italy, welcoming four standalone originals to the first edition of their 'Groove Is In The Heart' series, three out of four of which are remixes of tunes that have already been released on the label. True to their form, this record welds the ways of classic disco and disco-house, opening with the melismatic vocal tones of 'Ease My Mind' by Fleur De Mur before moving into the slightly slower chic-funk of Derrick McKenzie and Angela Johnson's 'On My Way Out'. Things turn housier - as the outdoor shindig moves indoors at first sign of the crepuscular tide - with 'My Prayer', while House Freakers' 'Tease Me' rounds things off on a well-sidechained womper.
Review: Pawsa and Adventures of Stevie V breathe new life into an iconic dance classic with an exhilarating update, a gesture of Pawsa's innovative production skills adding a fresh dimension to Adventures of Stevie V's timeless vocals. The 'Extended Mix' is a pulsating journey through house music's vibrant landscape, capturing the raw energy of the original while injecting a contemporary twist. On the flip, David Morales delivers a masterful remix, his 'Sold Out Mix' taking the track into deeper, more soulful territory. A real double-sided gem.
Review: Pawsa has a reputation for delivering perfect party-starting music, often via funky, sub-heavy takes on tech-house. Who better, then, to remix The Adventires of Stevie V's infectious 1989 anthem 'Dirty Cash' - arguably, Jungle Brothers' 'I'll House You' aside, the most famous hip-house record of all time. Pawsa's 'Extended Mix' (side A) retains the warehouse-ready vibe of the original, placing the vocals, stabs and some wiggly new acid lines atop a squelchy TB-303 bassline and pumping house beats. Over on the B-side there's another chance to savour David Morales' 'Sold Out' mix, a slower, deeper, dreamier and lightly breakbeat driven interpretation that naturally earned plenty of plays when it was first released way back in 1990.
Review: German artist Purple Disco Machine is a studio wizard and something of a throwback - he manages to make tunes that are rich in musicality as well as having plenty of focus on the dancefloor. Each one brims with colourful hooks and catchy grooves and this new one 'Beat Of Your Heart' comes with delightfully soulful vocals from singer-songwriter ASDiS. It's got summer anthem written all over it such is the feel-good nature of the whole thing with both a club dub and instrumental also included for different settings. Bring on the sun!
Review: REPRESS ALERT!: This new 12" on US label Seasons Limited brings together two of deep house's most accomplished and tasteful names in French legend Franck Roger plus Arnold Jarvis who he last collaborated with in 2007, while UK mainstay and Freerange label boss Jimpster remixes. It is one the label has been cooking up for a while but proves more than worth the wait. 'Living My Life' is the one original collab and is smooth, buttery deep house with lush vocal tones. Jimpster brings a little more bounce and a fat bassline on one mix, then dubs things out to prefect for the second. A timeless set of grooves that will level-up any collection.
Avenue 6 (Is This The Real Life?) (Real Crooked mix) (7:45)
Avenue 6 (Is This The Real Life?) (Crooked Girl Crooked Boy mix) (7:20)
Review: Si Brad was the original in-house producer for the Toko label. Dormant for 20 years, it is now back with a brace of brilliant new releases that immediately put it right back at the top. 'Avenue 6(Is This The Real Life?)' is pure blissed out sunset house music. The drawn out baseline, the gently bouncing drums and the airy vocal from Azeem all take you to a perfect party by the sea. The Real Crooked mix is a low slung and playful yet menacing dub. The Croocked one then steps up once more for a second and final mix that is sparse and eerie with subtle FX and speaker tweaking details.
Review: Fools Paradise offer the next edition of their Paradise Vinyl sampler series: a very special two-tracker shared between peaktime UK house music connoisseur Soul Avengerz (Paul Gardner) and fabulous French producer Sebb Junior. On the A, Avengerz partners with vocalist extraordinaire Adeva to deliver a fresh, raw, re-recorded version of her 1989 vocal house classic with Paul Simpson, 'Musical Freedom'; the new version is a total rerub and makes for an impressive, dance-reviving extended mix. Sebb's 'Colors', meanwhile, revolves around a central 'colours of your love' sample, and dextrously weaves its beats round a central gelatinous, nigh vesicular synth hook, one that froths and jiggles throughout an overall funky, jacking groove.
Review: Last time out Andreya Triana and The Vision (AKA KON and Ben Westbeech) took us to "Heaven" and back. For their latest single they've asked us to gape in wonder at some suitably sizeable "Mountains". In its original "Extended Mix" form (side A) the track is soulful, slick and seductive, with Triana's superb vocals rising, mountain-like, above a musical panorama rich in dreamy chords, jazz-funk bass, gospel pianos and club-ready beats that sit somewhere between deep house and disco. Danny Krivit is the man at the controls for the flipside remix. He stretches out the track impressively, making a bit more of the spacey synths, guitars and bass while re-framing the track as a soaring slab of piano house brilliance.
Review: Michael Mayer's Kompakt label has managed to help shape a number of niche sounds, from ambient with its excellent annual compilations, to a mature and melodic take on techno through countless LPs and 12"s. This new remix EP sits somewhere in between. Running Back don Gerd Janson goes first with his take on 'Follow Your Line' which has zoned out and filtered vocals of a nice and languid electronic disco rhythm. Ada then brings some signature melodic beauty and whisky to a remix of 'Talking Man' that has Balearic potential and the boss himself dubs out 'Follow Your Line' to perfection.
Alan Braxe - "You'll Stay In My Heart" (instrumental)
Review: While he might not have enjoyed the same global superstardom as Daft Punk or Bob Sinclair, Alan Braxe has more than made his mark as a legend of the French touch movement. As co-creator of monster house anthems 'Music Sounds Better With You' (with Stardust) and 'Intro' (with Fred Falke) he's shown off his skills in crafting an eternal classic. In 2005 The Upper Cuts was released to shine a light on the wider reaches of his impeccable oeuvre - every track a pitch perfect slice of Parisian dancefloor gold. Now it's being reissued in newly remastered form with some bonus belters including Braxe's remix of Britney Spears' 'Anticipating'.
Review: Marseille's Ravanelli Disco Club returns with Antwerp-based Aymeric, resident at Geheimzinnig and Transit clubs, for their eighth release. Expect sexy, disco-tinged deep house all the way across That Sound EP. From the dreamy and low slung title track which gets a sultry, boogie down rework by mighty Frenchman Anoraak up next. On the flip, more club ready vibes await on the uplifting, Chicago inspired vibe of 'Peace' followed by the thumping funky house of 'Little Loving' with a distinct "French Touch" vibe that you'll love as much as we did.
Home Sweet Home (The Journey) (DJ Spen remix) (7:29)
Home Sweet Home (The Journey) (DJ Spen dub) (6:23)
Home Sweet Home (The Journey) (DJ Spen Hump mix) (5:53)
Review: Demuir's Visions album gets its first series of remixes here as standout cut 'Home Sweet Home (The Journey)' gets reworked by Baltimore's finest dance music ambassador and bona fide legend DJ Spen. First up he brings some shuffling and deep soul to the groove with an irresistible skip to the drums and a lush vocal. The dub pairs things back a little further with more splash in the percussion and last of all comes the Hump mix. This one has noodling keys working their way up through the mix to bring real enlightenment.
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