Back catalogue: Funky/Club House

Review: After an absence of a few years, 40 Thieves return to Leng Records with one of their most special releases to date: a hook-up with long-time Patrick Adams collaborator Gary Davis and long serving soulstress Cinammon Jones. What's on offer is a re-make of one of Jones' songs, 'The Gift', whose sweet lyrics celebrate the arrival of a new day. 40 Thieves take, explored first in the A-side 'Disco Mix', sounds like it was designed to be danced to during a San Francisco sunrise - think dub disco delays, hypnotic grooves, bubbly electronics, languid guitar licks and gentle melodies. Over on the flip, they take the track further into 'woozy 6am open air dancing territory' on a superb, stretched out 'Disco Dub' mix, before peppering a killer drum track with spaced-out electronics on the 'Beats' version.

Review: A classic that delivers the quintessential Euro house experience with its infectious energy and irresistible dancefloor appeal. This new yellow vinyl version brings flashbacks flooding in of the era's vibrant club scene through a mix of upbeat rhythms, catchy melodies and expansive remixes. Side-1 opens with the single version of 'More & More', a track that wastes no time diving into a groove-laden beat and euphoric synth lines. The extended mix that follows stretches the vibe even further, offering DJs and dance enthusiasts a longer ride through the track's pulsating, feel-good energy. Side-2 turns up the heat with the 'Underground' remix, which injects a deeper, more nocturnal edge into the track, perfect for late-night sets. The 'Trance Mix' closes the collection with an ethereal, sweeping take on the original, merging classic Euro house elements with hypnotic trance influences. This release is a love letter to the era of extended pleasure through remixes, capturing both the mainstream appeal and underground allure of Euro house.

Review: Kendrick Lamar's 'King Kunta' and Kelis' 'Milkshake' hear an unlikely pairing on the perfunctorily named Edits series. The former track - some might agree its dust is still settling, as it was released in 2015 - sounds almost twice as lively here, its "oh, yes, you can, oh, yes you can!" ad-lib sounding about as squeezed as a hand-wrung lime steeped in its own juices and then dried out in Saharan heat. There's a diatonic, electric piano hook added on top too; Kelis' flip has a similar feel, mashing up the noughts teaser hit with a dash of easily identified r&b goodness - we're 99% sure you'll recognise the instrumental, its having also originated somewhere in the familiar fires of pop musical preeminence.

Review: Western Australian Casual Connection has been serving up occasional seven-inch singles of edits and reworks since 2019, each pleasingly limited and packed with cuts tweaked for dancefloor pressure. This '45' is the Perth-based producer's first outing of 2024. On side A you'll find '1 Thing Feels So Good', a cannily crafted number in which the vocal from Amerie R&B classic 'One Thing' rides a backing track built out of loops and samples from a pitched-down disco-boogie classic. It's cheeky but brilliantly executed - instant party-starting guaranteed! His love of blending r&b and hip-hop vocals with classic samples and his own beats comes to the fore once more on 'Always Party on Time'. It's good, too, but lacks the instant gratification provided by the A-side.

Review: The Rangi Club EP by Chasse offers four genuine house tracks that showcase the essence side of deeper dance music. Side-1 opens with 'It's Alright,' a track that lays down a solid house groove. With its deeper vibe and strong vocal delivery, it sets the perfect mood for a night on the dancefloor. 'Purple Street' follows, bringing smooth deep house sounds and a rhythm that's instantly catchy, making it hard not to move along. On Side-2, the title track 'Rangi Club' takes inspiration from Chicago house with its distinctive drum grooves. It's a workout for the dancefloor, designed to keep the energy high. The EP closes with 'Welcome,' a piano-led builder that gradually intensifies, offering a satisfying conclusion to this well-rounded collection. The Rangi Club EP provides four strong examples of tracks that will elevate any set.

Review: As her releases for Aus and fantastic DJ Kicks mix have proved, Cinthie Christl knows a thing or two about classic-sounding, peak-time ready house music. It's little surprise, then, to discover that her Heist Recordings debut is full to bursting with nostalgic, retro-futurist treats. She begins by doffing a cap to the dreamy chords, jazzy synth-bass and rushing piano stabs of turn-of-the-90s Italo-house on 'Won't U Take Me', before reaching for more sparkling, life-affirming riffs on the marginally more driving (and accurately titled) 'Piano Heaven'. That track gets a chunkier, weightier and more energetic makeover by St David on the flip, while 'Masterplan' is a high-octane tribute to Dance Mania style ghetto-house with a timeless deep house twist.

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: Clive From Accounts's tunes are as good as his artist alias. For his latest meeting he serve sup a knowing blend of soul, house and disco from across the ages. The relative newcomer impresses from the off with 'Tell Me' which is a steamy vocal over a fulsome house beat. 'Without Your Love' cuts loose on a more heady and cosmic house groove with some gorgeously seductive trumpet lines drifting in and out of ear shot and 'Strictly Business' is fun, cuddly basement grooves for intimate parties. 'Yukon' is a nice fresh breakbeat to up the energy.

Review: Marc Cotterell's 'Feel The Groove' EP is a vibrant, disco-infused collection that merges classic grooves with modern production. The title track, 'Feel The Groove', is a light, fun disco gem, capturing a funky 70s mood with a fresh UK garage twist and that xylophone magic touch. 'Get It Right' takes the funk further, building up to a filtered disco crescendo that's perfect for late-night floors, oozing with energy and sleek edits. On the flip side, 'My Groove' offers a deeper vibe, giving the EP a well-rounded feel with its rich bassline and smooth production. Finally, 'Work Me' is catchy and playful, bringing a polished sound that keeps the rhythm flowing. Altogether, 'Feel The Groove' is a solid pick for those craving both nostalgic and modern dancefloor moments.

Review: The Crates Motel crew make a head turning debut here with this inaugural release featuring some red hot classic all reworked with great care and plenty of dancefloor aplomb. Up first is 'Eye No You', a belting vocal cut with big disco energy that will have the floor in raptures. Things get slower and funkier on 'Beyond Far' with its loose and live drums and withering chords under a familiar riff. On the B-side the temp gets turned up again with 'More Eye', a Philly disco cut complete with lavish strings and raw male vocals full of heart wrenching soul. Last of all is 'Rock The Dance', a disco version of an epic Clash cut that is pure fun.

Review: Motor City label Upstairs Asylum celebrates its roots in 313 with this new Dance Detroit EP featuring a wealth of American house innovators. First up, Reggie Dokes and Steve Crawford join forces on 'Fear Of Failure', a house track steeped in Detroit soul. Marvin Prather's 'Until' follows on with his stylish and soul-drenched grooves. Steve Crawford then goes it alone and turns up the drums on his potent 'Let You Go' (feat Tony B) and then get deeply emotional on 'Love Is Here' this time with help from featured artist Anthony Poteat. Prather and then label regular and Atlanta man Reggie Dokes closes down with his 'Not Ready.'

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: REPRESS ALERT!: Cruise Music marks its tenth EP by serving up what it says are "secret funky house weapons" and there isn't much wrong with their description. Danny Cruz kicks off with 'Shoulda Been You' which rides on smooth grooves and has gentle synth waves breaking over the beats as heartfelt vocal sounds rise out of the mix. Mark Funk's 'True Lies' brings a classic 90s vocal sample to a non-stop soul beat and the B-side has got Dirty Disco Stars going big and funky and glorious on 'Look Up' then Mirko & Meex Re-touch 'Young Hearts' .

Review: Produced by a quartet of experienced Italian producers, CRW's debut single 'I Feel Love' was a huge international dancefloor hit following its original release in 1998. Joining the dots between uplifting 90s trance, Eurodance and the colourful and saucer-eyed end of the superclub progressive house spectrum, it has been remixed countless times since. This EP brings together the best of those versions, flitting between melody-rich peak-time joy (the piano-sporting On Air and Red mixes), stomping trance muscularity (the J&R Mix), speed garage-influenced, bass-heavy Eurodance (the RAF Zone version), 21st century hard dance (the buzzing riffs and thickset grooves of DJ Isaac's recent revision) and atmospheric progressive trance (Karl8 and Andrea Monta's extended 'rework').

Review: JKriv & Co. at Razor N Tape serve up possibly their biggest release yet, if this one is anything to go by. The first edition in the label's brand spanking new Family Affair series features the pairing of legends Dimitri From Paris & DJ Rocca on 'Days Of A Better Paradise' kicking off the A side, before Saucy Lady's late night boogie-down biz on 'Passport To My Love'. Flip over and you're treated to a seriously lo-slung cosmic disco dub on Misiu's 'Love Me Do' and finally Clive From Accounts tells it straight up on the acid jazz joint 'It's Not That I Don't Care'.

Review: Though mostly known for their colourful and soul-drenched house, Defected can also do more physical and tech-leaning sounds as exemplified on this new EP. It features a mix of new school tastemakers with Jansons opening up with the old school breaks and bars of 'Hypnotic' (feat Dope Earth Alien) then American star LP Giobbi layers up the freewheeling melodies and punchy drum loops on 'Giodisco.' Sam Divine gets for a deep and driving house sound on 'Take My Hand' (feat Josh Barry) and Oden & Fatzo X Camden Cox close things out with a more light and airy vocal sound on 'Lady Love.' Some useful variation here.

Review: John Morales is pretty universally credited with inventing the 12" when he decided he needed more run time for his remixes than could be found on a small 7" 45rpm. Those remixes were often done on the studio floor when he would cut up and splice analogue tape to insert new breaks and extended instrumentals. He remains as good as anyone at that and these new versions of Curtis Harrison's 'I Want Your Lovin' and 'I Want You All Tonight' show why. They are steamy and loved-up disco gems that have everything needed to set the floor alight- big vocals, big drums, lush synths.

Review: For those who like kaleidoscopic synth sounds, nu-disco and 80s electrofunk nostalgia, the announcement of a collaborative single from modern disco maestro Purple Disco Machine and Canadian boogie revivalists Chromeo will be big news. Happily, 'Heartbreaker' is tons of fun, providing a perfect fusion of Purple Disco Machine's throbbing, cheery and uplifting take on nu-disco and the authentic synths, talkbox flourishes and eyes-closed vocals that have always marked out Chromeo's work. The A-side extended mix is particularly potent, but we're also massive fans of the alternate instrumental take, in which the uniqueness of the fusiuon - Moroder-ish bass, elongated mid-80s soft rock synth solos and glossy FM synth stabs - comes to the fore. To quote Alan Partridge, it's a copper-bottomed hit!

Review: US house champion Junior Sanchez lands on the legendary Planet E label here with new remixes of his 'Art-O-Fact' bringing plenty of funk and Motor City house sounds. The Detroit remix opens up and is a deft working of the groove with smart filters and bursts of sparkling arpeggios lighting up the speedy house beats. The Detroit Bass remix is a little heavier and with more low end, as you might expect from the title, and last of all the Detroit Beatless remix is a masterclass is emotive synth work that dances and teases in a cosmic night sky.

Review: Honey stands as a distinct entry in Caribou's evolving catalog. Dan Snaith has always been known for reinventing his sound with each release, and this album is no exception. It represents a continuation of his journey, combining the rich, pop sensibilities he's honed over years of music-making. Following the deeply personal themes of his previous albums, Suddenly and the Grammy-nominated Our Love, Snaith shifts focus on Honey to explore more universal themes. The album seamlessly merges the infectious energy of his Daphni project with the emotive, uplifting qualities that define Caribou. Tracks are built for the dancefloor, bursting with unexpected twists and vibrant layers that only Snaith can deliver. Honey doesn't feel like a departure from Caribou's past, but rather a natural progression that unites his dual identities. The album is a testament to Snaith's restless creativity, as he continues to push boundaries and refuses to be confined by any single genre or approach. This release excels through sound and emotion.

Review: Self-proclaimed "quadruple threat" (he is, after all, a DJ, comedian, actor and poet) Craig Charles swings open his colossal Trunk of Funk for a third time. In line with previous dives into the popular BBC 6 Music DJ's music collection, he's served up a selection that moves between the decades, taking in all manner of funky treats (think funk breaks, modern soul, jazz-funk, disco-boogie, classic soul and more). Flick through the clips and you'll find genius-like gospel (the Harlem Gospel Travellers), recent remixes (Smoove reworking the Third Degree, A Skillz putting his stamp on The Niceguys), classics reimagined (the Boogie Back rework of Beggar & Co classic 'Somebody Help Me Out'), modern gems (Dave Lee and Omar) and the odd exclusive (a previously unheard vocal version of The New Mastersounds' 'Watchu Want').

Review: The glorious Dobro label gets to double figures in fine style here with a new album that finds Iner both going solo and collaborating with Oiuna on four new cuts which then get remixed. The originals are summery, airy, organic worlds of gentle deep house rhythms, feathery synth melodies and gentle hooks that have a subtle future feel. The remixes rework the tunes for more direct vibes in the club with Frank Music label head Johannes Albert going first and then Crowd Control also stepping up. Great artwork, too.