Back catalogue: Funky/Club House

Review: Native Soul Recordings has been around a long old time in dance music terms and now it looks back over some of its finest works with this first in a new series of Best Of comps. Music writer Harold Heath is first up with 'Slipstream,' an effortless smooth late-night house cut with introspective chords and silky pads bringing real depth. The Candy Dealers get more lithe and elastic with the spraying bass and jumbled percussive house of 'Train Of Thought' and last of all, Asad Rizvi remixes Jevne's 'Moderize' with a funky little bassline and chord vamps that keep you on edge. A tasteful package of timeless house grooves.

Review: Spanish label MATE host a four track, two artist 12" that stretches across the Atlantic to take in top house music talents from both sides. The Belgian duo Chasse follow their releases on Robsoul and Exploited take on the A-side, with 'Viola' proving a chunky but emotive offering held together by rhythmic sax stabs and suspended strings and 'Deep Link' a jazzier affair, the sax let properly loose as a plaintive piano loops atmospherically. The prolific Detroit producer Javonntte, a regular on the label, offers up the fantastic Moog improv wigout of 'Sunday Brunch Cocktail', registering some impressively original high frequency operations. 'When Music Feels' boasts a spoken word vocal from Javonntte's own sister and a more classic deep house sound with an uplifting, spiritual vibe. Maximum value for money via four very playable tunes.

Review: ***B-STOCK: Sleeve damaged but otherwise in excellent condition***


Louie Vega's famed Elements of Life project - an ever-changing collective of musicians who create live house, disco, Latin and soul tracks - returns to action, this time with old friend Josh Milan in tow. In its original Louie Vega mix form (track 3),'Let Us Shine' is a deliciously deep soulful house number with tribal-influenced percussion, gospel-influenced vocals and Vega's usual impeccably produced instrumentation. Milan provides two top-notch 'Honeycomb' mixes (vocal and instrumental), which opt for a breezier and more tactile vibe with nods to both early New York garage-house and the earlier 'proto-house' wave spearheaded by Boyd Jarvis, Timmy Regisford and Paul Simpson. Rounding off the EP is live Latin house workout 'Los Tonos Segrados', featuring guest musician Axel Tosca.

Review: Breezy headwinds, orange-tinged skies, hazy, serene bliss - just some of the profound feelings to be had on the latest release from Oath, a masterclass in melody and mood from one of the finest contemporary house producers about today. 'Night Fantasy' is Jacy's first EP in four years and much like his other records, this one blesses us with warmth, delight and joy, in the softest and most subtle of manners. The title track, which opens up the record, greets the listener with a familiar drum pattern, one which then gives way to the rock-hard bassline; 'Just Change' comes on next, and this one opens up with that classic and explicitly dreamy chord sequence we all know and cherish, with Jacy allowing us to soak up this goodness before shifting the perspective to the rhythm. 'Dat Tape' shifts perspective to more of a swing in terms of the groove, with sweeping background pads doing much to tug at the heartstrings - and, finally, we have 'Come On', which retains a more spacious feel between the keys and the drums.

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: J.K.'s 'You & I' is something of a classic and hard-assed hose workout form 1994 that has been remixed and reissued and number of times since. Real name Marta Simlat, the project was made up by Italian producers Larry Pignagnoli and Davide Riva and this was their biggest success. This latest release of it kicks off with 'You & I' (Bliss Team remix) which is seriously heavy and dark with dystopian synth fizz. The Guitar Mix is even more frosty and all consuming then the Classic '95 remix is beatdown techno with a dark, menacing heart and the club 95' remix is all about unsettling synth blasts and scratchy noise.

Review: Fool's Paradise is the exciting new label from Toolroom Records' Mark Knight. Coming straight from the heart, it's a natural progression from his hugely acclaimed 2021 album release, 'Untold Business', which saw Mark go back to his roots, paying homage to the more funky, soulful, and vocal house from the 1990s from where he came. With a focus on real instrumentation and production, coupled with great songwriting, this new Toolroom sublabel will be a platform for high quality house music designed to stand the test of time. Launching the new label with a mighty bang and delivering the first in our exciting new vinyl sampler series is head honcho Mark Knight, who joins forces with his Australian Toolroom labelmate, Sgt Slick, and British Soul sensation, Beverley Knight, on a dynamite cover of Prince's 1979 classic, 'I Wanna Be Your Lover'. Respectfully transporting the song onto today's dancefloors, Mark & Sgt Slick deliver a classy uplifting soulful house production, loaded with funky guitars, warm pads and sublime key performances. Adding the icing on the cake and putting her own stamp on things, Beverley belts out one of her signature spine-tingling vocals, garnished with lush harmonies and BV's that would indeed make The Purple One proud. Completing the vinyl package is dance music stalwart, Opolopo, and British soul icon, Jaki Graham, whom together bring the dancefloor heat with their new single, 'Fire'. Powered by a potent soulful house groove from Opolopo, loaded with warm piano hooks, emotive synth melodies and a sublime popping bass hook, 'Fire' see's Jaki flaunt her electrifying vocal talents with a show-stopping performance on this irresistibly catchy song.

Review: 'Hollywood Swingin' is one of the most recognised Kool & The Gang songs in their amazing catalogue, having soundtracked movies, been sampled in hip-hop as well as used in commercials. So how would someone remix it and make it fresh once again? Easy. In 2005 they added Jamiroquai's unmistakable voice, made a disco and house version of it too, the 'Disco Dust' mix adding new sounds while not losing and ounce of the original's energy. 'The After Party' mix offers a more house version of the classic.

Review: Toronto label Selections has become a firm favourite with house heads and now starts a nice sideline with its Special Edition 2023 series. This one welcomes Lea Lisa with her track 'Conversation Between Us' (Heide Club Mix) which is straight up underground house for the heads. Then comes an unreleased Javonntte remix of Evenn's 'One For Love' that pairs things back to raw dub essentials. Dan Only's 'Love Saturates' then gets a fine and formerly unreleased remix by Italy's Black Loops that has pristine drum programming and a fine bassline. Add in Sean Roman's jazzy dancer 'Sir William' and Jamn Ensemble's 'Convection' and you have a timeless house EP.

Review: Native Soul Recordings made a great start with release 001 and the follow-up is easily as good. It's a collaborative offering from two venerated veterans in Roman Nunez and JT Donaldson that taps into both men's signature sounds. The result is 'Feelin' Real Good' which will indeed make you feel real good such is the irresistibly warm nature of its bump 'n' slide house groove and twinkling late night melodies all topped off with a smart male vocal. JT Donaldson also offers a more trippy out and tech-y dub and synth laden remix. This is timeless and summery house music that oozes class and sophistication.

Review: British artist Jack Latham aka Jam City is back with a new album a full decade after his debut 'Classical Curves' made for a head turning debut. EFM (the artists debut on Diplo's Mad Decent) is a record that looks at the experiences we had and during our early and formative clubbing years with plenty of engaging and pop-tinged sounds that draw on reggaeton, house, and club. Elements of guitar driven soul and plenty of melancholic tenderness all define this most heartfelt and loved up record as it gets from tender moments to more euphoric outpourings with swelling pads, breakdowns and drops that are all easy to predict but hard to not feel deep inside.

Review: Lebaron James - read that one carefully - goes big on this accomplished and wide ranging new album on J & M Music Co. It is couched in classic American house and disco sounds and asked with superb samples that lend it a real authenticity and timeless musical quality. 'Please Don't Give Me Up' will soon win over any floor with its upbeat drums and bright melodies, while 'Tequila Sunrise' reaches for the stars with its cosmic keys and live sounding basslines. Interludes add extra derail to the listening experience but it's the club ready tracks that really standout, none more so that the loopy filter house of 'This Love.'

Review: ***B-STOCK: Creasing to outer sleeve but product remains in it's original shrink wrap and is otherwise in excellent condition***


Blast was the critically acclaimed and commercially successful debut album from Holly Johnson back in 1989. Though best known for fronting Frankie Goes To Hollywood, Johnson's solo work established him n the world stage and now gets reissued as a 35th-anniversary edition on red vinyl. It has been out of print for a while after a CD reissue back in 2010 so is deserving of this new run, especially given that it hit number one on the UK album charts and spawned two top 10 hit singles in 'Love Train' and 'Americanos'. It's a big, funky, hook-laden mix of house sounds from the late 80s that is filled with nostalgia.