New releases last eight weeks: Funky/Club House

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: Big Love's popular compilation-style A Touch Of Love series returns for a sixth instalment, with boss man Seamus Haji once again showcasing a quartet of tried-and-tested treats. Fittingly, he kicks things off with 'Serious', a kind of hbrid heavy garage-house/disco house affair featuring organ solos aplenty and vocals from Chicago legend Mike Dunn, before Moon Boots joins the dots between sweet 80s soul and nu-disco on the synth-powered vocal number 'In My Life'. Heavy, French Touch-inspired disco-house vibes are provided by DJ Fudge ('Escapade'), before Dutch rising star Danou P - with a little help from pal Jamie 3:26 on vocals - delivers the organ rich deep house/garage-house fusion of 'Fly'.

Review: Fresh from the release of her collaborative album with UK house and disco legend Dave Lee, one of Motor City vocalist Maurissa Rose's back catalogue classics - an Alton Miller production first released on Theo Parrish's Sound Signature label in 2017 - is given a string of fresh new revisions. Miller handles side A, delivering vocal and instrumental takes that wrap a punchy and perfectly programmed groove in undulating synth bass, colourful chords, twinkling piano motifs and lilting solos. San Fran man CoFlo handles side B, offering up vocal and instrumental takes rooted in the intersection between deep, soulful house and sun-splashed nu-jazz.

Review: The vaults of Michael Jackson will always provide rich pickings for edit specialists and remixes. The originals were so packed with brilliance that tweaking them for modern ears or club contexts is a fairly easy job. Still, this latest offering does well to flip 'Don't Stop Til You Get Enough' into a house cut. It's a subtle job with filters doing much of the work as original strong flourishes, drums and vocals remain largely intact. Flip it over and it is 'Wanna Be Startin' Something' that becomes a 4/4 jam with soulful but driving drums and more MJ vocal magic up top.

Review: Australia's it-guy nu-disco producer Mo'funk shares another caution-to-the-wind wax piece by way of his native label Only Cuts. His second release on the label following the nominally unspecified 'Only Cuts Vol. 1', this follow-up record has, by contrast, been termed a "slam jam", and prefers irreverent moods and r&b samples. The A2 'Lllove' is especially arresting, sampling LL Cool J's 'Loungin'' and working it into a perpetual firing of choppy, chicken pickin' guitar and lurching kicks.

Review: Following on from two previous EPs here in 2019 and 2022, Peter Matson now serves up a wonderful full-length on the storied Bastard Jazz. Hotel PM is a psychedelic exploration of disco and modern electronica from the Brooklyn-based musician and co-leader of Underground System. His signature attention to detail, songwriting and world-class musicianship all shine through next to collaborations with the likes of Pahua, Kendra Morris, Toribio, Phenomenal Handclap Band, Sly5thAve and members of The Rapture, Ibibio Sound Machine and Poolside. Between them, they delve into themes of time, memory and disenchantment with modern technology with a mix of lush strings, tight brass and analogue synth basslines. It's a journey of dance floor delight and more introspective moments with plenty of catchy hooks and retro-future charms.

Review: Under his Mild Minds alias, Benjamin David has won plenty of plaudits for his slim body of work to date - not least from the GRAMMY committee, who has previously nominated him for various awards. Gemini is his second album and sees him return to Foreign Family Collective - the imprint which released his earliest work - following a spell at Ninja Tune offshoot Counter Records. Blending elements of two-step, UK bass, deep house, eyes-closed 21st century electronic pop, synth-wave and cut-up vocal sample trickery, the album is accessible, energetic and impressively well produced, with a handful of carefully selected guest and collaborators pitching in to mix things up now and then.