Back catalogue: House

Review: A San Francisco house producer who is taking jazz influenced house music to another level is Coflo aka Cody Ferreira 'Syncopatience' is a stunning deep house release that highlights his signature blend of soulful rhythms, intricate grooves, and rich musicality. Each track brims with personality, that blend clever and creative vocals and lyrics to a deeper level than just for the dancefloor. Side-1 starts off with 'Get Down, Show Love', a collaboration with Fenyan that exudes a hip, jazzy charm. Playful yet refined, it features catchy vocal work and a high-level jazz flair, effortlessly blending house with improvisational energy. Next, Coflo's remix of 'Cee.Side's Elektrify' brings atmospheric depth, wrapping Latin influences around a funky, sultry groove that's as hypnotic as it is danceable. Side-2 delivers Ecru, where Coflo, Steve Howerton, and Niya Wells craft a deeper, tech-tinged house cut with sharp, clever lyricism. Its polished production and layered instrumentation elevate it to a higher plane of jazzy house, demonstrating Coflo's versatility and artistry. 'Syncopatience' has the solution on how merge soulful textures with dancefloor energy in a unique way.

Review: House Hippo drops a fat one to get its life underway, and who finer than house authority Terry Farley to be behind it alongside Wade Teo. This limited 12" distills a wide range of house sub genres from garage to New York to soulful. 'Come On Now' is a nice breezy opener with swirling, filtered synth loops bringing a nice French touch vibe to rolling beats, then 'Harry Hippy' gets more cut up and raw. 'Dexter' goes deeper with shakers and muted piano chords colouring the drums and last of all is the deepest of them all - a late night and smoky sound for heady escape.

Review: Get ready for two of the most heartfelt big room bangers aroundiStay Here and Writeriborn from a recent machine jam between Fort Romeau and Gold Panda, masters of emotional dance music. 'Stay Here' starts with simmering synths, slinky guitar licks, and gentle vocal touches. Over on the flip, 'Writer' delivers restrained euphoria, steady beats giving way to a fragile, beatless acoustic finish. A sprinkle of acid throughout keeps everything hypnotic. Wrapped in Eliot Axelsson's striking design, this is pure Studio Barnhus magic.

Review: DeepStitched branches out into the world of vinyl here with a first real on wax. It comes from long-time label associate Forteba who blends deep house and dub techno into his own unique forms. To kick off with 'Misteria Sinensis' goes slow, languid and atmospheric with starry-eyed pads and drifting vocals. 'Lyra Iblett' is couched in dub traditions with its liquid synth ripples and 'Danz Metika' is brilliantly weighty with heavy heart kicks barely turning under a microcosm of deft synth craft. 'Emblema' is the final journey to the deep, this time with a gentle wash of Balearic chords and gentle guitars. Quality artwork on this one, too.

Review:  Eddie "Flashin" Fowlkes is a pioneering force in techno who was there in the early days but is often rather written out of the story meaning plenty of his peers get more acclaim. His beats tan up on their own though and here he is all these years later still serving them up. This one is a reissue of his iconic 'The Truth' EP originally released in 1995. 'The Truth' is a funky and full-blooded house sound with snappy percussion and melodic bass. 'Planet Claire' picks up the speed with tightly programmed beats that float above the floor and 'Freestyle' brings some future machine soul. 'CBR' shuts down with more inventive percussion and analogue machine goodness.

Review: The 1984 classic 'Come Back Lover' by The Fresh Band receives an official remastered reissue from the original tapes. Produced by Darryl Gibbs of The Strikers and expertly mixed by Tony Humphries, this disco boogie gem soared in underground dance clubs across Chicago and New York, championed by DJs like Mancuso, Larry Levan, and Ron Hardy. Are 'N Be (see what they did there?) presents this special re-release on translucent green vinyl featuring two versions mixed by Humphries: the mesmerising original plus the Dub, with deeper, more atmospheric vocals and stunning piano breaks. Do not sleep on this one.

Review: Inspired by "cosmic vibes and alien sounds", Cut Line Records is a freshly minted imprint founded by New York-based producers Majak and Diego Knows. Wisely, they've decided to set their stall out via a multi-artist EP that offers more than a few hints about what we can expect to hear in the months and years ahead. Naturally, they contribute, rounding off the EP via the collaborative 'Electrik Funk', a smooth, spacey and sub-heavy slab of tech-house funk marked out by cut-up vocal snippets, intergalactic-sounding motifs and rubbery beats. There's plenty to set the pulse racing across the rest of the EP though, from the acid-flecked tech-house funkiness of Pedro Goya's 'Celeste', to the star-fall haziness of Digital Pimps electro roller 'Warning Bells', via the electro-goes-breakbeat shuffle of 'Alien Vision' by Frankula and St Xose.

Review: After a couple of quiet years Ferro's VBX label returns with a bang, as the esteemed Dutch minimal producer links up with none other than Ricardo Villalobos for a run of 'Ferric' jams. Enlightened souls should have some idea of what to expect here, as Ferro's snappy grooves collide with Villalobos' meandering sound collages to create psychoactive termites geared towards twisting out the dancefloor good and proper. This is proper minimal, with the percussion chiselled into fine clicks and pops to leave more space for the trippy elements to weave their magic. The quality comes assured from this new pairing, hopefully paving the way for more collaborations in the future.

Review: Fakear has stated that he has never worked as hard on anything as he has his new album Hypertalisman. It comes after years honing his craft but also after a period of reinvention HIs last album Talisman came exactly a year ago and since the he has returned to his roots, "without looking to the past with nostalgia or contempt; but rather by contemplating his past self with kindness." The resulting record is a magical mix of widescreen synth craft and elegant, suspensory grooves, glassy melodies and found sound percussions that enrich each track and give them life.

Review: Before his work became reduced to a fine slither and he shifted into experimental, concept-driven realms, Jan Jelinek dropped some of the finest early doors micro house as Farben. Originally released on Klang Elektronik and now reissued by Jelinek's own Faitiche label, Textstar is a masterpiece of glitchy sample-based electronics with a subtle, implied funk. In some ways the sound has dated - it's very much of the late 90s-early 00s era it was first crafted in. But it's a sound that still engrosses and intrigues, reveling in microscopic detail and subdued moods while retaining a groove that comes through the best on eternally magnificent cut 'Beautone'.

Review: In the past few years Tom Ferreira has swiftly established his Fasme project as a strident voice in the field of emotionally-charged electro. Following a string of singles for labels like Craigie Knowes, Dream Ticket and Feel My Bicep, he's now delivering his debut album to Analogical Force. Bloom should hugely appeal to those who crave heart-swooning melodic lines in the midst of their snappy machine rhythms, but there's a full spectrum of moods explored as Ferreira glides from the staccato Moroder pulse of 'Pursuit' to the playful acid strut of 'Comete'. Throughout, the feels are placed front and centre of this instantly endearing record from a fast-rising talent.

Review: If anything, the hugely prolific Motor City mainstay that is Omar S seems to be getting even more prolific as time goes on. His vast catalogue grows once more here with Fun House, which finds Alister Fawnwoda exploring a wide range of dance music styles alongside guests such as FXHE regular John F.M., plus Mitchell Yoshida, Super Cool Wired, Troi Alexis, Tyesha Blount and more, with all the production, lyrics and mixing taken care of by Omar S himself. The tracks range from seductive deep house to edgy mechanical techno, dubbed out downbeat joints and smooth electronic Detroit soul. It is yet another crucial chapter in the FXHE and Omar S story.

Review: Stand Tall marks another adventurous venture from versatile producer Flevans, showcasing his knack for infectious hooks across a spectrum of genres. From disco to soul to electronica, with a surprising nod to drum & bass, Flevans demonstrates his ability to seamlessly blend diverse musical influences. Standout tracks like 'Say Yes' featuring Laura Vane strike a perfect balance between pop, funk, and dance, while 'Carry Them' exudes upbeat energy with its fusion of funk, breaks, soul and electronica elements with a touch of melancholy. 'Wild Shadows' offers a smooth, downtempo experience with soulful vocals and catchy melodies, while 'Dreamer' uplifts with its disco-infused positive rhythm and blues dance vibes. Overall, "Stand Tall" is an uplifting record that showcases Flevans' versatility as a producer and multi-instrumentalist. With its diverse sounds and infectious rhythms, it's sure to engage listeners across various musical tastes.

Review: We've been waiting on this one since "J&W Beat" six years ago; there's something about Floating Points sound that instantly lends itself to full-length album immersion. It's clear he feels this way too; using the album to delve deeper into electronic deconstructions and delicate ensemble arrangements. At its most adventurous and contemporary classical "Argente" is up there with Frahm, at is dreamiest and jazz-influenced "For Marmish" is a deeply cosmic affair with disparate chords making more sense than they perhaps should. At its most traditional Floating Points we hit the finale "Perotation Six" where the brushed drums are buried under layers of sound and elements in a way that's not dissimilar to Radiohead. Well worth the wait.

Review: Master drummer and producer Alexander Flood debuts his rhythmic first record on Atjazz, following up the sumptuous first single 'Life Is A Rhythm'. A truly exciting record on foliate green vinyl, this LP packs a production paradox, bringing both boomy bodyweight and a shape-cutting, 2-stepping sense of ease at the same time. With extra layers of perc in the rhythm section, with Brazilian percussionist Aduni on congas and Cuban percussionist Alexander Scull Castillo on bata, it's actually really the dance-flooring production that grabs us here, heard best in the plum chords and erratic pianos of 'Don't Wait For Me', and/or the live bruk ghost dance 'Sidestep'.

Review: On their fourth studio album, The Masters Plan, Robert and Lyric Hood - the father-daughter duo behind Floorplan - deliver a masterclass in house and techno that's as diverse as it is cohesive. Released on Luke Solomon's Classic Music Company, this 18-track odyssey showcases the Hoods' uncanny ability to blend the sacred and profane, the light and dark, into a sonic tapestry that's uniquely their own. From the opening chords, it's clear that Floorplan's Detroit roots run deep. The gospel-infused 'We Give Thee Honour' sets the tone, its uplifting vocals and rolling rhythms invoking the spiritual ecstasy of a Sunday morning service reimagined for the dancefloor. This spiritual thread weaves throughout the album, most notably on tracks featuring local Detroit vocalists like the soulful trio Dames Brown, Earthtone, and Lowell Pye. But make no mistake - The Masters Plan isn't all celestial bliss. The Hoods aren't afraid to get grimy, as evidenced by the pummelling beats of 'What A Friend'. Here, they demonstrate their mastery of techno's harder edge, crafting a track that wouldn't sound out of place in the sweatiest basement clubs of Berlin or London. It's this deft navigation between styles that makes 'The Masters Plan' so compelling. The dreamy house soundscapes of 'Feel It' provide moments of blissful respite, while collaborations like 'Fake & Unholy' with label-mate Honey Dijon inject a shot of pure dancefloor adrenaline. What's most striking about 'The Masters Plan' is how seamlessly Robert and Lyric blend their generational perspectives. Rather than a handicap, their age gap becomes a strength, allowing them to draw inspiration from decades of electronic music history while still pushing the sound forward. Ultimately,
The Masters Plan feels like both a celebration and an invitation.

Review: Some seven years after his last full-length excursion, Fort Romeau has finally got around to delivering a new album. Beings of Light is every bit as gorgeous and picturesque affair, with the Chester-born producer adding waves of attractive synthesizer sounds, colourful electronics, cascading guitars, dusty samples and loved-up riffs to sturdy deep house beats. The album's multitude of highlights include bluesy, post jazz-house number 'The Truth', the tech-tinged late-night wonkiness of 'Power of Grace', the sturdy and druggy after-hours chug of 'Ramona' and the dreamy lusciousness of title track 'Beings of Light'.

Review: Originally released digitally in 2013, Pink collated a series of 12" releases from Kieran Hebden issued over an 18 month period on his Text label. Hebden and record club and subscription service Vinyl Me, Please have teamed up to give Pink a double vinyl release for any Four Tet fans that weren't quick enough to nab those 12"s at the time. There is plenty of classic Four Tet to be had here too. "Jupiters" experiments with swung garage beats in an unmistakably UK Bass style, while "128 Harps" is a whipcrack MPC workout given his light melodic touch and "Peace On Earth" is a beatless 11 minutes of analogue kosmische. But it's the centrepiece of Hebden's Fabriclive mix, the brilliantly moody "Pyramid", and the loose limbed jazz-house of "Pinnacles" that really set this album apart from his other long-playing efforts, two examples of timeless dance music which demonstrate why after nearly 15 years in the game Hebden is only improving with age.

Review: If you were judging Kieran Hebden's 11th Four Tet studio album merely on the way it's presented, you'd immediately think he'd spent the last two years immersed in early '90s ambient house albums. While it's unlikely he's done that, it's fair to say that New Energy does owe a debt to classic electronica sets from that period. For all the exotic instrumentation and subtle nods to post-dubstep "aquacrunk" experimentalism and chiming, head-in-the-clouds sunrise house, the album feels like a relic of a lost era. That's not meant as a criticism - New Energy is superb - but it is true that his choice of neo-classical strings, gentle new age melodies, sweeping synthesizer chords and disconnected vocal samples would not sound out of place on a Global Communication album.

Review: Four Tet is back with a new album of shimmering wonderment on his own Text label. As ever, it's the way that Kieran Hebden tugs at the heart strings so artfully that makes him so well-loved, and he's not holding back one iota as "Sixteen Oceans" opens up with the ineffably pretty "School". There's some advanced garage ruminations on "Baby", classic ambience on "Harpsichord", and so the eclectic and extremely soul-cleansing vibes continue across three sides of wax. In addition to this wonderful new album, Hebden has also held back the fourth side for a bunch of locked grooves so satisfying you could get lost in them all day.

Review: There are not too many house and techno labels in the United States that can boast quite the discography and international success that the Brooklyn based Scissor & Thread label can. For over a decade now, the busy label has kept the quality up to the high standards the label set when starting. A big part of that quality is having Frank & Tony on board through the label's history. Ethos is their new full-length album that, spread across a double pack of wax, with tracks mostly kept under close guard, except the opener 'Olympia'. Make no mistake though, from the rumours and whispers we've heard already, it looks like being a big hit.

Review: If there is a more hyped artist in the world right now than Fred... again we aren't sure who it might be. The lad who grew up close to Brian Eno and has since worked with him in the studio is a global star who has also collaborated with Four Tet and Skrillex, played all over the world, won various awards and dropped several albums now presses up his acclaimed USB to gatefold double vinyl. It is a collection of his early singles that captures his lo-fi, lived-in, diaristic sounds across a range of experimental electronic styles.

Review: Fred Again seems to be one of the most talked about artists of the year. Part of that centers around the astonishing Boiler Room set he served up, but also plenty of credit is due for the music he makes. A lot of that is summed up here on Actual Life 3, the third installment of his series after the previous two back in 2021 and recent collabs with the likes of Swedish House Mafia and Future. It shows off his mastery of a range of different sounds and scenes across 13 fun and fresh tunes that are backed with emotive beats and catchy hooks as well as some standout vocals.

Review: During the global lockdown, Frederic Blais found inspiration in four simple words: Love, Care, Kindness, and Hope. Scribbled on a post-it note, they guided his creative journey in crafting his fifth album as Fred Everything in a secluded studio near Montreal. These sentiments echoed throughout the music-making process and have resulted in a deeply personal and sonically rich album. Collaborations with esteemed vocalists like Robert Owens and Stereo MC's add depth to Blais's trademark deep house sound, while nods to classic electronic albums from the late '90s and early 2000s offer a nostalgic touch. Each track evolves from rough sketches into magical compositions and reflecting Blais's mantra of love and hope

Review: It's no surprise to see Amsterdam man Fritz Wentink issuing his debut album through Wolf Music, as the London label have been staunch supporters of his work with two 12" contributions over the past two years. The wonderfully named Rarely Pure, Never Simple adds to Wolf Music's growing artist album profile following long players from main men Medlar and Greymatter and further develops the all encompassing production style Wentink has displayed so eloquently for Detroit Swindle's Heist Recordings and others. He seems most impressive on the more downbeat tracks done in collaboration with Loes Jongerling who possesses a quite astounding vocal delivery, though those craving some proper house will totally dig on cuts like "The Excitement Happens At Page 320".

Review: Given the brilliantly simple concept behind this fine compilation - contemporary Detroit producers remix Funkadelic - we're rather surprised nobody's done it before. With 17 varied re-rubs stretched across three slabs of wax, there's naturally plenty to enjoy. Highlights come thick and fast, from the deep house/P-funk fusion of Alton Miller's take on "Get Your Ass Off and Jam" and Andres' loose, hip-hop influenced revision of "Music For My Mother", to the thrusting loops and heady late night hypnotism of Anthony Shake Shakir and T-Dancer's version of "Standing on the Verge". While many of the versions stay relatively faithful to the original, the more "out-there" interpretations - see BMG's outer-space ambient dub of "Maggot Brain" and Moodymann's epic revision of "Cosmic Slop" - are also consistently impressive.

Review: During the early-to-mid 1990s, Nurmad Jusat released a string of now sought-after singles on Likemind that showcased an emotive, far-sighted take on techno that still sounds timeless all these years on. This fine collection features various recordings he made - but never released - as Nuron and Fuge back in 1993 and '94. As inspired by the techno sounds of his native UK as the far-sighted brilliance of purist Detroit techno and the dreamy soundscapes of Larry Heard, it's a genuinely brilliant collection of long-lost gems. Our picks include the subtly clonk-influenced opener 'The Coded Message', the skewed deep electro shuffle of 'Another Way', the sci-fi techno brilliance of 'Contrapoin (First Version)' and the out-there ambient soundscape that is 'Dialectic Confusion'.