Back catalogue: House

Review: Straight from the heart of Italy in 1991, Q-Base's Atmosphere EP remains a deep house masterpiece, and a prototype for modern day coinage "downtempo" at that. Made by Andrea Gemolotto and Claudio Zennaro, 'Atmospheres' provides not just atmospheres but geospheres, lithospheres, exospheres, and stratospheres of sound, arresting the full potential of the frequency spectrum between its languorous and unhurried beats. The pioneering DFC label saw to its claim in deep house history, and now it's back in a newly repackaged edition, featuring the three timeless tracks from the original 1991 release alongside a powerful bonus: the Idjut Boys' electrifying 1999 remix.

Review: Last year, Quiroga (real name Walter Del Vecchio) returned to Hell Yeah! Recordings with an impressive dose of TB-303-laden dancefloor psychedelia, the superb 'Acid Dropout EP'. 'French Kiss', the title track from his latest EP for the popular Italian imprint, is a more immersive, warm and hazy affair, where sweet female vocal snippets, warming Rhodes riffs and dreamy electronics rise above a shuffling, mid-temp deep house beat and organic-sounding bassline. His trademark acid lines naturally feature on the accompanying 'Baia Club Ambient Version', a shuffling breakbeat affair that takes cues from Italian 'ambient house' (IE dream house) rather than beat-free soundscapes. It is, though, genuinely superb. Turn to the flip for two bonus cuts: the vintage Jazzanova-esque broken house brilliance of 'Ask Coppede' and the deep, Balearic-fired electro shuffle of 'Cala Ventosa'.

Review: The new album by Quantic - aka. multi instrumentalist, DJ, composer and producer Will Holland - is in many ways an evolution. Now twenty years into his career, Dancing While Falling is the British-born, New York-based artist's most live sounding, euphoric and, in his own words, grown-up release to date. Capturing the beginnings of every good person's revelatory movement from an individual to a collective spirit, Holland originally began the album in his Brooklyn studio, before realising that he didn't just want to make a record that reflected his 'singular pandemic wormhole', but rather one that tapped into the essential togetherness of the human condition. So too does this record explore themes of connection felt through, and made more intense by, the antagonistic bouts of loneliness that characterised COVID-19. Influenced by legendary artists in the scene like Bohannon and Larry Levan, Quantic wanted to make a disco -eaning album at first; "I'm really interested in Latin music and Afro Caribbean rhythms and I think there's a really amazing point in history where the emergence of those rhythms and its combination with American soul sparked what we now know as disco," he says. This PIAS extended edition comes one year on from its initial 2023 release, Quantic here expands on his work by adding a ream of extended versions.

Review: Quiet Dawn's latest offering, Celebrate, is an 11-track testament to the eclectic talent that has made him a cornerstone of the First Word family for a decade. Following in the footsteps of his previous ventures, particularly the Movements EP, this album seamlessly blends broken beat flavors with a diverse range of influences. Featuring luminaries like Bembe Segue, LyricL, and Oliver Night, Celebrate is a terrific drift through soulful grooves, lively bars and infectious rhythms. From uplifting jazz samba vibes to downtempo boom bap, Quiet Dawn effortlessly melds organic and electronic elements, creating a good dose of positivity and good vibes. Tracks like 'Celebrate,' composed with his son on his lap, and collaborations with talents like Bembe Segue and Oliver Night, highlight Quiet Dawn's ability to translate personal moments into universal celebrations of life, love and cultural diversity. With infectious energy and a message of turning negativity into positivity, Celebrate invites listeners to dance, reflect and embrace the richness of our individual journeys.