Groovin Italy Schallplatten & CDs

Review: Way back in 1993, when his career was still in its infancy, Chicago great Roy Davis Jr donned an alternative alias, The Believers, and delivered a 12" on Strictly Rhythm: 'Who Dares To Believe In Me?' It was something of a club smash, with Ministry of Sound issuing it in the UK a year later with a swathe of new mixes. This Groovin' Records reissue boasts a trio of mixes from the original U.S 12". On the A-side you'll find the original mix, a warm, spine-tingling slab of piano-rich New York style house topped off by snaking, delay-laden saxophone lines and an inspirational spoken word vocal courtesy of Davis. Over on the reverse, Davis' own 'Just Living High Mix' - a breezier, jazzier and more colourful affair - is followed by Mind Readers' tougher, chunkier and heavier revision, which is in effect a proper dancefloor dub.

Review: This tidy two-tracker brings together a couple of sought-after gems from one of the true masters of neo-soul and soulful deep house, Peven Everett. On side A there's a chance to cop hard-to-find 2010 single 'Heat Up', a Clavinet-heavy chunk of organic, soft-touch, up-tempo soul meets deep house brilliance in which Everett's effortlessly slick and smooth vocals rise above rubbery bass guitar, heady keys and tasteful beats. Head to side B for something never-before-released on wax, the much requested 'Fantasy Eyes'. More electronic sounding but still loose, warm and organic, it's a similarly inclined chunk of dancefloor goodness that once again boasts some superb lead vocals from the veteran Chicagoan.

Review: Groovin' Records has a good relationship with Peven Everett. Over the years, the Italian label has released and reissued plenty of material from the legendary Chicagoan vocalist and producer. 'Bluelight Love' is brand spanking new - a superb, subtly Latin-tinged chunk of deep, soulful vocal house rich in jazzy guitar flourishes, organic-sounding percussion hits and dreamy chords. On the flip, Everett remixes it himself, opting for chunkier, bouncier drums, far weightier bass and a much more club-centric feel. The spacey synth solos that are a little buried in the A-side original version are far more prominent, too, while his superb lead vocal naturally takes pride of place in the mix.

Review: The latest must-check missive from deep house reissue specialists Groovin' takes us back to 2007 and one of the most infectious, insatiable cuts in Osunlade's sprawling back catalogue. First featured on his Strictly Rhythm-released album "Elements Beyond", "Momma's Groove" features Osunlade adding his own evocative spoken word vocals to a low-down deep house groover crafted from disco-funk style bass, flanged guitar licks, jazzy sax solos and typically tribal drums. Over on side B there's a chance to Jimpster's "Hip Replacement Mix", which transforms Osunlade's killer cut into a rolling slab of immersive deep house haziness perfectly suited to heads-down peak-time plays.

Review: On their latest must-check reissue, Groovin' Recordings take us back to 1998 and a killer chunk of what would then have been called 'US garage' produced by Deep Swing duo Eric Wikman and James Donaldson under their alternative Sunkids alias. The fact that it was 'executive produced' by Tony Humphries should tell you what to expect: gospel-influenced soulful full to bursting with bumpin' beats, rubbery bass guitar, righteous beats and powerful, life-affirming lead vocals courtesy of Chance. The flip side 'Reworked' version is a more stomping, high-energy affair informed by the popularity of filter-heavy funky house and disco-house. It's good, but it's the hands-in-the-air A-side that's the real killer.