Phoenix G Schallplatten & CDs

Review: Mr. G continues to be a bastion of the greatest deep house emanating out of the UK, and that practice extends to the artists he chooses to roll with. On this latest 12" on Phoenix G, he's reaching out to various characters for remixes which dial up the soul and don't necessarily play it safe for the floor. Kai Alce's 'New Feel' of 'U Feel Mi' is a gorgeous bath of sprightly Rhodes and sax flex, but it's more concerned with jazziness than simple riffs to keep a crowd pumped, even if there's a sharp beat underneath. Mango Boy takes two very different runs at 'Full A Love', with the 'On A Vibe' version especially impressing with its beatless rhythm mantras for the DJs who like to tease.

Review: While no two Mr G EPs sound the same, the veteran producer definitely has a trademark sound. That style - heavy, rough, stripped-back, smoky and fearlessly dancefloor focused - is naturally evident on his latest four-tracker for the Phoenix G label he founded a few years back as a vehicle for his productions. The Doin' Nothin' EP is pleasingly forthright and fiendishly heavy, with plenty of nods to his stomping techno past (he was, back in the 1990s, a member of heavy techno duo The Advent). For proof, check the throbbing, warehouse-ready nastiness of 'Sing It Loud', the razor-sharp intensity of 'Got My Groove On', where pulsating alien-sounding bass and jacking machine drums catch the ear, and the deep techno hypnotism of 'Been a Minute'.

Review: Mr G. Where do you start with Mr G? Once known as one half of The Advent, a straight up to the walls techno outfit now made of one, after moving on to pastures new solo he spent a good deal of time putting out tunes that would appeal to the heads, but only those that were looking. Finally receiving the long overdue spotlight he always deserved, skip to today and he's up there with the most universally respected and in demand. For those who have followed this storied career to date, it's great to see. Not least as he seems to have lost not one iota of the passion and fervour, fun and funk, talent and toughness that originally draws every fan in. On The Fifth Chakra, he's showcasing a different side of that genius, offering up warm, enlightened ambient for the musically minded.

Review: Mr G is presumably called Mr G because he is such a G. For seemingly ever now he has been turning out his smoky, stripped back and economical basement house joints, coated in dirty, lo-fi pads and grime. They are rollers that lock you in and keep you there and no matter how many times we hear new ones from him, the effects are always powerful. Here we get two more on his own label - the humid 'Drop It' and more raw and urgent 'Nangs', then comes a Drawing On Grace remix of 'Drop It' from Mr G's regular team up mate Duncan Forbes that pumps a little more of a funky drum pattern and a G Reprise that allows some light into the mix.