New releases this week: Minimal/Tech House

Review: Demi Riquisimo and The Trip join forces to launch Tessalicious, debuting a collaborative project, splitting partly off from the former artist's own Semi Delicious imprint. The new four-tracker evidences a shared talent by the pair for producing a twisting, winding dance finesser mood, blending melodiousness and functionality so that we almost can't tell the difference between them. Intended to captivate festival-goers, the likes of 'Don't Go Away' and 'Rock The House' offer sensorial and distant vocal samples, though their rare audible moments - "how do you say... you're gorgeous!?" - manage to leave us feeling all fuzzy inside.

Review: Bobby Donny's ongoing ACE series of vinyl releases has thus far delivered some genuine deep house treats. This is particularly true of the Dutch label's sporadic, compilation style EPs, which tend to showcase tracks previously released on digital-only EPs. There's plenty to set the pulse racing on EP number four, with highlights including two fine collaborations between label founder Frits Wentink and fellow Amsterdam scene stalwart Malin Genie (the sub-heavy peak-time bounce of 'Ambrosia' and the techno-tempo hypnotism of 'Exopaq'); the ultra-deep two-step house shuffle of 'Comet (Deep mix)' by ZZ Banks; the Italo-house influenced colour of Clovis Chilwell's 'Don't Let The Night End'; and the deep, hazy and dubbed-out brilliance of 'Slow Burn' by Rico Scott.

Review: Deep house foot soldier DJ Aakmael strikes a perfect balance between gritty grooves and heady escapism with the music he makes. He's fairly prolific, too, and never goes too long between 12"s. He's back on his own Unxpozd Entertainment here with its 10th outing and it opens with the irresistible head nodder 'Oceandeep'. 'Nature' has more widescreen atmosphere with smeared chords swirling round the cuddly kicks and 'Reach 4 My Luv' then offering an excuse to daydream and get lost in empty mindfulness. 'Track 190' brings your focus back with some cosmic jazz melodies and a more propulsive groove.