Jay Shepheard At Juno Download

Review: Gaining more and more fans by the minute, Jay Shepheard has built on his early deep house releases for Compost Black and now drops the forst EP on his own Retrofit imprint. There's absolutely no filler here at all - all four tracks will bring something special to DJs and fans alike. Highlights include "A Marys Piper," which switches up drum tracks brilliantly, and "End of Part One" which stays deep but also brings a low-slung funkiness into the mix, along with some positively seedy string synths to boot. Here's hoping there'll be many more Retrofit releases to come.

Review: Retrofit reaches release no. 4 with a solo endeavour from boss Jay Shepheard that truly encapsulates the label's mantra of referencing vintage house, disco and techno but laying it in a sheen of contemporary sonic dynamism. This is more than evident on the expertly paced "All Over My Nord" which is driven by a richly elastic analogue bassline riding the slick syncopation. A surfeit of melodic stabs imbues the track with real energy whilst the gradual rise to dominance of a pad wash drenched in Detroit atmospherics adds the requisite emotion! This is complemented by the much more immediate "String Theory" which is a master class in future retro jacking house business whilst "Kuderski's Groove" bridges the gap between filtered disco aesthetics and deep house BPMs with nonchalant ease. Prime DJ business once again from the Retrofit camp.

Review: The ever-developing Retrofit imprint comes correct with two tidy re-rubs of Jay Shepheard tracks suited to the more melodic end of the modern house music spectrum. Catz N Dogz take to "Add Arp" with aplomb, using a bubbling concoction of horns and synths to create a rose-tinted jam. It's an approach so rich in melody it might very well float away on its own sense of euphoria. Iron Curtis takes an equally harmonious tack with his version of "String Theory", although his execution has more punch in its wares as the bass pulses and the pads rise fall in that heads-down style that he has become renowned for.

Review: In demand producer Jay Shepheard drops four new tracks on German label Dirt Crew. "Umzung" is a simple, deep and driving track whereas "Double M's Finest" is a slower, dubbier effort. "City 2 City" looks to classic Detroit techno alongside some spacey moments of joy and "Peter's 93" is a punchy, high energy affair.

Review: Since launching last spring, Jay Shepheard's Retrofit label has earned a reputation as a solid bet for high quality deep house. The label's success has largely been down to Shepheard himself, who seems to have enjoyed a new lease of life since moving back to the UK from spells in Berlin and Poland. This fifth instalment in the series sees Shepheard team up with pal Matthew Burton for four more decidedly organic excursions. Lead cut "Liberal Zee" is outstanding in its combination of floor-friendly deep house groovyness and addictive late night funk. With live electric bass, deep keys and brilliantly layered percussion to the fore, it's sparse but exquisite.
"Just You", meanwhile, goes deeper still, crafting an hypnotic afterhours groove from the sparsest of elements. "Merked" treads a similar path, but is noticeably "bigger" in its sound - a reflection of the use of loose-wristed jazz percussion (hi-hats to the fore) and more pads, chords and melodic elements. The EP is rounded off by a decent remix of "Just You" by Matt N Kate - aka Burton and regular Shepheard chanteuse Kate Rathod. It comes on like a megamix of elements from all three tracks - an "everything but the kitchen sink" rub that somehow manages to retain an atmospheric deep house feel. Like the rest of the EP, it's superb.

Review: Having hooked up with multi-instrumentalist Tad Wily, it sounds like Retrofit boss Jay Shepheard is trying to push deep house in a new direction. "Parallel Perc" provides a hint of where the duo is headed, with a groovy, low-slung bassline and dubbed out drums hinting at dance music's funk and disco heritage - connections that are reinforced thanks to the use of soaring, orchestral strings. "Haselnuss" has a similar set of influences, although the duo put a greater emphasis on a funk guitar riff and melancholy synth hooks while "A Sopot Connection" also doffs its cap to the 70s, with its prowling, predatory bassline sounding like a lost porn movie soundtrack, were it not for the accompanying juxtaposition of cool, icy synths. Finally, "TEC 1? also references the late 70s and early 80s, but rather than disco, focuses on the primal electro funk of Cameo to make its mark. Like the previous releases in this series, Retrofit #3 shows that with a little imagination and some good old-fashioned perspiration, house music can still sound exciting.

Review: After an impressive recent outing on Compost Black Label, former Juno man Jay Shepheard returns to base for a four-track outing on his own Retrofit label with pal Martin Dawson. The undulating groovery, rave riffs and vocal stabs of "Kinds Of People" kicks things off in fine style, delivering a chunk of formidable deep house funk. The shuffling "Obey Your Aul" is deeper and quieter, whilst still boasting enough dancefloor chops to keep 'em moving, while "Cut A Hole" offers an attractive mix of acid bass, disco percussion and drunken electrofunk chords. A fine EP concludes with "Megaface 3K", a curious but rather brilliant slo-mo cut that sounds like the result of a ket-addled trip round the local supermarket at four in the morning. Tip!