Nicholas At Juno Download

Review: Fresh and vibrant deep house cuts from UK-based, Quintessentials! This time the label calls on Nicholas, the young Italian producer who's quickly making a name for himself within the European house circuit. The man makes a bold statement by reinterpreting the vocals from Ghost Town DJs' "My Boo", having been already famously sampled by Omar S a few years back. Although the notorious sample also runs the whole duration of the track, "On Your Mind" maintains a straighter, party vibe. "What Freedom" is a more soulful number, one which digs deeper into its various percussion elements, creating a smooth groove with a solid crunch. Up next we have a glorious dub version of "On Your Mind", which adds more contemplative melodies and edgier drums around the sample. What better way to close the EP than with "Brighter Day", a funk-fuelled journey into tribal drums and meditative synths which build and break down uncontrollably, with the help of some irresistibly pleasing vocals. Lovely DJ house tools!

Review: Having impressed with a few sultry slo-mo re-edits and the odd well-received remix, Nicholas pops up on Gerd's 4Lux label with a five-track EP of head-nodding house grooves. While fans of his loopy, disco-centric vibe will still find plenty to entertain (not least the pleasingly snug "All I Need"), All Night Long should appeal to anyone who likes their house bumpin' and groovesome. The title track itself is arguably Nicholas's best yet, a kind of fusion of classic US garage and 90s New York deep house - all hip-wigglin' bass, expansive piano solos and bluesy vocal snippets. Label boss Gerd remixes, dusting down the 808s and 909s for a vintage jack attack.

Review: Fresh from delivering an album's worth of Nu Groove remixes, Italian producer Nicholas pops up on Gerd's 4Lux Black imprint. The title track sets the tone for what follows, delivering a cockle-warming mix of old skool NYC house riffage, Italian house ambience and skippy, New Jersey garage percussion. If it was any more "classic", it would actually have been made 20 years ago. "Down To Nothing" and "Familiar Path" tread similar ground, offering wide-eyed, early 90s house for the permanently nostalgic. Hunee's remix of "Free To Be" offers a rougher, chunkier, late night take on the slick original, offering a delicious combination of rave riffage, acid bass and clattering 808 percussion.

Review: Since he reworked big chunks of the Nu Groove catalogue for Needwant last year, Nicholas has shown signs of wanting to make his own intoxicating deep house influenced by the early '90s sound of New York. "Life Goes On" very much fits this remit, offering a heady blend of tactile deepness featuring samples from some familiar disco and soul favourites ("Rock Creek Park" being the most obvious source). "All I Can Give" sounds like a vintage New York-Chicago soundclash - all heavy analogue bass, trad garage chords and late night vocal snippets - while "Messed Up Generation" flits between spoken word iciness and Big Apple grooviness.

Review: Stepping up to Home Taping Is Killing Music, the increasingly impressive Italian producer Nicholas drops this slinky groover with all the classic elements a house head could wish for. Diva vocal snippets? Check. Bouncing hats? Present. Vibing keys? All there. Grooving bassline? Relentless. If "Love Message" doesn't get into the majority of record bags it will be very surprising indeed. "From The Roots" is a more streamlined affair, with punchy drums and a serious disposition for the fist-pumpers out there. Clearly well versed in the language of house music, Nicholas is turning into a very eloquent artist indeed.

Review: On its original vinyl release in early 2011, No More Hits Volume 1 offered an early indication that there was more to Italian producer Nicholas than we'd previously thought. Before this three-track EP landed, we had him down as a slo-mo disco/house fusionist - a kind of Euro-Revenge with a more obvious love of soul. No More Hits Volume 1 delivered reworks of forgotten gems in a slick soulful house style that displayed a deep knowledge of 1990s US garage. If you missed out first time around, this digital reissue is well worth picking up, especially for the sassy, sunny-day vibes of colourful closer "The Way".

Review: By now, we should all know what to expect from Nicholas: decidedly touchy-feely deep house dripping with classic soul and disco influences (not to mention grooves that sound like they've been pinched from old Nu Groove records). This belated return to original home No More Hits is packed with sultry, soulful goodness, from the classic, organ-heavy garage rework of Tammi Tyrrell and Marvin Gaye fave "If This World Were Mine", to the odd, sludgy groovery of "World Of Confusion" and breezy soul-house jam of "Can You Understand". There's also a beefy blast of disco hedonism in the shape of "I Know A Place".