Bestsellers This Week

Review: Leon Vynehall isn't a name most will be familiar with, but this debut EP on the ever-excellent Well Rounded Records' Housing Projects imprint is sure to change that. Although Vynehall is one of an increasing number of producers bringing the influence of bass music styles into the deep house formula, the Mauve EP stands apart from the rest of the crowd - the title track is anthemic stuff, mixing Detroit and Bristol house styles in just the right quantities with hands in the air piano, soulful vocals and quietly bubbling bass. "Picture Frame" is a much slower end of the night number which has echoes of classic Balearica, while "Homage" opens with subtle cut-up rave stabs, rippling percussion and moody spoken word intro, before erupting into life with devastating subs which catch you totally off guard. House? Bass? It doesn't matter - the only sure thing is that Vynehall is someone to keep an eye on.

Review: Viennese duo Burnin Tears may be relatively new to the game but already their sound is a fully fledged take on deep house that ticks all the right boxes. The pads are processed with a touch of grit, while the soulful vocal comes in with a mournful tone on "Got A Reason". For those emotive moments in the small hours this is guaranteed to be a real tear-jerker. "Just The Same" is equally down-trodden in its demeanour, albeit with slightly brighter melodic content. On remix duties Jakobin and Domino bring a bit more stripped-down funk to "Got A Reason", while Hans Froward dubs it out nicely.

Review: It's been nice to see the Wolf Music imprint grow into a firmly respected hub for deep house and smudged disco talent across the course of its releases to date, deftly pairing established names with their own stable of clearly talented friends. The latest EP naturally ploughs the well established path with contributions from label regulars Medlar and KRL alongside tracks from Brighton's Maxxi Soundsystem and Melbournite Weekend Express. Medlar is on punchy form with "Can't Stop" reworking what might be a Purple vocal hook around playful dextrous keys and snapping rhythms whilst KRL bases "Static" around a muddy analogue groove, incorporating some excellent interchange between the percussion and heaving vocal sample. Maxxi Soundsystem continue to mature their production sound with "Inside The Count" whilst still retaining that signature expansive analogue bass thickness and the label hopping Weekend Express ensures this EP maintains its quality throughout with the low slung boogie of "2 The Rhythm."

Review: With all their brilliant musical shapeshifting, it can sometimes be hard to keep up with Leeds lads PBR Streetgang. Having flirted with both disco and deep house of late - usually both at once - At Dez sees them looking fairly and squarely towards the dancefloor at Basics, with an EP of forthright house treats. "At Dez" itself is typical Yorkshire house - bassy, stripped back, hypnotic and impressively robust - while "2Square" makes mischief with squeaky vocal cut-ups, gargantuan bass and a dash of old skool jack. "Make Your Mind Up" impressively fuses soulful shuffle and touchy-feely synth bass, while "Sexy Time" bounces along on a wave of rubbery bass and voodoo samples.

Review: Given the mystery surrounding this release - unnamed "well known London DJ/ producer" joins forces with (also uncredited) "star Bristol musician and vocalist" - it would be easy to let the music pass you by. Yet "It's You" is excellent - arguably one of the strongest Futureboogie releases to date. It eschews the label's usual styles in favour of a low-slung combination of sparse, Hot Creations-ish house rhythms, soul-aching vocals and Prince-ish 80s funk squelch. It's a great combination. Crazy P man Ron Basejam offers a deep and sunny house interpretation, whilst Bristolian housers Eats Everything and Christophe deliver a fluid fusion of disco percussion and bubblin', retro-futurist acid house.

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: There's already been some killer remix fanfare to support the release of Fool, the fourth studio LP from Kasper Bjorke, with the likes of Axel Boman, Rebolledo and Till Von Sein adding their own production nuances to "Lose Yourself To Jenny" the master Dane's collaboration with White Horse vocalist Jacob Bellens. "Deep Is The Breath" is another album track that features Bellens, and gets tweaked by Permanent Vacation, Pillow Talk and Hannulelauri with excellent results. Benjamin Frohlich and Tom Bioly are more highly regarded for overseeing the Permanent Vacation label as opposed to their own production prowess, which is a shame because their effort is a highlight here, expertly building into a twisting mid 120 acid number with far too much ease.

Review: If you missed out on Session Victim's excellent 2011 debut album The Haunted House of House, this third sampler EP gives a tantalising glimpse of what you've been missing. As with the album itself, there are various flavours on show, from the shuffling, string-laden, eyes-wide-shut loveliness of "Zoinks", to the Hammond-laden jazz shuffle of the irrepressibly groovy "Good Intentions" (check out that brilliant walking bassline). Best of all, though, is "Light Scent of Decay", a majestic builder that morphs from a lazy Balearic shuffler into a touchy-feely deep house gem over 10 majestic minutes. Thrilling stuff.

Review: This compilation shows that there is more than a direct link between Detroit's soul past and its house and techno present. In fact, In The Dark suggests that producers like Amp Fiddler and Rick Wilhite offer a continuation of the sound developed by Motown. In Amp Fiddler's case this is audible on his reshape of Courtney Jackson's "Every Body". There, a rippling double bass and gloriously spacey synths provide the backing for her soulful tones. Wilhite meanwhile, contributes two tracks - the first is the playful seduction of "City Bar Reopen Live Dancing", while "Cosmic Jungle", a collaboration with Sherard Ingram's Urban Tribe project, sees lush strings unfolding over an eerie, brooding bassline.

Review: The new I:Cube album is a rapid-fire collection of tracks woven together (there's a clue in that title you know) which takes the manner of a live set. The idea is essentially to bring the dance music album back to its raison d'etre, the dancefloor. To keep things interesting, the tracks are whipped through with a wonderful irreverence, as cheeky radio interludes and impulsive switch-ups keep things from staying too formulaic. Rather than some vision of a smooth, linear DJ set, this album instead takes the stance of creating pleasure through disorientation. Mr Chaix is a master of alluring grooves, and he uses that gift to really mess with your head when he changes tack, as between the edgy bleeps of "Y.O.U.R.O.C.K." and the light-hearted disco stomper "Get The Fever". Those surprise moves keep you engaged through all 23 tracks of this joyous beast. Chaix's lack of pretension is one of his greatest strengths; the I:Cube way is a direct and satisfying one. At no point is it cheesy or hackneyed, but it never tries to be too clever for its own good. With a live feel to match that immediacy, the "M" Megamix is a triumphant statement of what a dance music album should feel like. It might not be a comprehensive answer, but it certainly puts paid to all those "collection of singles" efforts out there.

Review: We never quite know what to expect from KZA's sneaky Let's Get Lost label, but there's a good chance it will be pretty darn hot. That's certainly the case here. After treating us to all manner of disco and Balearic goodness, KZA hands over the reigns to the mysterious Johnwaynes, who delivers two deliciously summery house jams with an intoxicating, soulful twist. "Glorious World" is particularly hot, offering a carnival-friendly fusion of gospel, disco and rolling, percussive house grooves. Flip for the deeper "I Feel This", a dewy-eyed combination of twinkling chords, bossa-infused house rhythms and sensual soul vocals.

Review: Rush Hour come through with perhaps their heaviest remix package to date in their illustrious history, enlisting Messrs KiNK, Linkwood and Larry Heard to grace tracks from Tom Trago's second LP Iris with their own distinct production touches. Almost a year after release, Iris remains filled with potent propositions for the DJ, though you'd be forgiven for eschewing the originals in favour of what's on offer here. Heard is up first, tackling the Tyree Cooper collaboration "What You Do", stripping away the ripeness in favour of the kind of warm, emotive dub groove he made his Mr Fingers name on. Not to be outdone, Linkwood is on some prime Carl Craig tip with a fully transformed rendition of "Being With You" that drips with hi-tech soul. On the flip, KiNK brings some dementia to proceedings, totally ripping apart "What You Do" and rebuilding it as a rugged, growling monster of a track which gleefully delays the arrival of a low set Tyree Cooper for an absolute age.

Review: Newcomers Luv Shack Records have a simple agenda: to prove that the city of Vienna is home to a hotbed of new production talent. This first split EP, featuring four distinct cuts from some of their homegrown artists, suggests that they could do good things in 2012. LeSale starts things off with "Make Me Feel So Good", a fabulously luxurious chunk of goodtime disco with a distinct soulful twist. Burnin Tears offer a dub fusion of sun-kissed nu-disco and organic deep house, while Jakobin & Domino jack it out with the delightfully bumpin' acid track "Night Glow". A thrilling slab of piano heavy, late night nu-disco from The Beautiful People completes a fine package.

Review: News of Detroit native Jimmy Edgar signing to Paul Rose's Hotflush imprint for Majenta, his fourth studio LP, might have come as a surprise when it was announced, but it makes gradual sense given both reside in Berlin and the increasingly broad nature of the Hotflush release schedule. On the basis of lead single This One Is For The Children, Edgar fans will be more than satisfied with what the forthcoming LP has to offer, with Jimmy showing little distaste for the smut-edged electrofunk that has served him so well to date. Sounding very much like a track that was worthy of play in Trash's heyday, "This One Is For The Children" sees Edgar intone sarcastically over a snapping mainframe and gurgling analogue arpeggio. "Switch Switch" meanwhile sashays down the same sort of doe eyed lovers future boogie that Mr Bashmore did so ever briefly as Velour.

Review: Given her current popularity, it's no surprise to see all-conquering house hero Maya Jane Coles mixing the latest instalment of !K7's long-running DJ Kicks series. The diminutive DJ/producer is in fine form, too, mixing up typically atmospheric house cuts and clandestine deepness with saucer-eyed late night faves and forgotten B-sides (see Bozzwell's surprisingly emotional "In My Cocoon"). As a mix it's as deep, melodic and groovy as you'd expect, with a strong vocal theme running throughout. As it progresses, it tiptoes further into bleary-eyed darkroom territory, via stand-out cuts from Marcel Dettmann, Caribou (his thrilling remix of Virgo Four), Gerry Read and T Williams. Available digitally as individual tracks or one continuous mix!

Review: Rheji and Ronald Burrell have long been considered deep house pioneers, with their early 12" singles for Nu Groove - the New York label they co-founded in 1988 - currently changing hands for vast sums of money. In the early years of the label, the former major label-signed R&B duo created a huge amount of material under a barrage of pseudonyms, much of it genuinely groundbreaking. This timely collection from Dutch diggers Rush Hour showcases much of that pioneering work, from the musically rich deepness of Aphrodisiac and smooth, Detroit-influenced jack of Tech Trax Inc, to the Tony Humphries-ish garage of Metro and the picturesque sketches of N.Y Housin' Authority.

Review: Comprising the second half of their hotly anticipated album, this latest slab of wax from the widely celebrated house duo Session Victim showcases just why their groove is so well liked. Far from trying to be cool in their music, instead the kind of funk the German duo conjure up in their sample-heavy sound is pure and addictive, not least on "Push Come To Shove". It's not all party rockers mind you, as well demonstrated in the low slung hip-hop leaning of "Fine". With the summer looming this is a strongly advised addition to your sun-compatible arsenal.

Review: Having won some fans with his Hypercolour release, Huxley now leaps to 20:20 Vision to dish out more smooth, feel-good house music. On "Box Clever" a rubbery bass line and steady drum machine beats meet with cheery piano samples for a track that could become synonymous with outdoor grooving in the sunshine. "Atonement" is more inwardly focused, not least in the filtered synth that lends a sexy late-night feel to the track. "Out Of My Mind" switches things up nicely with a cheeky broken beat bouncing off smatterings of Detroit chords for a surprising and addictive groove.

Review: Portuguese producer Alkalino continues to move further towards deep house territory following early excursions into disco and piano-laden Balearic house. This EP for regular home Audaz is arguably one of his strongest releases to date and features three deep, chunky and decidedly groovy cuts built around spoken word vocals and shuffling percussion. Choose between the bubbling chords and dense disco percussion of "Heavy As Stone", the retro-futurist riffage and goodtime vibes of "Distant Future", and the Italian deep house-aping "Pedal Polarity 3000". The EP also includes a fantastically jaunty boompty/swing/hip-house fusion from Mem that sounds like it's primed for peaktime plays.

Review: Previously, Electronic Youth have impressed with a robust, big room-friendly style of house. Earlier productions caught the ear of Roger Sanchez and Mark Knight. This, though, is noticeably deeper. It retains the electronic rhythms and synth-pop influenced sound set that marked out their previous singles, but there's a woozy dubbiness that was previously missing. There's a world-weary female vocal that nicely sits atop the sparse, bubbling backing. The whole thing reminds us of late nineties/early noughties New York house - the sort of dubbed-out fare you may have heard at Twilo in Tenaglia's pomp, but with more early Depeche Mode synth noises. It's an intriguing combination.

Review: The mighty Kontra has an impeccable catalogue and these remixes of Jonsson & Alter maintain the label's high standards. Swedish duo Minilogue's take on "Kyrka 2" completes their transformation from a melodic minimal act to a fine purveyor of tripped out techno, with swirling chords and trippy builds swathing the lithe accompanying rhythm in a psychedelic glow. Trailed by an acidic arc, it is one of the few techno tracks deserving the title 'epic'. In contrast, the Dorisburg version of "Djup House" is clanging and glitchy, as metal on metal grinds and glistens. Finally, Donato Dozzy takes on "Acapellan"; instead of droning techno, the Italian drops a deep house reshape, fuelled by rasping percussion, heavy beats a warm, sensuous bass and the most seductive 'ooh ooh' vocal since One Dove's Dot Allison strutted her stuff.

Review: The chances are if you're signing up for a Jimmy Edgar album, you know what you're in the mood for, and there's plenty of that sleazy funk to sink your teeth into on Majenta. There are points where it feels like Edgar is trying less to show off his considerable skills for micro-edits, instead just trying to make something a little more simplistically feel-good such as the tellingly-titled "Let Yrself Be." There's still plenty of edge to be found elsewhere, as on the marginally steppy feel of "Indigo Mechanix (3D)". The recent meeting point between dubstep, electro and juke couldn't be better typified than right here, but most pleasingly it comes off sounding like vintage ahead-of-the-game Edgar

Review: Rest's first release, Discoshit's fluid and decidedly groovy Strike A Pose, won support from a host of well-regarded DJs and producers. This second release on the label looks likely to garner more praise for the imprint. It's similarly loose and languid in its approach, fixing flowing chords, pads and melodies to faithfully shuffling grooves. Morgenklang opens proceedings with the Visionquest-does-US-garage flex of "Green & Blue", before Superloader offers something for the stoners in the shape of the decidedly deep and lazy "Walk With Me". Discoshit closes with "Strangers", a formidable mix of spooky deepness, electrofunk quirkiness and gut-bothering sub-bass pressure.

Review: James Mason has never been the most celebrated of electro and boogie musicians. Possibly best known as part of Prelude-signed electro/hip-hop/synth-disco crew Wuf Ticket (makers of the brilliantly silly "Ya Mama"), Mason released just one solo album, 1977's disco era Rhythm of Life, before finding greater acclaim with his synthesizer/rap crew. Yet two of his productions, previously unreleased at the time of their creation, have recently gone on to become proto-house classics. According to Mason's sleeve notes on the belated 1996 release of "Nightgruv" and "I Want Your Love", he recorded them both in 1984 in a bid to secure a contract to make a new album. They were turned down and sat gathering dust for 12 years before finding a home on Mighty Fine Records (and later reissue specialists Soul Brother Records). Since then, both - and in particular, the better-known "I Want Your Love" - have earned a reputation amongst boogie, garage and disco-heads as two pioneering works. It's fitting, then, that Rush Hour have decided to give them another re-release - highly recommended.

Review: So far, the output of Italian producer Pirupa has been solid if a little underwhelming. This, though, is slightly different. Abandoning the more minimal side of his work in favour of an all-out assault on peaktime floors, "Party Non Stop" is like hip-house for DJs brought up on a diet of murky techno and chunky German house. Aside from some choice hip-hop vocal samples, it also features fiendish analogue bass and some muted rave stabs. If you fancy something a little darker, DJ Qu provides a fittingly frightening late night remix that strips down the original to little more than an atmospheric groove.