Live At Robert Johnson Germany At Juno Download

Review: Live at Bobby J's serve up this remix shaped addendum to Mr Pagliara's excellent thick set long player Focus for Infinity, with mainstays Tuff City Kids and B.H.F.V. at the controls. Anyone who's checked a Tuff City Kid production in recent times will be getting a bit excited at the prospect of a remix proper as well as some bonus acid endeavours from Lauer and Janson. Rightly so too - in their hands "A Wrong Chance" gets moulded into a heaving mass of cavernous thumping house brilliance that constantly switches between moods. Just wait for the truly haunting treatment of crystalline chords to arrive! The Acid Bonus Riddim version is the more basic variant, stripping it down to let the bass do the talking before the acid takes effect. The presence of B.H.F.V. is a welcome return for the duo who slipped out the excellent throwback electro jams on ET 01-06 earlier in the year, and their take nine minute on "In Order Of More Depth" applies a similarly bleep heavy approach amidst expansive surges of Technicolor light. Big tip for the heads!

Review: Massimiliano Pagliara's love affair with Live At Robert Johnson continues here with his Magic Serials EP. The typo-in-waiting Italian producer first appeared on the Offenbach-based imprint in 2009 with the Toxic Love EP; this was followed in 2011 by a mesmeric debut album, Focus For Infinity, an extensive opus that fully showcased Pagliara's penchant for soulful, melodic house. Magic Serials pays titular homage to the serial numbers of the equipment used in the production of the tracks, with the resulting titles reminiscent of Andreas Tilliander's recent work under the TM404 alias. A-Side opener "JP4-808-P5-106-DEP5" employs spectral Carpenter-esque synths, while "MS20-707-M/P-P6-SPX90" sparkles with an 80s sheen that reminds us of the recent FXHE output. On the flipside, "LM2-JP4-106-606-BL-303-SDE2000-P6-TX81Z" slows the tempo to a woozy, anaesthetised pace.

Review: When Maxmillion Dunbar released Max Tracks For World Peace EP, it confirmed his arrival as a producer with genuine talent. The stand out track from that EP was a rainbow-tinted fusion of old-world ambience, contemporary deep house and shimmering, synth-wave goodness called "Polo". Although superb, it seemed to be rather overlooked at the time, perhaps because its kaleidoscopic melodies, spacious grooves and eyes-wide-shut feel didn't quite fit in with contemporary dancefloor values. Pleasingly, Live At Robert Johnson have decided to give it a much-deserved single release, with two brand new versions for Dunbar fans to drool over. And drool you will. Field-Pickering has provided a brand new extended version, with stretches out the six-minute original into ten minutes of crystalline gorgeousness. Arto Mwambe man Phillip Lauer - a Live At Robert Johnson regular whose debut album will drop on Running Back later this spring - provides the remix. It's a smart choice from the LARJ camp, because Lauer is no stranger to melodic, soundscape deep house. Highly recommended.

Review: Few are better than Portable at creating killer grooves that defy convention. "A Process" is a great example of that. Although its groove sticks to a 4/4 tempo, it swings, bumps and winds majestically, sounding not unlike the illegitimate offspring of broken beat and tech-jazz. With some beautifully simple classic house pianos and a similarly tactile vocal atop, "Process" slowly builds to a percussive crescendo before tailing off into touchy-feely, beatless territory. It's as atmospheric and heartwarming as you'd expect, without resorting to aural cliches. There's also a slightly more coffee table rework featuring a series of natty flute solos and a delay-laden acapella that could prove useful to creative DJs.

Review: Currently enjoying a resurgence in interest after his lauded Fatty Folders LP last year, the evergreen Roman Flugel drops this tasty four-tracker for the Robert Johnson crew and it's a fine example of just how effortless the man can make high grade house music sound. "OTH" is a warm and grooving run through rich layers of synths, with the sci-fi touches of earliest Sheffield bleep but none of the coldness. "Cookie Dust" meanwhile is a touch feistier, as the tempo gets upped and the track comes off sounding like cool-as-ice electro techno. "Thank You Jack" and "Girls With Status" show where Flugel can head with more downtempo sounds, with the latter being a particularly sweet slice of broken beat elegance.

Review: These days, you never quite know what you're going to get from Roman Flugel, but chances are it'll be worth checking. Desperate Housemen, his first EP for the versatile Live At Robert Johnson, is suitably interesting. Over the four tracks, Flugel flexes his electronic muscles, dusts off some vintage keys and lays down typically spellbinding grooves. There's the palatial Kraftwerkian electro/techno of "Lovedancing", the ambidextrous low-end wobble of "Mulish Crease" (like early Warp IDM with a dancefloor pulse), and even a spot of woozy deep house ("Iron Curtain"). Oh, and the farting sub and nagging hooks of "Dishes & Wishes", a kind of smacked-out version of Mr Fingers "Washing Machine" given a twisted disco makeover. Pretty much what you expected, eh?

Review: The Citizen's Band's second instalment for Ramona's favourite label hollows their long lasting love affair. Christian Beisswenger's (CB Funk, one half of Arto Mwambe) is nothing less than dealing with the demise of an empire. "Broken Rome" is a codeine trip through early Nu Groove rave tracks as well as an ode to Junior Vasquez at the helm of the Sound Factory seen and heard through frosted glass. "Densed" on the other hand tips its toes into the current deep house stream with an Arto-Mwambe-like hook and a thumping bass line. The spaces in-between those rudiments are taken up by the IDM finger exercise and jewel that is "Into": Ottoman dancing!