Underground Quality US At Juno Download

Review: Is Jus-Ed the hardest-working man in house? Certainly, he seems to be making a strong case. Following numerous mix CDs, singles and doublepack vinyl EPs in 2011, he begins 2012 with a typically impressive collection of soft-focus deep house with a rugged, floor-friendly edge. As ever, there's a high musical content (see the haunting acid bass and twinkling pianos of "Confused Passion"), alongside rougher cuts that explore the darker recesses of early morning deep house. Take, for example, the dreamy synths and ice-cold acid of "Trip To Hamburg" or liquid atmospherics of "Mr Pete's Cribby". Like the rest of Endurance, they're inspirationally melodic without losing dancefloor focus.

Review: Twice the value here, as two deep house heavyweights team up for Underground Quality. Just one track on offer, but it's a doozy. Those who've closely followed David "Move D" Moufang's career may be a little surprised by the sound of "It's A Struggle", which rides on a snare-heavy percussion groove that sounds like a midtempo deep house take on B-more - with nods to both hip-hop and UKG. Throw in a lovely acoustic guitar refrain and a laidback spoken vocal from Jus Ed, and you have a unique cut that's delightfully hard to pin down - and far deeper than the raw elements suggest.