Review: Gerd Janson has looked beyond his usual roster of producers on the latest edition of Running Back's multi-artist EP series. The result is a five-track missive full of genuine gems and scintillating sonic surprises. Our picks of a very strong bunch are the rushing piano house revivalism of Delphi's extra-positive '7_11 House' and the full-throttle, acid-fired breakbeat house hedonism of Baldo's 'Human Connection', where bold chords and fizzing TB-303 lines catch the ear. Elsewhere, Yungrutz's 'Starlight' sounds a little like Tuff City Kids after a couple of drags on a jazz cigarette, 9th House's 'Ara' is a simmering, string-laden treat and Signal Mute's 'Reminiscence' is an exceptionally emotive chunk of tingling deep house beauty.
Review: The latest missive from Nik Mercer and Jacques Renault's prolific Let's Play House imprint comes from the similarly hard-working Baldo. The Barcelona-based producer has enjoyed a productive 2016, delivering well-regarded EPs on Neovinyl Recordings and Good Ratio Music. There's naturally much to admire on the simply titled W, which blends swirling deep house chords and glistening melodies, with the unmistakable sound of the Roland TB-303. The latter's near psychedelic lines make regular appearances throughout the EP, underpinning the near Balearic swell of "Count Zero", combining well with the intergalactic chords of "Flirty", and bubbling away seductively on saucer-eyed standout "Miscellaneous".
Review: Having recently impressed on a wide variety of labels, nu-disco/deep house fusionists Volta Cab return to Seven Music to head up a split EP featuring a quarter of cosy cuts. Their "The Foundation" is the epitome of warm deep house, blending elements of classic US house, touchy-feely nu-disco and fireside-warm deepness. Baldo's "Deep Opera Motorcrash" is similarly heart-warming, brilliantly incorporating sneaky vocal and double bass samples. Stephen Day slows the pace on his excellent "When You Fall" (think rubbery synth bass and drifting deep house chords), while Robotalco's "Sandoz" bumps along merrily thanks to the use of a looped jazz bassline and some decidedly organic percussion.
