Review: With releases on Nervous and Lost My Dog to his name, 25 year-old producer James Dexter is clearly going places. Here he pops up on legendary Chicagoan label Large with an impressively varied EP of floor-friendly flavas. Each of the three tracks should get major rotations, with the deep US garage flex of "Only You" - a kind of 21st century take on Local Talk style revivalism - most impressive. "Forward" is noticeably deeper and baggier, bumping along on a positive deep house flex thanks to a catchy bassline, snappy snares and some choice male vocal samples. The woozier "Never Guna Stop", meanwhile, sounds like a surprise hoedown between Solomun and the Wolf Music crew.
Review: The lead track here finds Dexter - whose CV includes releases on the likes of Poker Flat, Madtech, elrow, Leftroom and Gruuv - in that little-explored region of the musical spectrum where deep/tech house and UK garage collide: the crisp 4/4 kicks and lingering pads of 'Desire' would seem to put it in the house camp but that bassline is pure speed garage. It's an unusual combination, for sure, but it works! The accompanying 'That' leans more obviously towards the deep house side of the equation, but still manages to pack a little of that attitude-y garage strut. More like this, please!
Review: Via releases on Lost My Dog, Gruuv, Dessous and Poker Flat, Jaems Dexter has previously proved to be a serious deep house talent. Even so, we're not sure he's released anything quite as potent as "Back Then". The track's genius lies in Dexter's near perfect combination of heavy, low-slung house grooves, mangled vocal samples and deep space deep house pads. Almost as good is weighty and atmospheric dub-house workout "Dubbing Again", while the warm, mellow and groovy deep house workout "Anyone" is also worth a listen. If that's not enough to set the pulse racing, closing cut "Stay" is the kind of bold, bumping, bass-heavy deep house workout that would once have been a staple on the infamous West Coast scene around San Francisco and San Diego.
Review: London-based minimal tech-house expert James Dexter is back, following up a terrific run of releases for Poker Flat, Little Helpers and Gruuv in recent times. Representing here for the always reliable Bondage Music, Dexter continues on his winning streak with "One Thing" a deep yet tough rolling groove that's perfect tackle for the warm up set or the afterhours alike. "Follow Up" is up next which gets a tough bounce on by use of its overdriven 909 thud backed by airy pads and finally "Warning" goes for a slinky and hypnotic progressive house vibe - that's perfect for dancers to lose themselves in on the dancefloor.
Review: London's James Dexter has had a great run of releases of late, appearing on top tech-house stables such as Little Helpers, Bondage Music and Poker Flat. While new his effort may come courtesy of Leeds based Gruuv label, he is certainly no stranger to them, having appeared on it last year with the terrfic "Mindstate". Dexter carries on doing what he does best on "Creature", a fierce bass-driven groove that shows are much more direct and in-your-face style by him yet, intoxiciating minimal house equally suited to the afterhours can be heard on "Renegade" and "Confusion" reaches neat tribal moments and is reminiscent of early 00's west coast tech house.
Review: Trust Leeds lads Audiojack and their ever reliable Gruuv imprint for main room tech house for the peak time. This time they have tapped London's James Dexter: who has had a prolific run with releases on top labels such as Rebellion, Dessous/Poker Flat, in addition to running the Inermu imprint. The druggy afterhours minimal of "I Think So" proves that Dexter has his own sound - something that first caught our attention with his standout release in 2017 on Little Helpers. There's certainly more of that on offer here, but the remix up next by Romanian tech house expert Mihai Popoviciu adds more attitude to it- his rendition taking it down a more dubby and tribal route. The boompty business of "Mindstate" features a familiar vocal hook from a certain US classic while the bold and sexy mood lighting of "That's Life" likewise closes out proceedings in style.
Review: 136 releases deep, Steve Bug's Dessous label continues to impress with each successive outing. As you'd expect, the four tracks showcased on this James Dexter EP are all club-ready and pleasingly playable. Dexter begins with the echo-laden old school vocal samples, atmospheric chords and swinging deep house groove of "Drift", before adding a touch more bumping New Jersey flavour on the similarly minded "Take Me". "Whose Rules?" is an even deeper and more hypnotic excursion with an altogether more locked-in rhythm track, while "Disco Deep" is a fluttering summer breeze of an outing played out at a tempo that suits al-fresco dancing on the shores of the Adriatic Sea.
Review: For rising star James Dexter it's business as usual, this time for long running Hamburg institution Dessous. First up is "Have It Like That", which fits right in with Steve Bug's label's modus operandi just fine with this sexy late night deep house journey for sophisticated crowds. He dives deeper on "No time", which is more reminiscent of late '90s U.S. house: think Guidance or Nite Grooves. Finally "Get On To This" ups the ante proper on this sleazy tribal tech house killer equally indebted to the late 90's in a way that Hipp E & Halo would appreciate.
Review: Hamburg heroes Poker Flat make it abundantly clear on their new various artists EP that they still like it raw - and don't we all? They're preaching to the choir on this one, where the hottest names in tech house at present fully represent. Highlights coming courtesy of Pavel Iudin (Quality Vibe/Raro) on the deep 'n' sexy late night swing of "Waxology", London's James Dexter also returns to the label after appearances on sister imprint Dessous with the smoky afterhours vibe of "Area 51" and hero of the Parisian underground 'Monsieur' Julien Sandre teams up with Mennie for the dirty back room dub of "Partitions". Indeed like the name suggests, this is on a much more underground vibe that what we're used to from the label - quality stuff!
