Review: Since the release of his soul, R&B and downtempo-inspired 'Birdhouse' album in 2022, Jamie 'Jimpster' Odell has pivoted back to the dancefloor, serving up a sequence of deep house-fired singles. He continues that run on his first outing of 2024. Opener 'You're My Ecstasy' sets the tone, with the Freerange founder adding echoing soulful vocal snippets to a typically luxurious deep house workout laden with skippy drums, heady bass and dreamy chords. Title track 'The Passion', featuring King Crowney, comes in two variations: an immersive, woozy and piano-laden original mix that's both dancefloor-ready and musically expansive, and a more fluid, jaunty and upbeat Atjazz remix in the veteran producer's trademark style. Basically, it's another must-check EP from one of British deep house's most reliable producers.
Review: Four months after Thakzin and Ray T's original mixes of 'Don't Let Me See' first appeared in stores, the track returns in reworked form courtesy of Freerange Records co-founder (and long-serving deep house don) Jimpster. While the original was a shuffling, tactile, heavily electronic vocal deep house treat with lashings of loved-up soul, Jimpster's remix successfully ups the weight and intensity of the groove (partly via the use of additional percussion sounds) while making the track sound even deeper and sunnier. As well as the full vocal version (track one - our pick), the EP also boasts a radio-friendly edited version and a gorgeous instrumental pass that runs at the same length as his original remix.
Review: After a three year long hiatus due to the global pandemic, Aussie label Balance Music's main compilation series is finally back with its 31st volume. This latest release features an absolute stunner of a mix, curated by none other than the UK's very own Tim Green. As a celebrated artist of various acclaimed labels including All Day I Dream, TRYBESof, Cocoon, Siamese and more, Green brings his unique creative perspective to the table, crafting a truly beautiful story in this 2.5 hour long mix. This latest addition to the series follows in the footsteps of past epic contributions from industry titans such as James Holden, Joris Voorn and Agoria.
Review: Jimpster was so inspired by his experiences DJing in South Africa that he decided to create a track in tribute. Simply titled 'Tribute', it features South African vocalist Mavhungu paying tribute (in her native tongue, Vengu) to the continent of her birth atop a wonderfully warming, evocative and atmospheric deep house/Afro-house fusion workout that's rich in both organic and electronic instrumentation. Fittingly, Osunlade - a deep house producer who has consistently made music inspired by his African heritage - provides two remixes: a smooth, slightly jazzier 'Club Mix' (check the rubbery bass, hypnotic beats and spring-fresh synth sounds), and a 'Jazzstrumental' that showcases more of Jimpster's wonderful electric piano solos. Also included in the EP is bonus cut 'Jacidswing', a deep, spacey, TB-303-sporting deep house instrumental.
Review: During lockdown, when strutting your stuff on the dancefloor remained a pipe dream, many producers naturally gravitated towards more downtempo sounds during their studio sessions. Jamie Odell AKA Jimpster, who of course first rose to prominence in the late '90s as a producer of laid-back beats and jazzy instrumentals, was one of those producers. The resultant LP, Birdhouse - his seventh in total - is naturally brilliant, with Odell showcasing the quality of his musicianship (and song writing skills) on a range of warming, comforting and undeniably luscious tracks that variously join the dots between trip-hop, neo soul, nu-jazz, ambient and blunted beats. Throw in some superb guest vocals (from both singers and rappers) and you have a near perfect collection of sofa-ready sounds.
Review: Given that Jimpster's productions are always musically rich and full of intricate sonic details, you'd expect this new collection of remixes of classic cuts to be similarly minded. It is, of course, resulting in some genuinely brilliant revisions. Space Ghost delivers deliver a twinkling, Larry Heard-inspired analogue deep house mix of 'One', while Jon Dixon joins the dots between jazzy deep house and early 2000s tech-house futurism on his version of 'Smile For a While'. Elsewhere, darker late-night house vibes are provided by the Teflon Dons (a killer dub of 'Where You Are'); Kai Alce's revision of 'Inside The Loop' oozes sun-kissed positivity; Kareem Ali turns 'Brought to Bare' into a deep-tech roller; and Solid Gold Playaz reach for the percussion on a deliciously druggy mix of 'Echoes In My Head'.
Review: Freerange co-founder Jamie 'Jimpster' Odell recently reached a significant musical milestone, namely the passing of 25 years since the release of his first record. To mark the occasions, he's been releasing a series of retrospective compilations. This is the third and, like its predecessors, is packed to the rafters with career highlights. For the most part the set focuses on the more downtempo end of Odell's output, flitting between evocative nu-jazz ('Bad Hair Blues', the ultra-dreamy lusciousness of 'Maiden Voyage'), squelchy electronica ('Makin' Weird'), jazz-funk-fired broken beat ('Standing Wave'), bruk/hip-house fusion (Capitol A collaboration 'Left & Right') and slow-motion soundscapes ('Fluorescent Blue'), with only occasional forays into deep house. In a word: superb!
Review: Astonishingly, a quarter of a century has now passed since Jamie 'Jimpster' Odell delivered his debut single, Martian Arts. While his sonic style has gradually evolved in the years since, his ability to craft warm, rich, emotive and sonically detailed music remains as strong as ever. That much is proved by 'Soul Spectrum', a sumptuous slab of organic deep house in which Odell's melancholic keys and Greg Paulus' similarly bittersweet trumpet lines ride above a percussion-rich groove. It's available in a slightly more stripped-back, effects-laden Dub Mix form, too, for those looking for added energy and heaps more hand percussion. Elsewhere, 'Sanguine' is a slightly more driving deep house number rich in colourful synth sounds and fluid piano lines, and 'Think of You Always' is ultra-deep and jazzy (think Boulevard-era Saint Germain, and you're close).
Review: To round off another rock-solid year, Freerange Records co-founder Jamie 'Jimpster' Odell has decided to offer-up an EP made in collaboration with Matt Masters, a producer who has been on the imprint's staff for many years. The resultant three tracker is as strong as you'd expect, with the two friends first radically re-imagining Evelyn King boogie classic 'Love Come Down' as an ultra-trippy, spaced-out slab of dub house/deep house fusion rich in rubbery bass guitar, delay-laden boogie synths, off and tidy peak-time drums ('Dub Come Down'). 'Area E3' is a warmer, breezier and more colourful fusion of electrofunk synths and deep house nous in the style of Metro Area, while 'No Normal' delivers a glorious mixture of squelchy synth-bass, sparkling chords and Floating Points style synth squiggles.
Review: Jamie "Jimpster" Odell has long been one of deep house's more positive producers, with much of his material being as musically delicious as it is dancefloor ready. Even so, new single "Smile For a While" is particularly positive. Built around twinkling, eyes-closed vocal and harp samples, the track sees Odell layer waves of colourful electronics and kaleidoscopic chords atop a chunky bassline and snappy deep house beats. It comes accompanied by two takes on "Echoes in My Head". We get an original version that adds Osunlade style live percussion, ambient techno chords and spacey synths to a driving, retro-futurist house groove, and a Larry Heard-esque revision (the "Head in the Clouds Mix") that's as positive and rush-inducing as they come.
Review: Put up the bunting: Jimpster's back! The Freerange Records co-founder has been rather quiet of late, with the "One EP" delivering his first new material for nearly two years. Predictably he's in fine form from the off, successfully joining forces with Osunlade collaborator Casamena on brilliant opener "One" - a jaunty, loose-limbed fusion of jumpy broken house beats, huggable chords, sweaty percussion fills and a post hip-house spoken word vocal from the track's guest star. Detroiter Waajeed re-frames it as a bass-heavy chunk of starry deep house positivity before Jimspter offers up bonus cut "The Way It Is", a slightly more rubbery jog through ear catching deep house positivity rich in jazzy piano solos and squeezable synth bass.
Review: As befits a producer and label owner with his level of experience, Jimpster has done a great job in hand picking producers to rework his double A-side single "Burning Up/Becoming Cyclonic". Perhaps the most ear-catching tweak comes from Bawrut, whose inspired revision flits from off-kilter, polyrhythmic madness to wonky, angular and percussive insanity midway through. It's unusual, but also undeniably powerful and filthier than a skip-load of 1970s jazz mags. That said, Telfort's smooth, spacey and rush-inducing deep house take on "Becoming Cyclonic" is also superb, while Charles Webster's woozy, organic-sounding, mid-tempo rework of "Burning Up" is a deliciously deep, slow burning delight.
Review: Unswerving in all his capacities as a label owner, DJ and artist, Jimpster continues to burn into another vintage year with this superlative three track EP on his own Freerange imprint. "Curve" hits with the shimmers almost instantly but gets progressively cosmic as more layers are added while "The Sweetness Of That Song" eases us deeper into the dance with a maze lead layers all pointing the same mildly jazzy direction as a meatier electronic arpeggio runs amok beneath. "Simmering Down" lives up to its name on a much more introspective slower note that sounds best either at the very start or end of a perfect party.
Review: Suol's weekly open-air parties at IPSE, Hallo Montag, have become a summer fixture in Berlin over the past few years. Like the parties, the accompanying series of EPs showcase "sunny tracks" from the label's roster of artists and like-minded guests. This second part of the 2018 edition contains some suitably bright and breezy cuts, with Jimpster's "Lightshine" - a carnival-ready chunk of deep house dancefloor bliss rich in dreamy chords and Latin percussion hits - standing out. There's plenty to gently warm the soul elsewhere across the EP, though, from the snappy, low-slung grooves, toasty chords and CeCe Rogers vocals of Atjazz's remix of Chopstick and JohnJon's "What Is House Music", to the sparkling, life-affirming goodness of Zepherin Saint's "Take You There (featuring Divinity)".
Review: Thanks to the slowly shifting warmth, gentle breeziness and sun-kissed appeal of the twelve tracks on Coastal Soul Volume 4, we now have a strong desire to kick off our shoes and flop down on the nearest sandy beach. You'll struggle to find a more languid and life-affirming chunk of jazz-funk/deep house/soul fusion than Jimpster's "Closer To You", while Kiss Me Again's gorgeous "Garden Waves" is arguably best enjoyed while sipping something boozy, cold and fruity. Highlights continue to come thick and fast throughout, from the subtly D-Train influenced throb of Jex Opolis's remix of Jules Etienne's "Free As A Man", to the lazy sunset warmth of Andras Fox's hybrid electronic/organic Balearic house take on Ponzu Island's "Super Koto".
Review: Over the course of the last decade, Swiss stalwart Deetron has been responsible for a string of impressive remixes. Happily, these - and many others you may have missed - have now been collected together on the decidedly epic Re-Creation: Remixes Compiled. As you'd expect, the 25-track set flits between full-throttle, peak-time friendly techno futurism, bustling deep house goodness and more downbeat explorations that defy his reputation as a maker of killer club cuts. Highlights include the loved-up synth breakdowns and jacking, Chicago-style groove of his Juan MacLean remix, a wonderfully retro-futurist take on George Fitzgerald's "Every Inch", a thrusting, stab-happy revision of Quarion and a lusciously jazzy take on Todd Terje's "Alfonso Muskedender". That said, on another day we could have listed another five or six highlights: it really is that good.
Review: With its flowering piano motifs, hazy chord progressions, African-influenced percussion, soulful Jinadu vocals and blissful, midtempo deep house vibe, "The Sun Comes Up" is not only one of Jimpster's most evocative releases in years, but also the undoubted highlight of the Freerange co-founder's recent album, Silent Stars. This deserved single release not only contains the peerless original version, but also a pleasingly wide-eyed, early house-meets-modern-deep house "6AM Mix" by Peggy Gou. Elsewhere, there's another airing for the warm and woozy, similarly Afro-influenced "Silent Stars" and a fluid, broken house revision of "Where You Are" by Steve Urulu. Essential stuff, all told.
Review: Having spent much of 2016 focusing on the 20th anniversary of his impressive Freerange label, Jamie "Jimpster" Odell returns with his long-awaited sixth full-length, his first album since 2013's much admired Porchlight & Rocking Chairs. As you might expect, Silent Stars is a musically expansive affair, with the producer's usual floor-friendly deep house workouts being accompanied by tracks that pay homage to starry jazz-funk (brilliant opener "Migrations"), synthesizer-heavy new age ambient (the wonderful "Sylvanshine"), loose and languid Balearica (Jinadau collaboration "The Sun Comes Up"), Floating Points Ensemble style jazz ("Tau Tona"), modern soul ("Everytime") and even a touch of Osunlade style tribal bounce ("Silent Stars"). In other words, it's superb.
Review: Jimpster has a new album on the way - his seventh in total - so has decided to serve up this tantalizing taster of what's to come. "Crave", featuring the quietly soulful vocals of Florence Rawlings, is an exercise in sumptuous, musically rich dancefloor deep house in which the Freerange co-founder can showcase his admirable composition and production skills. Khalil Anthony adds his slick vocals to the chunkier and more bass-heavy richness of "Where You Are", which recalls his appearances on Thatmanmonkz's superb Columbising full-length. Meanwhile, the EP also boasts two remixes of "Crave": a wonderfully soulful, tech-tinged shuffler from Atjazz and a rolling, analogue-rich interpretation full of bubbly electronic flourishes by D.KO co-founder Flabaire.
Review: Jamie Odell aka Jimpster's London based label Freerange returns with a new compilation series entitled Almanac which showcases this highly regarded deep house imprint's current extended roster and believe us right now when we tell you: there's a who who on offer here! Featuring Aussie Andy Hart, Dutch duo Detroit Swindle and Hamburg's Kollektiv Turmstrasse to name but a few. Our favourites, again, if only we could pick a few, are as follows: We Play House main man from Belgium Red D with the sultry and emotive deepness of "Chez", Montreal's undisputed king of latin-microhouse Guillaume Coutu Dumont with the summery disco sleaze of "You Lost It" and Pittsburgh Track Authority with the dusty MPC jack of "Gold Trim". Oh and one more? It'd have to be Chicago's Chrissy with the sexy late night EBM noir crossover of "Presidential Astrologer" which will also appeal to fans of the Comeme or Correspondant sound of late.
Review: Its 20 years of Jamie Odell aka Jimpster's revered deep house imprint and he's celebrating in great style with this 20 track compilation that demonstrates that business is as good as ever and they're testament to how much the label has remained relevant. The label head honcho himself appears of course; first with Luv Jam on the smooth and dubby "We Play Pads" and the sombre and emotive "Ceilings" featuring Laura Barrick. Other highlights include Bulgarian hardware maverick KiNK's "Roads", Detroit Swindle's fiercely bumpin' "Race Against The Machine" and Pittsburgh Track Authority's magnificent high tech soul jam "Oculus Sinister".
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