Review: Having previously released 10th anniversary 'best of' and 'hidden gems' collections, Heist Recordings' founders Dam Swindle complete the trilogy via a well-curated set of remixes from the label's bulging archives. Our picks of a very strong bunch include Cinthie's nostalgic, solo-laden piano house rework of Dam Swindle's 'Call of the Wild' (featuring Jungle By Night), Kush Jones' ultra-deep hybrid house/garage rub of Byron The Aquarius's 'I Love Yo', a deliciously off-kilter and drum-machine driven re-make of Adriyano courtesy of Jamie 3:26, and a typically epic, lusciously loved-up Prins Thomas 'Diskomiks' of Dam Swindle and Jitwam's 'Coffee in the Morning'. Throw in sublime reworks by Kai Alce, Dj Boring, Kassian and Alma Negra, and you have a genuinely must-have compilation.
Review: As part of Heist Recordings' ongoing 10th birthday celebrations, label founders Dam Swindle have decided to showcase some of the 'Hidden Gems' lurking in the imprint's back catalogue. It's a smart move, because there's plenty of high-grade dancefloor heat to be found across the 15 under-celebrated tracks on show. For proof, check the squelchy synth-bass, rushing piano riffs and classic house vibes of Fouk's 'Truffles', the gorgeous sci-fi techno melodiousness of Lord of the Samurai's 'Space Designer', the sun-splashed, jazz-flecked excellence of Crackazat's 'We Know', the low-slung, drum machine driven headiness of Adesse Versions' 'Push It Along' and the drowsy, soul-flecked late-night deepness pf Marina Trench and Sabrina Bellaouel's 'Wake Up'.
Review: Dutch producer Perdu is known for his work on Optimo Music, Heist and We Play House, among other labels, and here he comes to Germany's Live At Robert Johnson with a five-tracker that draws heavily on Italo/cosmic disco for inspiration. 'Dystopia' is all driving 4/4s and shimmering synths, 'Retrograde Mercury' has an intense, claustrophobic, tribalistic feel, 'Rise Of F5' is uptempo and energetic, and 'Somehow It's Different Now' is a slightly more contemplative variation on the theme, before the Bells Remix of 'Dystopia' adds a little old skool Chi-town flava in the drums department.
Review: The label arm of the DGTL festival organisation comes good with a fine house compilation to soundtrack these uncertain times. The warbling bass and neat percussive undercurrents on Lovshai's "Solo" start the release in warm, ecstatic form, while FM Live recalls the glory days of 90s UK deep house with the sprawling "Tal Como Soy". The compilation takes a tranced out turn for Perdu's "The Light Within", where broken beats provide the basis for some atmospheric hooks, before Yotam Avni switches into techno-influenced mode for the rolling, drum-heavy workout that is "Jungle of the Mirror II". Peppered with dreamy synths and deep vocal samples, it shows that when it comes to modern house music, DGTL has few peers.
Review: As is now traditional, Heist Recordings has kick-started a new year by asking their artists to remix each other. Boss men Detroit Swindle set the tone with a gorgeously positive, synth-heavy remix of Fouk's "Need My Space" before Makez re-imagines Perdu's "Sacramento" as an acid bass-propelled bounce through melodious deep house pastures and Fouk adds a little loose-limbed swing and dirty bass pressure to Demuir's percussive and warming "The 3nity Returneth". Perdu reaches for the psychedelic acid lines and squelchy synth-bass on a Latin-tinged remake of Detroit Swindle's Lorenz Rhode collaboration "Music For Clubs", while Demuir beefs up Makez's breezy and melodious "Random Visits".
Review: Midnight Riot serve up 18 tracks that encapsulate the house sound of Ibiza in 2019, with elements of tech-house and (nu) disco and a sprinkling of good old-fashioned vocal podium belters. Arther Baker's opening 'Reachin' (as remixed by Hi-Fi Sean and Yam Who?) is one example of the latter, while techier, struttier pleasures can be found on Benjamin Ferreira's ludicrously funky bass workout 'Aerosol'. Manc veterans DJ Paulette and Chris Massey join forces on another funk-fuelled rumbler, 'Sheroes', while deeper, more soulful vibes await on Jack Tyson Charles's 'Glory'. And if you like the sound of those there are 14 more very playable nuggets from the likes of Birdee, Lenny Fontana and Natasha Kitty Kat to choose from!
Review: Having previously flexed his psychedelic influences and love for bustling breakbeats via a tasty three-tracker on Optimo Music's Digital Danceforce offshoot, former Let's Play House artist Perdu makes his bow on Heist Recordings. Perdu love of lo-fi electronics once again comes to the fore on undulating, carnival-ready opener "Janes World", which is in turn re-imagined as a spiraling chunk of synth-heavy house by man of the moment DJ Boring. He brilliantly joins the dots between tropical melodies, heavy bass and shuffling machine beats on "Sacremento", which comes accompanied by a deeper and chunkier Dub, while "Morbid" is an excitable affair rich in rubbery samba-house drums and woozy, life-affirming synthesizer motifs.
Review: Perdu is the nom de plume of Amsterdam's Alain van der Born, who presents his much awaited sophomore effort on New York City's respected Let's Play House imprint. Much like his track "Cece" on Midnight Riot's Riot In Lagos sub label a couple of years back, the Mystical Choices EP is a collection of Afro influenced disco numbers that incorporate even more disparate influences. From the swelerting polyrhythms of "Saromosa" or "Tanora" - the latter perfect for cool down moments by causing a raindance on the dancefloor. The moody and atmospheric closer "Textures" ventures into the same spiritual kind of territory like that of Boddhi Satva or Toto Chiavetta.
Review: As you might extrapolate from the title, Riot In Lagos is Midnight Riot's tribute to the endearing influence of African dance music. In typical style, this is achieved through a blend of contemporary productions, sample-heavy cuts and edits of original African material. The standard is impressively high throughout, with little in the way of fluff or filler. Highlights include, but are not limited to, the inspired deep house/Afro-disco fusion of Mena & Melgado's "African Food", the rich deep house bump of Yam Who's "How We Do", the dense percussion and glistening guitars of Drop Out Orcherstra's Candido tribute, "Jin Go La", and the pitched-down, Fela-in-dub chug of Hober Mallow's "Egbe Mi O". Oh, and Jonny Walters' hypnotic Afro-boogie shuffler "Jam Bo Ree".
We use cookies to personalise content and ads, to provide social media features and to analyse our traffic. We also share information about your use of our site with our social media, advertising and analytics partners who may combine it with other information that you've provided to them or that they've collected from your use of their services.