Review: Bristol's Shall Not Fade presents this awesome DJ mix by label staple Carlo. The Berlin-based producer serves up several of his own jams amongst some of the label's biggest hits (and near misses!) across 12 tracks. Highlights include Cologne's Djoko with the lo-slung minimal of "Lost In Time", Tilman's disco-tined deep house groove "Say Good Bye", as well as the dream team of Marcel Vogel, Alexandre Arslan & Tim Jules serving up some proper late-night mood music on "If You Don't Love" and ending with KaySoul & Gustavo Martinez's sensual and evocative "Africanus".
Review: After a brief break to sling out a couple of 12" singles on his ownPleasant Systems imprint, Mainz man Tilman is back on Shall Not Fade. 'Touch Me Fantasy' is the German producer's fourth outing on the Bristol-based imprint and sees him sashay between tough but dreamy deep house (the ear-pleasing, huggable retro-futurism of 'Rewind Your Dreams'), keyboard solo-sporting turn-of-the-90s lusciousness (the NJ deep house-goes-to-Rimini flex of 'Clouds' and equally as luscious 'Mind Games') and raw, stripped-back proto-Chicago jack sleaziness ('Woman'). The EP also includes a fine collaboration with regular studio buddy Will Buck, 'Two The Max', which sits somewhere between early '90s Italian dream house and the late '80s deep house productions of former Newcleus man Ben Cemac.
Review: Tilman has had many studio adventures in the past, many alongside the likes of Florian and Johannes Albert, but few were quite as storied and emotionally stirring as the quartet of dancefloor tales told on his latest EP. He begins in fine fashion via a Will Buck collaboration that perfectly captures the sun-kissed positivity, tactile bass, sunset-ready pads and loon bird samples of turn-of-the-90s Italian house ('What's Mine is Mine'), before smothering an extra-percussive retro house groove with chiming synthesizer sounds and new age electronics on the equally summery 'Strawberry Fields'. Rhode & Brown hook-up 'Velvet Park' is another classic-sounding slab of warming deep house colour, while closing track 'Lovin' sits somewhere between deep synth-pop, electro and Soul II Soul style street soul.
Review: While some labels have scaled back their output during the ongoing global pandemic, Shall Not Fade has not let up. The Bristol-based label's latest must-check release is a typically jazzy deep house mini-album from experienced German producer Tilman. There's not enough room to detail every track on offer, but we'd suggest starting with energetic, techno-tempo opener 'Relax Yourself' (breezy jazz-funk-house on steroids), before moving on to the squelchy and tactile late-night hypnotism of 'Beauty In The Dark' (think Italian dream house with extra percussive drive) and the bumpin', sample-rich jazz-house goodness of 'Vice Versa', whose beats reminded us of some of Switch and Jesse Rose's work as Inducive. There are plenty more highlights scattered across the EP, making it a genuine must-check for deep house heads.
Review: While it may have been designed to reflect the evolving nature of the label's sound over the last half-decade, Shall Not Fade's fifth anniversary compilation is nevertheless packed to the rafters with previously unheard treats. It begins with a techno-tempo blast of garage-influenced deep house warmth from DJOKO and ends with the dark, squelching and ghostly bounce of Dart's 'Transformations'; in between, you'll find 19 more reasons to be cheerful with plenty of serious dancefloor chops. Undisputed highlights include the crunchy, head-nodding pleasure of GVRL's instrumental hip-hop jam 'Love Game', the angular and acid spiked tech-breaks of Harrison BDP's 'The Powerful Play', the drowsy deep house dreaminess of Mutual Attraction's 'MPC Live Track 1' and the rushing rave revivalism of Baltra's killer re-fix of Earth Boys' 'I'm Not Afraid'.
Review: Earlier in the year, Toy Tonic regulars Rhode & Brown joined forces with fellow German deep house sort Tilman for a first collaborative EP on RTB. Here they repeat the exercise on Shall Not Fade, delivering an EP so expansive we should probably refer to it as a mini album. There's naturally much to enjoy throughout, from the bongo-laden heaviness of bouncy piano-house rinse-out 'Times New Romance' and the jazz-funk-goes-deep house wonder that is 'Body Heat', to the huggable breakbeat-house lusciousness of 'Could Weave a Memory', and the ultra-deep, saucer-eyed Afro-house bliss of 'Aywo'. Closing cut 'The Highest Pressure', a tropical-tinged disco-house loop jam, is also rather good.
Review: Belarus' Iner launches a new label with a strong cast of international names all pushing a deep and distinguished strain of house music for those who want soul and invention in equal measure. Tilman is up first with 'Sweet Dreamer', a mellow, looped up roller. Sune's 'Flutes' takes a breezier approach shaped out by fluttering jazz funk motifs. Yann Polewka celebrates the sweetest Philly strings and some classic vocal licks for a disco-infused burner you can't help but love. Iner himself keeps things loose and organic on the wonderful 'Respectfull Kind Music', while Scruscru goes for a sleek approach to chopped up funky house. That leaves it to Buzz Compass to get heady and hazy with the bass-leaning cuts coursing through 'That Nighter'.
Review: Having forged their reputation via a string of rock solid EPs on Toy Tonics, Rhode & Brown pop up on debutant label RTB with fellow German producer Tilman in tow. "One Grand Jams" consists of four tracks, all of which wrap extensive samples from disco, boogie and jazz-funk records around chunky, bass-heavy and in some cases slamming house grooves. We're particularly enjoying the insatiable electronic piano motifs, looped guitars and energetic synth-bass of "Good Time (Not A Long Time)" and the punchy, Latin-tinged disco-house rush of "Spencer", though the jaunty cheeriness of "She Knows" and the deep disco-house warmth of "Certainly" are similarly impressive.
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