Funky/Club House Juno Download

FEATURED RELEASES

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Six re-edits from five different artists make up this latest missive from the WE MEAN DISCO!! camp. Kid Paris mines late-period Michael Jackson, Philly Vanilli loops up Lamont Dozier's original 1977 version of 'Going Back To My Roots' before taking a turn for the Latin on 'Los Cubanos', RoofTopDisco look to Geman-language new wave/disco of the early 80s and Phil Potts bites Gwen Guthrie's Levan-produced 1982 gem 'It Should Have Been You', but it's closer 'Your Brother' by Mister Larry that's the killer - not sure of the source but it'll be a proper treat for lovers of trad-style US garage.

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Alexny

Istanbul To New Delhi EP Furious Mandrill

The clue's in the title here, as Argentinian producer Alexny (Ivan Alexis Podwiazny) returns to his semi-regular home of Furious Mandrill with a four-tracker that draws on Middle Eastern and Indian music for inspiration. While there are those who'll find the very idea problematic, there's much to enjoy here, with the first three cuts looking to traditional music while 'Jawani' seemingly draws on the sitar funk of the 60s and 70s. The timing's pretty neat, too: the sub-continent has really been starting to emerge on the international house and disco scene in recent years, so consider that zeitgeist nailed!

Hot Since 82 / Miss Kittin

Naboo Knee Deep In Sound

Big one here this week on the ever reliable Knee Deep in Sound, with label chief Hot Since 82 teaming up with the legendary Miss Kittin on new single "Naboo" taken from last year's Recovery LP. The deep, late-night mood music of the original featuring Kittin's sensual vocal is backed up by Dance System's loopy and funked-up rework calling to mind DJ Sneak, Cecille label chief Nick Curly teams up with ascendant Londoner Jansons for a riveting funky house makeover reminiscent of the late '90s, and the surprising addition of Dorothys Fortress - who follow up their great release on Southern Fried last year here with a neon-lit synthpop rendition.

Javonntte

The JMarsFrank Project Situationism

Detroit dee house don Javontte first joined forces with Stroud's Situationism label earlier this year, contributing a killer cut to the multi-artist 2Up2Down Volume 3 EP. The JMarsFrank Project sees him deliver his first fill EP for the imprint, and it's genuinely a doozy. Our undisputed highlight is 'Soul People', a Moodymann-esque chunk of organic deep house haziness in which gently spacey synths, drowsy but soulful vocals, rubbery bass guitar and starry keys ride a rolling, laidback but energetic groove. The EP includes a near 11-minute extended version, which is little less than sublime. Elsewhere, 'Moon Over You' is chunkier and sweatier, with bolder beats and heavier bass amongst the headline attractions, while 'Like 9' is a sparkling and spacey slab of intergalactic deep house warmth.

Abase / Ziggy Zeitgeist

Body Mind Spirit EP Jazz & Milk

Abase (Hungarian producer Szabolcs Bognar) teams up with Australia's Ziggy Zeitgeist (real name Zeke Ruckman) on an EP that'll suit those who like it downtempo, experimental and world music-oriented. In fact, of the six cuts on offer, only 'Body Mind And Spirit' and 'Phoenix Rising' have anything to do with "deep house" at all - and even then they're strictly for floors that lean heavily towards the soulful/bruk beat end of the spectrum. Elsewhere, 'Elevation' and 'Meditation' blend ambient and jazz influences, 'Saturn Return' comes on like Incantation gone prog and 'Nuit Des Torres' is a midtempo beats thang.

Chaos In The Cbd / Jon Sable

Te Puke Thunder EP In Dust We Trust

Fittingly, the first musical missive of 2021 from the In Dust We Trust label showcases the album's co-founders, Chaos in the CBD (New Zealand-born brothers Ben and Louis Helliker-Hales) and Jon Sable. The trio offer up two collaborative cuts, both of which give different spins on the fusion of dub techno and hypnotic deep house. There's opener 'Mahia Madness', a thickset, late-night number that's as dubby and hazy as any Deepchord record, and the gently picturesque, Sprinkles-esque 'To Puke Thunder'. The EP also boasts a solo track apiece, with Chaos in the CBD opting for non-stop, energy-packed deep techno hypnotism ('Coral Castle'), and Sable reaching for dreamy deep house chords and rubbery broken beats ('Ascension Island').