Big room house specialists Toolroom have been responsible for countless White Isle anthems over the years, something that makes their annual Toolroom Ibiza compilations a must-check for those seeking future floor-fillers. Their latest edition is something of a beast, featuring no less than 50 full-length, unmixed tracks and a couple of themed, non-stop DJ mixes (one gathers the set's deep, funky and electro house cuts, the other the tech-house tracks). Naturally there are far too many highlights to list here, but our current favourites includeMason Maynard's subtly DJ Mujava-inspired 'Light My Fire', the piano-powered rush of GotSome and Georgia Meek's 'Dead End', the twisted tech-house weight of Iglesias and Classmatic's 'Freak', and the warped, mind-mangling late-night shuffle of De La Swing and Rendher's 'Voodoo Step'.
Balearic veteran James Bright - formerly one-half of Lux alongside Steve 'Afterlife' Miller - flexes his electronic muscles on this three-tracker for Sprechen. 'These Machines' itself kicks things off, fusing elements of Italo and vintage acid into an angular concoction that's sure to inspire the thowing of a few shapes out on the floor. 'Vibration' then takes us into proper Balearic territory, being a piano-sprinkled head-nodder powered along by a pleasingly chunky bassline, while 'Hot Metropolis' offers up a more contemplative, late-night variation on the overall synth-y theme. Forward-thinking stuff as ever from the Manchester label.
Mexican duo Soul of Hex has released some fine EPs over the last few years, with their sporadic outings on Delusion of Grandeur often boasting their most interesting and cosmic-minded cuts. There's plenty to admire on their latest outing for the Freerange Records offshoot, from the warming, peak-time ready haziness of opener 'Mystic'- a fine fusion of effortlessly Balearic guitar solos, warming disco bass, spacey synth motifs and dreamy chords - and the sparkling breeziness of revivalist piano-house/late '80s NYC garage number 'Love is In Control' (where vocalist Steve Lucas delivers a star turn), to the squelchy nu-disco/Italo-house flex of 'Heliocentrico' and the bumpin' electro vibes of 'Sphynx'.
Fresh from offering up the sublime, sun-soaked deep house sounds of the Love Overdose EP on Hustler Trax, rising star Brooklyn Baby (real name Loic Peltier) appears on Frappe for the first time. He begins offering up something 'For The Soul - a classic-sounding chunk of rolling deep house warmth in which tactile organ stabs, eyes-closed diva vocal samples and sampled funk guitar notes rise above chunky beats and a thickset bassline. Peltier dips the tempo a little and reaches for the hip-hop vocal samples on the jazzy, loose and languid deep house number 'Watch What You're Saying', before paying tribute to his favourite U.S city on the bumpin', chunky and bass-heavy deep house retro-futurism of 'NYC'.
Last year saw Greek edit wunderkind C Da Afro drop two joints on Cardiology amongst a whole load of discofied party fodder for the likes of SpinCat, Sound Exhibitions and more besides. Now he's back on Cardiology with even more goodies to share with the people in the place, leading in with intention through the rabble rousing 'Get On Your Feet'. He's working the filter hard on 'The Solution', teasing the funk until that sweet release on the drop. 'Disco Gang' whips up Backlash's classic '81 stomper 'Hang With The Gang' and gives it a gentle house injection, while 'Doing The Boogie' burrows deep into the groove for a simmering cut to keep the crowd loose and limber.
Soichi Terada's surprise recent album on Rush Hour, Asakusa Light, was a joyous blast from the past - a set of luscious, musically rich deep house cuts that recalled the Japanese producer's now sought-after works of the 1990s. The two tracks showcased here started out as album tracks but have been completely re-imagined by Terada in collaboration with regular Jamie 3:26 collaborator - and confirmed Italo-disco enthusiast - Masalo. 'Double Spire (Club Mix)' offers the best of both producers' styles, with shimmering, intergalactic electronics and loved-up synth melodies rising above a vintage house beat and Italo-style synthesizer bassline. On 'Diving Into Minds (Club Mix)', the pair add a bit of extra low-end weight and percussive pressure to proceedings, resulting in an addictive blend of piano house pressure, tribal house grooves and enveloping, sunset-ready electronics.
