Review: After drifting between digital labels over the last few years, Dutchican Soul has washed up on Salted Music, an imprint entirely suited to the Amsterdam artist's bumping blend of colouful, disco-tinged house. He starts in confident mood via 'Love Talk', a cheery disco-house roller rich in rubbery bass guitar, Nile Rodgers style guitars, D-Train synth squiggles and classic Gwen Guthrie vocal samples. The experienced producer opts for a deliciously retro-futurist, peak Inner City sound on 'I Want Your Love' - all dirty acid bass, warehouse-ready stabs and jacking drums - before opting for a woozier, hybrid deep house/nu-disco sound on glassy-eyed closing cut 'Can We Talk'.
Review: 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'.
Review: Soon Kerri Chandler will drop his first album in 14 years, Spaces & Places, a set recorded "on location" with the veteran producer taking a mobile studio to some of the world's most lauded and inspiring clubs. This album sampler boasts vocal and instrumental takes on two of the hottest tracks from the set. First up is 'Never Thought', a wonderfully rolling, bumping and extra-percussive affair recorded at London's Printworks that's rich in deep analogue bass, layered drums and effortless piano motifs. 'You Get Lost In It', a more melodious, warming and soulful number, sounds tailor-made not only for the Warehouse Project in Manchester, where it was recorded, but also 4am dancefloors the world over.
Review: If you're not familiar with Sentimental Animals, there's a good reason for that: it's a brand-new Transatlantic collaboration between old pals Dicky Trisco and Razor N Tape Records' co-founder J Kriv. 'Love Vibration', their debut single, is simply superb, offering an attractive, colourful and addictive trip through hybrid disco-boogie territory complete with dextrous bass guitar, authentic turn-of-the-80s beats and a fine lead vocal from Nicki B. The pair also offers up a superb, proto-house inspired 'Basement Mix' (think Paul Simpson, Winston Jones, Boyd Jarvis etc), and 'Loose Rules', a more organic slab of disco warmth smothered in Chic-style guitars and mazy piano solos. To complete a superb package, Yuksek offers up a slightly tougher and more driving disco-house rework of 'Love Vibration'.
Review: Anything with Chewy Rubs' name on it is sure to prick up this reviewer's ears, and the Naughty But Nice veteran certainly doesn't disappoint with this latest four-track EP, which finds him with his house hat on. The standout to these ears is 'Get Loose' with its rubberband bassline, party shouts and sense of just-repressed energy, followed closely by 'Sweet Little Booboo' with its chopped n' looped preacherman vox, while 'Active Ingredients' itself borrows from D-Train classic 'Music' and 'Team Work' is an eyes-down, blues-infused shuffler, built for the wee small hours and riding a b-line that kicks like the proverbial equine quadraped
Review: 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'.
Review: On this second, more expansive sampler for his forthcoming album Spaces & Places, Kerri Chandler treats us to tracks inspired by - and via the wonders of mobile recording technology, produced inside - clubs including Dublin's District 8, Glasgow institution Sub Club, Lux of Lisbon and NYC's Output. Of course, the standard is uniformly high throughout - it's classic Chandler from start to finish - but our picks of a very fine bunch include the soulful piano house shimmer of 'Change Your Mind'; the thrusting, bass-heavy pump of 'Subbie (Rattle The Subbie Mix)'; the effortlessly slick and soulful 'Tenacity (Full Vocal Mix)'; and the ludicrously sub-heavy snap of 'See The Light (Dub)'. To borrow an old clich?, this is very much, 'all killer, no filler'.
Review: A while back Running back released a compilation of classic cuts that delighted the dancefloor at seminal Hamburg club Front during the early '90s. This scaled-down sequel/bonus EP contains five more gems selected by one of the club's key resident DJs, Boris Dlugosch. There's much to set the pulse racing throughout, from the timeless dancefloor deep house brilliance of Sensory Productions' 'Deep Introspection' - a Rob Mello and Zaki Dee production from 1995 - and the bumpin', sample-rich heaviness of DJ Disciple's sweat-soaked 'Hide-away', to the five-in-the-morning tactility of the Subtle Hauze Dub of U96's 'Come Together' (a largely overlooked rework co-produced by Dlugosch), to Dlugosch's own edit of VDT's bleep techno-influenced 1992 oddity 'Strangest Musik'.
Review: Thanks to a righteous debut EP that brilliantly joined the dots between Moroder style machine-disco and shirts-off Italo-disco, hopes are sky-high for this speedy sequel from rising star Gome (real name Stefan Lindblom). Interestingly, he's altered the blueprint a touch this time round, mining boogie and piano house for inspiration. He kicks things off with the pleasingly sleazy, P-funk fuelled electrofunk workout 'Teach You', whose risqu? spoken word vocals are as seductive as they come, before following it up with the sparser, slap-bass sporting 'Erobique Remix'. Elsewhere, 'Come On (Piano Mix)' is a giddy and rushing slab of old school piano house/acid house fusion, while 'Electric Boulevard' is a deep, TB-303 and vocoder-sporting electro number.
Review: Glitterbox regular Alan Dixon brings us his take on five Salsoul classics, but rest assured these are no shoddy "whack a 4/4 kick under it" bootlegs - Dixon was given full access to the original multi-tracks for this project. Even so, it's a brave man or woman indeed who looks at the Salsoul catalogue and thinks "I could improve on that," so he's wisely avoided doing anything too radical or adding any extraneous elements of his own, instead simply teasing out the tracks' most familiar hooks and giving them a structural make-over, rendering them easier to programme in contemporary house and disco sets. Classy stuff.
Review: 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.
Review: Fresh from the release of two tip-top 12" singles on Handy Records and Wolf Music, Malik Kassim brings his trademark Retromigration sound to the freshly minted LYAM label. Typically warm, woozy, bass-heavy and with plenty of musical details - think Ron Trent, with a dash of the Burrell Brothers and the Detroit deep house swing of Andres - all four cuts are superb examples of the Dutch producer's approach to dancefloor dynamics. Highlights include the laidback, club-ready bump of 'Heat it Up', where undulating acid lines and synth-sax catch the ear; the shuffling, broken house sparkle of 'You Want That' (a genuinely sumptuous late-night delight smothered in spacey synth solos); and the mid-tempo, jazz-funk style title track, where loose-limbed live instrumentation and emotive solos come to the fore.
Do Your Thing (David Penn remix - edit) - (3:13) 124 BPM
Review: Funky house anthem "Do Your Thing" by legends Basement Jaxx was taken from the British production duo's second LP Rooty, released back in 2001. It now receives a terrific modern reshape by Spanish veteran David Penn, who injects the track with more than adequate dynamics for today's dancefloors. Penn sure had his work cut out for him, given it's such a classic, but he tackled the task with great style, and respectfully too. In addition to his main remix there's a handy edit version as well.
David Penn & Roland Clark - "The Power" (extended mix) - (5:45) 123 BPM
Purple Disco Machine - "Music In You" (feat Lorenz Rhode - David Penn remix) - (4:30) 118 BPM
Todd Terry & Gypsymen - "Babarabatiri" (David Penn remix) - (6:42) 124 BPM
Losing You - (6:11) 122 BPM
Sophie Lloyd - "Calling Out" (feat Dames Brown - David Penn extended remix) - (6:01) 123 BPM
Sandy Rivera - "I Can't Stop" (David Penn remix) - (7:56) 127 BPM
Danny Clark & Jay Benham - "Wondrous" (feat SuSu Bobien - [David Penn) - (7:22) 126 BPM
Jon Cutler - "It's Yours" (feat E-Man - David Penn vocal mix) - (6:24) 126 BPM
David Penn & Rober Gaez - "Sunshine People" - (7:25) 127 BPM
River Ocean - "Love & Happiness (Yemaya Y Och?n) [feat. India] [David Penn Vocal Mix]" (Yemaya Y Ochon - feat India - David Penn vocal mix) - (7:38) 127 BPM
Yeah Yeah - (6:22) 122 BPM
Ron Hall & The Muthafunkaz - "The Way You Love Me" (feat Marc Evans - David Penn Classic vocal remix) - (7:57) 126 BPM
That Vibe - (6:48) 123 BPM
DJ Chus & David Penn - "Esperanza" - (9:08) 125 BPM
David Penn & Jabato - "El Sur" - (7:55) 126 BPM
Hardsoul - "Self Religion" (Believe In Me - Fierce Ruling Diva - David Penn remix) - (6:59) 126 BPM
Review: 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'.
Review: A very solid four-tracker here from Mr C Rubs, opening with the chunky 'Afro Disco', which isn't particularly Afro-flavoured musically but does feature a snatch of sampled tribal speech by way of a vocal. 'Music To Move' then brings the peaktime disco-house stomper vibes, before 'Respect & Harmony' takes us into chunkier pastures. And then we come to what for this reviewer is the EP standout by far - 'Strictly Rockers', wherein a monster bass throb provides the musical backbone around which assorted FX, piano licks, shakers, vocal snips and more interwine for seven slinky, sinuous minutes.
Review: 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.
Review: Phonica White were waiting for the right track for Scottish producer Austin Ato's follow-up to 2017's Song For Mr Lewis EP. When they heard the sweltering disco inferno of 'When Love is Tender', they knew it was the one. With its classic Philly vibe complete with soulful vocals, funky bass, flanged drum loops and a roaring sax line - there's everything you need right here. For more late night mood music, Ato has you covered on the second offering "All Night Long" which again features a stirring string section, although things are much more low slung, complete with deep and dusty beats.
Review: Chris Coupe and Chris Watson's first album as FYI Chris, last year's Earth Scum, was a thrillingly imaginative, impossible to pigeonhole affair that effortlessly blended elements of ambient, hip-hop, bass music, jazz, post-punk, peak-time house, bleeping electro and much more besides. There's a similarly boundary-blurring feel to Unreal Naseau, a follow-up EP packed with high-grade musical treats. Opener 'Things To Do' is a dusty, jazzy and hypnotic twist on dubby deep house that keeps building in intensity throughout, while 'Hair of the Dog' sees the pair wrap ultra-dreamy chords, acid bass and star fall electronics around a sweaty, percussion-laden Latin beat. Elsewhere, 'Orange Wednesday' is a drum-heavy peak-time workout peppered with sharp bleeps and spaced-out samples, and 'Terrarium' blends ambient techno, dubby deep house and glassy-eyed electronica.
Review: Fresh from the release of his latest killer collaboration with regular studio buddy Mike Fot on SlothBoogie - the must-check Spliff Jamz Volume 2 - Scruscru goes solo via his first EP for emerging St Petersburg label Craft Music. Aiming to get dancers leaping from foot to foot as if walking on boiling hot sand, the Russian producer first fuses scorching Latin horns, carnival disco percussion and chunky house beats on party-starting opener 'Fiesta 24/7', before re-imaging an obscure Latin track as a mambo-house monster on the equally celebratory (and pleasingly acid-soaked 'El Rayero'). Title track 'Hot Sand' is a trumpet-sporting slab of tactile, sunset-friendly deep house warmth, while 'Musique D'ameublement' is a pedal steel-sporting, mid-tempo sample house chugger.
Review: Here's a downloadable version of Z Records' limited edition Record Store Day vinyl remix package of four tracks by label boss Joey Negro and his Sunburst Band. Sizzling electro-funk lead track "Taste The Groove" is given a low-slung, chugging 'Walk The Night'-style disco makeover by Hot Toddy. "Why Wait For Tomorrow" is teased out into up to 11 minutes of vintage disco ecstasy (in over three different mixes!) by Al Kent. "Definition Of Luv" also gets some super camp New York housey lovin' from Sean McCabe.
Review: German techno titan Dustin Zahn and British veteran Radio Slave (real name Matt Edwards) are undoubtedly musical brothers-in-rhythm, with both famed for the wonkiness of their productions and DJ sets. Because of this, it's not that surprising that they've finally joined forces in the studio. 'Twilo', the lead cut from the pair's collaborative EP, brilliantly pays tribute to the dark, druggy, driving, late-'90s house sound that made the New York venue of the same name one of the most celebrated clubs in the world. They present it in two different forms, with the original mix - which boasts soulful, effects-laden vocal snippets - arguably the more alluring of the pair. Those who like ridiculously heavy techno beats, ten-ton bass and warehouse-ready riffs will also love bonus cut 'Power Muzik'.
