Review:
Adesse Versions is undoubtedly a canny fella. Few others would have thought have re-casting Yardborough & Peoples' "Don't Stop The Music" is a sweaty acid jam, but that's exactly what he's done here. It sounds like he's replayed the bassline on a TB-303, accompanying it with clattering drum machine percussion, wonky acid lines and a plethora of delay-laden vocal samples. It's a simple idea, brilliantly executed. Elsewhere, he cuts up a well-known, disco-era soul groover and turns it into a chunky house loop-jam ("Slide"), before beefing up the beats and reaching for the TB-303 once more on disco-acid stomper "Kameleon". File under: guaranteed party-starters
Review:
Autofac is a fresh collaboration between DFA Records regulars Juan MacLean and Marcus Lambkin AKA Shit Robot, two producers who know a thing or two about delivering inspired dancefloor jams. The four tracks here naturally tend towards the club-friendly, veering from the mind-altering acid jack (and spoken word vocals) of "Souls On Ice", to the loose, disco-influenced house beats and minor key melodies of fine closer "The Witch". In between, you'll find the trippy deep house shuffle of "Mood Shaker" - all toasty, dub-infused stabs and meandering chords - and the bouncy, sweat-soaked late night New York house sleaze of "The Vessel". In other words, it's a rock-solid EP of properly playable fare.
Review:
The latest missive from Nik Mercer and Jacques Renault's prolific Let's Play House imprint comes from the similarly hard-working Baldo. The Barcelona-based producer has enjoyed a productive 2016, delivering well-regarded EPs on Neovinyl Recordings and Good Ratio Music. There's naturally much to admire on the simply titled W, which blends swirling deep house chords and glistening melodies, with the unmistakable sound of the Roland TB-303. The latter's near psychedelic lines make regular appearances throughout the EP, underpinning the near Balearic swell of "Count Zero", combining well with the intergalactic chords of "Flirty", and bubbling away seductively on saucer-eyed standout "Miscellaneous".
Review:
Freiburg's Borrowed Identity has been one of the busiest producers of 2015, and arguably also one of the most consistent. This 12" for Let's Play House offshoot LPH White marks his fifth (and presumably final) EP of the year, and contains six bumpin', no-nonsense house workouts to entertain festive floors. He begins by joining forces with regular collaborator Mechanical Soul Brother on the low-slung, Junior Vasquez-influenced late night bump of "Vogue", before smothering a thickset groove with rich Rhodes chords and bluesy vocal samples on "Feelings For You". Other highlights include the stompin', piano-heavy goodness of "Tell Me Why", the thumping late night techno of "Red Acid Clouds", and the locked-in, late night basement throb of "Into The Blue".
Review:
Making their first appearance here, Chocki Hookon sounds like someone who has been making weapons grade house jams for more than five minutes. Considering their first outing in via Let's Play House, they have more than stepped up to the plate with the assured piano house blast of "In The Street" coming on like an early 90s classic. "Random Madness" is an altogether different kind of beast, dripping with rambunctious synth lines and late night heat of the finest kind. Jacques Renault is then on hand to deliver a pair of remixes of "In The Street", and in both instances the tone is bright and sprightly with plenty of punch for the peak time dance.
Review:
Munich-based Coeo endured a slow start to their career, with a two-year gap between their 2012 debut on Globelle, and their recent comeback on DaBit. Here they pop up on Brooklyn's Let's Play House imprint with a fine collection of warm, rolling and unfussy US house-influenced tracks. "Be" boasts the hazy swing and cut-up vocal stabs of classic US garage, while "Thinkin' About You" adds some sleazy sax samples and long, drawn out strings to a classic New Jersey rhythm. The title track is a little more driving and energetic, but still retains the Rhodes-powered warmth of Coeo's trademark sound. The package also includes a decent - and rather smooth - Revenge dub of the title track, and "Good Love", a bustling, digital-only bonus cut.
Review:
Drop The Lime's housier project is enjoying some renewed attention from a producer more commonly enamoured with delivering tear-out hype-up electro business, although in this EP for Let's Play House you can still hear plenty of full-fat production tendencies working their way into the Curses sound. "Back in the Dark" may shuffle with a New York urgency, but there's a big-room European feel to the nagging synth stabs at the core of the track. Still it's a far more measured affair compared to the lairy bass sludge and manic bleep action of Naum Gabo's remix of the track. "Eyes On You" however shows a more sensitive side with its brushed drums and spooky keys, bringing some balance to the EP without diluting the wild ideas.
Review:
This expansive EP marks Demuja's first outing on established Brooklyn imprint Let's Play House, following seven years spent flitting between labels such as Freerange, Nervous and Skylax. Predictably, he's at the top of his game throughout, delivering seven chunks of sample-heavy house music destined for peak-time rotations on discerning dancefloors worldwide. Amongst the ear-catching favourites you'll find the Clavinet-sporting disco-house sweetness of "I Wanna Know", the string-laden piano-house rush of "Blue Cut", the celebratory, fun-time house-funk of "Hatsu" and the dusty, late night jazziness of closer "It's Over", where elongated organ chords, filtered blue-eyed soul vocals and glistening guitars stretch out over restless drumbeats.
Review:
If you copped DJ Heure's two EPs on Distant Hawaii, you'll know that the Adelaide resident is a producer on the rise. Predictably, his first outing on Brooklyn-based Let's Play House is very impressive. Check, for example, the delay-laden synth stabs and sun-kissed piano parts of rolling, percussion-rich, deep disco-house opener "Take Dat Chance" and the sound space filling fusion of deep house dreaminess and techno tempo rhythmic hustle of closer "The Feeling". Elsewhere, he brilliantly smothers a jazzy, broken house groove with early '80s Herbie Hancock synths on "Eastbound", before offering up an impeccable slice of poignant two-step futurism on EP standout "Last One".
Review:
Melbourne-based deep house stalwart Mic Newman has enjoyed a relatively quiet year under his Fantastic Man alias, with just the odd release to keep fans happy. He's clearly been saving his best till last, though, because this EP for Let's Play House (his second for the Brooklyn-based imprint) is top drawer. It's hard to pick highlights, with all four tracks delivering a delicious blend of evocative melodies, tumbling grooves and sympathetic chords. The decidedly melancholic Serotonin-release of "Zero" is probably the pick, though lead track "Heartbreaker" - as emotion-rich and vulnerable as the title suggests - being close behind. The deeper, spookier "Keep Out" - think Larry Heard meets Young Marco - is excellent, too, as is Suzanne Kraft's spacier, dubbier, analogue-heavy remix.
Review:
Felix Dickinson and Jaime Read are old sparring partners, having previously joined forces for releases on 2MR and Is It Balearic?. This first collaborative outing of 2016 sees them flexing their retro-futurist muscles for Let's Play House. "Rarely On A Tuesday" sits somewhere between early '80s New York proto-house, early Chicago jack and later acid, with cosmic electronics and delay-laden synths riding a killer groove. They do a passable impression of early Orbital on the deeper, early '90s flex of "Mistaken Identity", before joining the dots between Chicken Lips, Mark Seven and Eric Duncan on the late night sweetness of "Lucky For Some". All three tracks are sparse, rubbery, and impressively floor-friendly.
Review:
Having carved out a sturdy reputation for classily executed deep house, Francis Inferno Orchestra returns to Let's Play House to offer last year's "Hezbollah" up to the reliable but somewhat enigmatic Carter Brothers. The original track gets looped up and stretched out in a restrained yet unrelenting cycle of addictive piano chords and pattering disco drums, shot through with a hint of psychedelia for good measure. Aside from that immersive DJ friendly cut, there are three locked grooves of varying intensity to choose from, ranging from a goofy techno throwdown to an eerie pad loop if you want to add a little spice to your mix.
Review:
Melbourne native Griffin James has been busy over the past few years, snapping up releases on Sleazy Beats, Join The Dots, Drumpoet Community and Fina in a whirlwind of contemporary deep house. As such it makes sense to see him sliding over to Let's Play House for another bout, leading in with the riotous party atmosphere of "Hezbolla". It comes on like the more flamboyant end of Moodymann's layering techniques, all shot through with a hooky central drum that wanders through a range of pitches. "Vibrations" gets into a more soulful kind of snag, all fragile beats that could crumple at any second and heartfelt key loops. "Hezbongobongo" is a more outwardly metallic edit that lets the drums shine through without the heated social ambience for those who like their beats with clarity.
Review:
For those of you who missed out on Let's Play Houses' super-rare Record Store Day 10" disco swap-over, don't fear - the digital version's now here! Featuring the talents of Jacques Renault and House of Spirits (aka Tom Noble), we first encounter the former remixing the latter's "Holding On" (originally released on Tim Sweeney's Beats in Space label). It's a streamlined disco odyssey that boasts a thumb-dislocating slap bass line to die for. Next Noble tackle's a Renault album cut, "Words", turning it into six minutes of dreamy, crystalline synth joy with a serious case of the Copa Cabanas. Boom!
Review:
There were slim pickings in 2016 for fans of Steve Huerta. After a prolific few years, the Los Angeles-based producer seemed to take a step back, releasing just one 12" single in 12 months. Happily, LK Tapes - his first outing on Brooklyn's Let's Play House - was worth the wait. Rich, melodious, woozy and analogue-rich, its' four loved-up tracks are amongst the producer's best work to date. Highlights are plentiful, from the woozy, sunset-friendly chords, glistening melodies and Larry Heard bottom-end of "LK Tape Track" and hazy, toaster-warm shuffle of "Lindos", to the fuzzy analogue beats, tactile chords and dream house sensibilities of sublime opener "Umbanda".
Review:
If you're wondering who is behind the previously unheard J&AG project, we can confirm that it's the work of Moda Music chiefs Jaymo and Andy George. Listening to the EP, it's clear why they wanted a different alias for the project; each of the four sample-rich house workouts is altogether dustier, dreamier and more disco-fied than their usual collaborative work. In terms of highlights, we'd like to point you towards the Tiger and Woods style loop-funk brilliance of "Vitamin Loops", the early Daft Punk flavours of "MDK" and the woozy, late night loops of filter disco opener "Girl". That said, the EP's other track, closer "Nothing To Worry About", is almost as good as its' celebrated companions.
Review:
By their standards, Jack Fell Down - AKA producers James Vickers and Tony Craig - had a fairly quiet 2014, with an acclaimed EP on Quintessentials their only release of note. Here, they kick-start 2015 with an expansive EP for Jacques Renault and Nik Mercer's Let's Play House imprint. Despite the intergalactic melodies and acid-flecked funk of "Space Junk", it's a largely heads-down, late night affair, with the duo variously offering up clanking rhythms and wonky electronics ("Overrated"), moody tech-house ("Epiphany") and thunderous, dub influenced after-party fare ("Blackmail"). Matrixxman channels this clandestine mood, turning "Overrated" into a typically Germanic chunk of mind bending tech-house.
Review:
For their latest release, Brooklyn's Let's Play House crew has looked far beyond the Five Boroughs, securing a first label release from Uncanny Valley regular Jacob Korn. The Dresden producer predictably hits his stride immediately, wrapping wonky, bass-heavy acid lines around rock solid kick drums and open cymbals on throbbing opener "Wrong Way". There's an altogether looser, sweeter feel about "Old Man in Love", with Korn successfully employing glistening jazz guitar motifs, jaunty piano riffs and all manner of hazy vocal samples. The "Version" mix of the same track is a more stripped-back and bass-heavy, Dub style revision, while closer "My Business" sounds like futurist Detroit techno pitched down and fused with early Italian dream house, which is no bad thing in our book.
Review:
New York City deep house hotshot and Let's Play House head honcho Jacques Renault is back with some remixes from his recent Zentrum LP. Starting out with the tremendously dark and soulful epic "Mi Casa Samba (Octo Octa remix)", Vito & Druzzi get stuck into "Faith" giving it an uplifting soulful house makeover; think Body & Soul NYC. "Words (Cooper Saver & Turbotito remix)" goes for more of a groovy nu-disco route, leading in nicely to another remix of "Faith" only this time by Lemonade, who gives it some smooth Max D style deep house flavour for summertime open air terrace party vibes.
Review:
On this intriguing package, Jacques Renault has signed up a quartet of like-minded party-starters to remix tracks from his 2015 debut album, Zentrum. Borrowed Identity kicks things off with a bluesy, Rhodes-heavy deep house rendition of "Faith", before classic U.S house revivalist Nicholas channels the spirits of Bobby Konders and Chez Damier on his deep, dreamy and intoxicating rework of the same track. Massimiliano Pagliara impresses with a bouncy, synth-laden disco-house interpretation of "Redlight Rubber" full of clipped guitars and spine-tingling vocal samples, before Max McFerren steals the show with a heady, rave-influenced breakbeat-house take on the Latin-influenced "Mi Casa Samba".
Review:
The limited cassette edition of Jacques Renault's sophomore set "BXClubBeats, Breaks & Versions" presented the album as a non-stop mix-tape, with the Brooklyn producer's core tracks stitched together with previously unheard interludes and bonus cuts to aid the flow. "Tape Cuts and Cut-Outs" gathers together those cassette-only cuts together for the first time in standalone, un-mixed form. Highlights include the soaring strings, chopped loops and wonderfully grandiose original disco samples of peak-time roller "Bridge Music", the Detroit style layered, gospel-influenced deep house hypnotism of "Pump That Shit Up", the synth-heavy, percussion-laden purple funk of "Mr Fox Likes To Party" and the glassy-eyed breakbeat dreaminess of "Human Nature".
Review:
A long overdue and much anticipated debut album from Let's Play House co-head Jacques Renault arrives, three years since the last edition. BK Club Beats, Breaks & Versions displays Renault's influences over the years and ultimately 'a celebration of the inspirations that fueled his ascendance to DJ and producer.' He offers up an album of originals featuring hip-hop breaks and disco licks as heard on "Let Me Jacq", deep and sleazy disco house for the late night on "Movin' Kinda Funky" and some super deep funk to lose yourself under the discoball to: on "Java Harem".
Review:
On Let's Play House's latest floor-slaying missive, label co-founder Jacques Renault shares top billing with Cosmic Kids member Daniel Terndrup. Both are in full-on re-edit mode, with Renault laying down a marker via the rubbery slap bass, relentless cowbells and urgent disco-funk grooves of virtual A-side "Choo-Choo Beat". Renault does a good job in emphasizing various instrumental elements in turn, working through short but sweet percussion, synthesizer and guitar solos. Terndrup flips the script with "Master Plan", expertly cutting up and rearranging a thoroughly obscure electro jam rich in body popping drum machine hits, squeezable synth-bass and quirky, child-like vocals.
Review:
The Let's Play House White label is up and running with this disco-not-disco collaborative EP, and we have to say that we're digging each one of these five floor-melters. Badman Jacques Renault sets the gears in motion with the house-powered "Where Do We Go", all pianos and rolling beats, followed by Mr Guy and the slow, sample-heavy chugger called "Luv Magic" - check that bass! Jesse Rudoy leans to an ore string-led disco swagger with "What U Do", "Just Give Me Joy" by Elvin Tibideux is a heavy disco slinger with a groove that you could just leave on repeat for eternity, and Private Panther's "Desire" is the perfect blend between old and new thanks to its dusty house beats and winding guitar loops. Recommended and not to be underestimated!
Review:
It would be fair to say that Javontte (AKA original '90s deep house producer Brian Garrett) has been making up for lost time. Since returning to action in 2016, he's released no less than ten EP singles, all of which have been packed with high quality material. Predictably, it's hard to find fault with the five fine tracks featured on Garrett's first contribution to the Let's Play House "White" series. Check, for example, the bumpin' '90s deep house warmth of opener "Just Listen", where ascending electric piano lines rise above toasty chords and sneaky vocal samples, and the feel-good roll of "Capricorn". Elsewhere, we recommend the spacey bounce of "City to City People", which also features a wobbly, D&B style bassline, and the laidback dancefloor jazziness of evocative closer "Organic J Mix 2".
Review:
The work of a UK duo, "May The Lord Have Mercy..." is the kind of deep, evocative house tune that could easily cross over. Layered chords envelop the driving rhythm and doubled up claps, while eerie chants hover gradually into earshot. It's like Patrice Scott with a twist of 90s prog drama. "Like Falling Angels" is cut from a similar cloth only on this occasion the synths are darker and more menacing, but the same driving rhythm and rattling percussion prevail. Luke Hess gets to grips with the title track, plunging it into a blacked out dub space illuminated only by acid flecks, while Basic Soul Unit turn "Like Falling Angels" into trippy, jacking affair, littered with chopped up vocals and repetitive synth stabs.
Review:
Prolific Japanese producer Keita Sano has been developing a close relationship with the Let's Play House label for sometime. This latest EP, which first appeared as part of the Brooklyn imprint's "LPH White" series of 12" singles, follows on from a 2016 mini-album and the recent Totsu EP. It's something of an epic affair all told, with eight fine tracks to choose from. Our picks include the swirling delays, heady reverb and looped electric piano motifs of head-in-the-clouds disco-house workout "A Place Called Sun Beach", the gentle tropical melodies and South American percussion "Sweet Fruit", and boompty-minded disco-house bounce of "Can't Wait For The Party". That said, the more cinematic deep house chug of "Psychedelic Ants" and dubby, slo-mo disco shuffle of "The Stripper" are also fantastic.
Review:
The rather prolific Keita Sano has been responsible for some terrific electronic music over the last couple of years, including must-have 12" singles on Spring Theory, Lower Parts, Mister Saturday Night and Discos Capablanca. Here he makes his first appearance on Brooklyn's Let's Play House, serving up a mini-album full of evocative house productions. Highlights come thick and fast, from the alien electronics and pulsating machine rhythms of "Own Signal", to the John Carpenter-in-space, horror-disco throb of "Fix". Arguably best of all, though, is closer "Think Twice", a relentless disco-house loop jam full of cut-up samples, heavy bass and thrusting drums.
Review:
There's no grand concept behind the latest all-star EP from Brooklyn's Let's Play House, other than a clear desire to create pandemonium out on the dancefloor. All four tracks have "peak-time anthem" written all over them, from the opening bump of Keita Sano's "Long Run (Part 3") - a brilliant, tooled-up revision of a classic disco anthem - to the ultra-jiggy hip-house madness of Jacques Renault's "Top Billin", which sounds tailor made for over-excited Adriatic boat parties and afternoon festival rinse-outs. In between, you'll find the undulating, bass-heavy grooves and delay-laden soul samples of Klubbhuset's "Omedelbar Karlek" and the swirling disco-house grandiosity of Lovers' "Fresh 'N' Hot". To quote a much-used cliche: this is all killer, no filler.
Review:
The first Let's Play House single of 2016 comes from 20-something producer Klaves, a Polish starlet whose previous releases have doffed a cap to classic UK garage, '90s US house, and contemporary bass music. "Say It", the title track from this EP, boasts all the ingredients of classic US garage, including rolling organ riffs, skipping beats, soulful vocal samples and occasional jazzy flourishes. Studio Barnhus regular Baba Stiltz emphasizes Klaves' jazzier stylings on his dusty, warm deep house revision, which makes great use of vintage vinyl crackle and some new piano motifs. Finally, Klaves delivers one more chunk of well-lit USG revivalism, offering up the looser and more organic sounding "Awake".
