Review: Cisco Ferreira aka G-Flame is best known for his pioneering techno and electro as The Advent, but he has also put out killer underground house as G-Flame over the years. This album showcases Ferreira's dexterity when working within the sound. "I Want You" is a fast-paced filtered groove, but it is followed by the bass-heavy, steely percussion of "Freetown" and the stab-heavy tech-house of "Broken". He pays tribute to US house artists like Chez Damier on the driving "Thoughts", while there has rarely been a better ode to nightclubbing than the sleazy, funk-driven "Turnmills".
Review: A warm welcome back to Louie Fresco, a producer whose "Autophobia" album was arguably one of the most overlooked deep house releases of 2014. Astonishingly, the "Black Wax EP" is the Mexican's first missive of any sort for almost three years. The epic title track is especially good, offering a locked-in but bouncy trip into late night house territory that sits somewhere between mid-90s Junior Vasquez, the deeper moments of Danny Tenaglia and contemporary basement-bothering deep house. It comes accompanied by the more stripped back, late night shuffle of "Aliens (Black Wax Part 2)" and the garage-influenced jazz-house flex of "Between Boroughs". Of the two accompanying remixes, it's Shaun Reeves spaced-out, ultra-deep tech house take that had us reaching for the lasers.
A Heart That Beats You (Art Department remix) - (7:30) 128 BPM
A Heart That Beats You (Jade remix) - (7:03) 127 BPM
Review: Canadian Maher Daniel has been building his vinyl only label (The Other Side) with a series of slick releases that come after other outings on the likes of Circus, 8Bit and of course No.19 Music. Aside from his production and DJ work, the Barcelona-based producer is a central figure in the industry and has a long standing history with the No.19 crew. His new offering "A Heart That Beats You" is a deep and low slung effort with sensual vocals. This is followed a remix by label boss Jonny White that takes the best of classic NYC house of the 90s with a bit of 303 acid for good measure, while Jade's remix is a slinky and hypnotic tech house rework - showing great promise by this Toronto-based producer/DJ.
Normalizm (feat Lorenzo Dada - Nitin & Down 2 remix) - (5:58) 122 BPM
Review: Jonny White returns with a track that somehow manages to be minimal in feel yet boast the kind of sumptuous production that only comes from years of production experience. The Live Reversion is a far pacier take made for eyes-down, small-hours dancefloor action, while rerubs from Damian Lazarus and Clive Henry see both producers doing their thing in style, Lazarus taking us down an arty, abstract path while Henry serves up a cavernously deep, dubby pass for the darker rooms. Between the four mixes, it's hard to imagine many DJs that wouldn't be able to find a mix that works for their floors.
Review: Jonny White's No.19 Music has been doing some great stuff in recent years, such as by fellow Torontonian (and former partner in crime in Art Department) Kenny Glasgow, label co-head Nitin and the legendary Satoshi Tomiie. It's now over to Russian tech house hero Tripmastaz, who follows up great releases on Ovum, Unique Trax and his eponymous imprint with more adventures in swing on the While U Pretend, We Make History EP. Featuring the heads-down back room dub of "Dimaggio's Black Hole", the deeply hypnotic bounce "Mr Ohh" or the super trippy shuffle of "Dreezy Benz Dubb" which reshapes classic garage rhythms for today's dancefloors so effectively.
Review: For the first time in 2018, Canadian duo Kenny Glasgow and Jonny White don the Art Department alias and head for peak-time dancefloors. They begin with "Sour Jazz", where drowsy woodwind and brass samples tumble down over fizzing drum machine beats and thrillingly squidgy analogue bass. There's more of a muscular feel to the chunky, boompty-driven bump of "721" - think Derrick Carter via Sound Factory - while closer "Roots Deep", which boasts a preaching spoken word vocal from Roland Clark and contributions from Todd Terry, is a sleazy, acid-flecked late night delight blessed with some especially alien synth lines.
Review: It could be argued that Jade was one of the unheralded underground heroes of 2015. The Canadian DJ/producer released a number of notable tracks, including appearances on Dilate Records and No. 19 Music. Here she returns to the latter with another trio of woozy, shuffling, tech-tinged, late night house grooves. There's a surprisingly fluid feel about the pitched-down vocal samples, smooth bass and hypnotic, one-note riff of "Process S", while "Process C" is notably darker and a little more intense (even if it does retain a similarly powdery wooziness). Best of all, though, is "Deep Thoughts", a crackling, shuffling chunk of deep tech-house that benefits greatly from additional percussive hits and druggy melodies.
Review: It's a while since we last heard from sometime Crosstown Rebels and Wolf + Lamb regular Deniz Kurtel. In fact, this two-tracker for Art Department's No. 19 label is her first single for two years. The American is in typically introspective mood on "Deepression", a shuffling, quietly melodic stroll through Visionquest-style tactile house pastures. Pushed forward by an addictive bassline and melancholic sweeps, it's one of her finest productions for some time. She joins forces with Art Department on "Forgot Your Name", a similarly deep, swirling and emotion-rich dream-house journey that benefits greatly from the inclusion of Kurtel's own fragile, heartfelt vocals.
Review: Although blessed with a porn star name, Clayton Steele seems more of the clean-cut sort - if you can call making woozy, hazy, Crosstown Rebels-ish house 'clean-cut'. Take a listen to this latest missive on No.19, and you'll know what we mean. "Passion" for instance manages to be both light and dark, blending squidgy, nu-disco influenced deep house grooves with the sort of weary vocals that you'd normally find in dark synth-pop songs. "Sleep Walker" continues this theme, sounding like a contemporary take on early Depeche Mode. The EP is completed by an excellent remix of "Passion" from the ever-reliable DJ T.
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