Review: Almost a quarter of a century into his career as Lawrence, Peter M Kersten continues to deliver impeccably deep dancefloor workouts that somehow manage to be both astonishingly immersive and percussively propulsive. That trademark sound is naturally to the fore on this genuinely triumphant return to Smallville after a nine-hear absence. Check first the brilliant title track, where soft-focus pads, poignant piano motifs and deep bass ride a rock-solid house groove, before turning your attention to the dusty, opaque, slowly unfurling dancefloor beauty of 'Beaver'. Kersten opts for a warmer, drowsier and more hypnotic deep house sound on the similarly gorgeous 'The Swamp', before he doffs a cap to Green and Brown Album-era Orbital via the looped intergalactic synth sounds, analogue synth-bass and swinging house beats of 'Stargazer'.
Review: Joe Davies has previously appeared on Smallville's occasional offshoot Down By The Lake (that time as DJ Assad), but this sumptuous and deliciously deep debut album marks his first full outing on the admired Hamburg stable. He eases us in gently via the sumptuous ambient electronics and sparse, barely audible rhythms of 'Hi Life' (a collaboration with fellow Brit-in Berlin Ossia), before languidly alternating between deep, dubby dancefloor workouts (hot-stepping UK bass influenced number 'Echo Form', dub-flecked shuffler 'Two Hours Earth Room'), off-kilter future dub ('Smile and Wave'), inspired collaborations (the far-sighted intergalactic techno of Space Drum Meditation hook-up 'Cygnus', the John Kaseta-sporting deep house swell of 'Amy'), and mid-tempo loveliness (the percussive and woozy 'Movement in the Breach').
Review: Given his productivity over the years - with a steady stream of EPs and albums to match - we were surprised to learn that 'Abspace' marks Christopher Rau's first release of note for almost three years. Naturally it's a quietly impressive and impeccably produced affair, with Rau first joining the dots between drum machine-driven jack-tracks and huggable, loved-up deepness ('Abspace'), before delivering a deliciously dreamy, warming and intergalactic slab of hypnotic techno futurism ('Set It Off'). He further indulges his love of deep house retro-futurism on the classic-sounding shimmer of 'Do It', while closing cut 'One More Time' sees him reach for a superbly squelchy, alien-sounding bassline and dusty deep house beats.
Review: Looking for quality Italo house music? Look no further than Bari house don Rhythm Of Paradise. Known for his superlative releases on labels like Cosmic Rhythm, Chiwax, and Kalahari Oyster Cult, he's back with more quintessential deep-diving gear on Smallville. This Hamburg-based label is the perfect home for his warm and fuzzy, deep and rich house cuts, as demonstrated by tracks like 'In My Face' with its subdued, blue-hued pad tones, and 'Love Me Tonite' with its mellow chords and delightfully dusty beats. And if that's not enough, Nu Cleo provides a sprightly remix of 'Deepside' while the record closes out with the celestial acid fantasy of 'Solaris'. Get ready for some serious Italo house vibes!
Review: Dana Ruh has made a lot of great music over the years, much of it in a trademark personal style that's deep, dubby and tailor-made for bleary-eyed early morning dancefloors. Even so, the first lady of Berlin deep house has gone even deeper on 'Different Places Different Favourites', her first outing on Smallville. Check first 'The Spirit', where echoing synth stabs and gentle acid lines ride a weighty, dub house style bassline and locked-in drums, before admiring the spacey, Move D-esque brilliance of 'TJ Mornings'. Elsewhere, 'L.A Nights' is dreamy, deep, hazy and soulful - U.S deep house viewed through a cloud of jazz cigarette smoke - and 'Reach Out For Me' pairs the wonky, stripped-back sonics of bleep with Ruh's trademark deep, dubby house crackle. Impeccable.
Review: Astonishingly, 28 years have now passed since Heidelberg heroes Move D and D-Man delivered their first two collaborative EPs ('Homework' parts one and two). They've remained occasional collaborators ever since, as 'All You Can Tweak' proves. The surprise album contains some material recorded as far back as 1994, but also cuts they've laid down at different points across the decades. It is, of course, a spectacular collection that draws on their mutual love of star-gazing Motor City techno and sci-fi seeped deep house. Highlights are plentiful, from the alien-sounding late-night dancefloor psychedelia of 'Colon Ize', space-drift '90s tech-house purism of 'All You Can Beat', to the tactile, early Larry Heard and UK bleep-influenced excellence of 'Wired To The Mothership 2021' and the sunrise-ready shuffle of 'Luvbyrds'.
Review: After treating us to a string of fine singles that blur the boundaries between deep house, tech-house and micro-house, Jacques Bon has finally got round to recording an album - albeit in collaboration with fellow Parisian Vincent Drux (founder of Cabale Records, fact fans). It's a predictably assured and atmospheric affair, all told, with the pair focusing on ultra-deep, spaced out and sub-heavy tracks that draw on elements from all of the sub-genres listed above. It's an undeniably druggy sound that invites you to get lost in the music, with only occasional nods towards more mentally energetic pastures. It's full of tracks that will sound great in the mix in the early hours of the morning, but it also works well in a home listening environment. Tres Bon!
Review: We were rather surprised to learn that this typically impressive EP marks David Moufang AKA Move D's first solo EP for Smallville. It would be fair to say that it's been worth the wait though. Title track 'Inside The Freero Dome' is the kind of gorgeous, ambient-influenced deep house brilliance - complete with atmosphere recorded inside the dome space at the Freerotation festival - that Moufang does better than anyone else in the world (think stoned sub-bass, dreamy chords and blazed electric piano motifs). On 'The System Is' he goes deeper still, conjuring a trippy and hypnotic chunk of early morning gorgeousness that sits somewhere between spacey deep house and ultra-deep techno, before rounding things off with 'Swarm Robot Love', a sparse but impactful chunk of Metro Area style deep electronic disco brilliance underpinned by clicking electro drums.
Review: Like many of the artists that grew up and were nurtured by the Smallville label, Christopher Rau's music owes a debt to deep US house and techno. On The Keys, his first release on the label for a number of years, those influences loom large, but are intertwined with other sources. "Who Am I" sees Lone-style psychedelia fused with lithe break beats, while on the title track, Rau strips back his approach for a lean dance floor track. However, he returns to deeper territory with the woozy synths and pulsating bass of "Slu Terms", while "Beamer" ends the release with a swinging, summery groove and dreamy chimes.
Review: Smallville rarely disappoints, so it's little surprise to find that the label's latest multi-artist excursion is packed with high-grade deep house treats. Frantzvaag kicks things off with "Fredens", a quirky, off-kilter number that wraps a lo-fi electronic melody and sreamy chords around clicking machine drums and a dub style bassline, before Nightseajourney ups the tempo via the sun-bright peak-time warmth of Rhodes-sporting EP highlight "Lonnie's Condition". You'll find more bleeping melodies and enveloping chords on the jazz-fired deep house bump of Margaux's "Water on Mars", while Qnete's "A New Beginning Ending" is an alien-sounding shuffle into early morning deep house territory.
Review: While seven years have passed since Smallpeople's last album length excursion, it would be fair to say that "Afterglow", their much-anticipated sophomore set, was worth the wait. While rooted in their trademark twist on atmospheric, musically rich deep house, there's enough subtle variations across the eight tracks to suggest that the long-serving duo has delivered something that works both at home and on peak-time dancefloors. The high quality threshold throughout makes picking highlights tough, but we're particularly enjoying the bumping, early '90s NYC house-meets-Motor City deepness of "All States of Dawn", the jazzy house breeze of "Beyond", the piano-driven rush of "Sonic Winds", the dub-house warmth of "Magic Interference" and the ultra-deep pulse of "Afterglow".
Review: Smallville Records/Smallpeople co-founder Julius Steinhoff returns after a great collaboration with Moomin on the Closer imprint last year, a surprising non-electronic album with his band project Tonight Will Be Fine (together with Abdeslam Hammouda) on Japanese label Mule Musiq and some great remixes for Spain's Saft label. The Hamburg native strikes out with some real proper deep stuff here, like on the soulful and emotive acid express of "Along The Coast", or the energetic hi-tech soul workout that is "Moondowner" and finally draws on the bloodlines of classic techno and electro (in a modern context) on the trippy and minimalist "Be Myself". A solid effort from one of Germany's most underrated producers.
Review: Smallville has clearly been paying attention to the output of Cosmic Rhythm, the Bari-based imprint renowned for its' futurist infusions of vintage Italian dream house sounds, tropical melodies and the far-sighted ethos of Detroit techno. Here, they've served up an EP from one of the label's rising stars, Rhythm of Paradise, who particularly impresses with the skittish Motor City percussion and swirling deep house aesthetics of "Dreams". Elsewhere, "Into Your Eyes" doffs a cap to Calypso Records on the chunky but loved-up "Into Your Eyes" and wonderfully wavy, sunset-friendly warmth of "U". Fittingly, Cosmic Rhythm boss Cosmic Garden steps up to remix "Dreams", delivering a deliciously glassy-eyed take that sits somewhere between early Italian ambient house and the analogue-rich swing of classic Larry Heard productions.
Review: Hamburg purveyors of the deep Smallville are back with the debut of L'amour Fou, The Dujuan EP is the work of David Moufang aka Move D with Benoit Bouquin and Taipei based Marco Wollenberg. While opening cut "Sunday Haze" may sound like more generic fare, with its emotive house organs and all; the trio really find their sound when they dive into the deep and abstract with "Dujan" and "The Last Call". The evocative title track for instance, with its razor sharp and wandering arpeggio which is backed by a wonderfully hypnotic arrangement. Final offering "The Last Call" incorporates live instrumentation (mainly that sombre fingerpicked guitar riff), over ambient textures and reverb drenched field recordings with dusty rhythm patterns. Like most anything involving Moufang you really can't go wrong: and this one's no exception!
Review: Under the now familiar STL alias, Stephan Laubner has made all manner of aural treats, flitting between labels that suit his various sonic voyages into dub techno and deep house. Here he presents his first EP on Smallville for two years, kicking off with the trippy organ lines, clandestine audio textures and woodblock-fired deep house beats of "Thing In The Mirraw". He makes merry with manipulated vocal samples, angular drum machine hits and intergalactic electronics on the spacey curio that is "Fade In The Sun", before channeling the spirits of Pepe Bradock and Ricardo Villalobos on the wonky deep house hypnotism "PsiFy Robot".
Review: In the sales notes sent to record stores, Smalleville has described this multi-artist affair as "a club night from start to finish". Certainly, the four tracks are pleasingly varied, moving from the 109 BPM bliss of Makybee Diva's untitled dream-house shuffler, to the energetic acid house/deep house fusion of "Monkeys On My Roof" by L'Amour Fou, a collaborative project whose members include the legendary David 'Move D' Moufang. Elsewhere, Arnaldo delivers a near perfect chunk of Detroit techno inspired deep house hypnotism ("Screaming With A Blocked Nose"), and Chicagoan producer Snad combines sweaty, bumpin' grooves and becalmed synthesizer motifs on the excellent "Excerptz".
Review: Having recently contributed the delicious "Cricket Orchestra" to Smallville's impressive 10th anniversary collection, Smallville Ways, Julius Steinhoff and Just von Ahlefeld deliver their first EP for the Hamburg label in 12 months. They begin with the throbbing, low-slung bounce of "Crystal Fandango", where ghostly electronics and rubbery riffs wrap themselves around a stomping, bass-heavy groove. "Move" features similarly woozy chords and melody lines, but a more glassy-eyed, Chicago-influenced drum track, while "Fever" is percussively dense and acid influenced whilst retaining their usual hazy deep house feel. It's all impeccably produced, as usual, and each of the three tracks brings something a little different to the table.
Review: While Moomin may have been one of Smallville's most consistent artists, he's not released that much for the Hamburg imprint in recent times. A Minor Thought is his second full-length, and first since acclaimed 2011 debut The Story About You. Fans of that album will be pleased to discover A Minor Thought picks up where it's predecessor left off, with the producer laying down a series of opaque deep house jams rich with live instrumentation, jazzy samples, delicious musical touches and interesting ideas. Highlights are plentiful, from the loose-limbed grooves, dreamy pads and snaking clarinet lines of "Morning Groove" and effortlessly whimsical "Alone", to the tech-tinged loveliness of "Chemistry" and jazz-flecked bliss of "You Neva Know".
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