Review: Fresh from the release of his rather good - and decidedly Balearic - debut solo album on Leng, Athenian scene stalwart Lex reunites with regular studio buddy Locke for a more club-ready, deep house-fired EP on Delusions of Grandeur. The pair's hybrid electronic/organic sound comes to the fore on '7 Day Path', where a dubby deep house groove is laden with heavy hand percussion, spacey synths and decidedly intergalactic chords. 'I See No Ball', featuring Locomotives, is a druggy, hypnotic and dubby blend of arpeggio-driven Italo-disco and organ-rich deep house, while 'Catch Up With The Sun' is the kind of relaxed, groovy and summery affair that could have graced Lex's recent album. Also worth checking out is DJ Rocca's remix of '7th Path', which reimagines it as a squelchy chunk of nu-disco/deep house fusion.
Review: 18 months after their first Delusions of Grandeur outing - the rather good Disco Permanente EP - Mexican duo Soul of Hex return to the Freerange Records offshoot with another confident and ear-catching EP. Our pick of a very strong bunch is striding opener 'Say It Again', a weighty, percussion-rich slab of late-night dub disco rich in fluid bass guitar, echoing vocal snippets, layered drums and crisp guitar licks (think Trevor Jackson's Playgroup project and you're close). The fun continues on 'Pharoah Machine', a squelchy and sparkling slab of rolling late-night house, while 'Dreams' is a formidably drowsy, warming and saucer-eyed slab of after-hours deep house brilliance.
Review: Andy Ash is a great example of a producer who is simply getting better with age. For proof, check out any of his previous EPs on Delusions of Grandeur, or get your ears around this outing on the popular Freerange Records offshoot. Opener 'Tiawo' is a simply brilliant - and impeccably observed - chunk of mid-'80s, drum machine driven house mysticism, while 'Strictly Pins' is a warming, off-kilter deep house stomper smothered in Christmas Pudding-rich Rhodes chords, heavy drums and squelchy electronics. He doffs a subtle cap to Norway's Sex Tags crew on the eccentric, dubbed-out and extra-percussive house-not-house madness of 'Burger', before rounding things off via the delicious deep house shuffle of 'Brother'.
Review: Delusions of Grandeur are doing a great job marking their 50th release. This second celebratory EP features four more previously unreleased gems from label artists past and present. New York veteran Son of Sound kicks things off with the driving, '90s New Jersey garage influenced pump of "Under The Son", before Sebastien Vorhaus and Ponty Mython join forces on the Theo Parrish influenced, deep jazz-house wiggle of "I'm The Slime". Dave Pezzner dons the Zepp001 guise for the first time in five years and serves up a jazzy nu-disco/deep house fusion (the deliciously tactile "Enemy"), before Norm De Plume closes proceedings with the warm-and-loose, jazz-funk influenced deep house cut "Building Bridges".
Review: New York's Son Of Sound returns to Delusions of Grandeur with two floor-friendly originals plus a remix. To say this guy has history is something of an understatement: as far back as the early 90's this guy was a key figure, involved in seminal releases on Strictly Rhythm, Maxi Records and MAW Records. "New York Iz All I Know" is classic soulful house east side style with neon-lit elements while the funkier "Tight Drop" has that dusty MPC style swing all over it. Aroop Roy steps up for a groovy, sexy and seriously lo-slung remix following a run of fine edits and originals on the likes of Freestyle, Basic Fingers and House Of Disco. More recently Son Of Sound has created magic for Jus Ed's Underground Quality, Classic, Razor n Tape and Local Talk as well as establishing his own District30 imprint. Yet more of Henry Maldonado's sleek and thoughtful style on offer here.
Review: During their golden patch between 2015 and 2017, Soul of Hex released well-regarded material on Quintessentials, Defected offshoot DFTD and, most notably, Freerange. It seems fitting then that their first new single in two years should appear on the latter label's on-point Delusions of Grandeur offshoot. It's a typically excitable, all-action affair, with the Mexican twosome variously offering up savagely cut-up, low-slung punk-funk/house fusion ("Disco Permanente"), starry, slap-bass-propelled deep house warmth ("Polygon Alpha Funk" featuring Cornelius SA), madcap, off-the-wall disco-house loop-funk ("Drum Fantasy"), heavily percussive nu-disco/Afro-house fusion ("Punch", featuring More Lotion), and tactile, disco-tinged Balearic deep house goodness ("Psychic").
Review: Although they've delivered plenty of fine singles over the years, it's invariably Session Victim's albums that get us hot under the collar. This is primarily because it gives them a chance to showcase a wider range of grooves, tempos and instrumentations amongst the ear-pleasing dancefloor workouts. Their sunny disposition, noted sample-spotting ability and varied inspirations are all in evidence on the German duo's third full-length excursion. It's a deliciously evocative, enjoyable and mood enhancing affair that smilingly meanders between dreamy jazz-house bliss, Bossa-Balearic fusion, disco-sampling cheeriness, glistening slow jams, Afro-tinged deep house warmth and humid dub riddims (the impeccable "Castle For Sale"). In other words, it's another hugely enjoyable romp packed full of winning moments.
Review: Thanks to three previous 12" and digital samplers, most of you will have a fair idea what to expect from this debut full-length from Scottish house-disco fusionists Graeme Clark and Craig Smith. It's still very much worth listening to the album in its entirety, though. Clearly designed as a proper album to be listened to in sequence, it's beautifully programmed and packs a whole skipload of great ideas (not to mention brilliant samples) into a thoroughly entertaining 90-miniute journey. While it only occasionally strays from house - check the downtempo delight "Settle" - there's plenty of variety within that, touching on classic NYC deepness, loopy disco/house heaviness, sensual slo-mo grooves and string-laden tech-house builders.
Review: Having already treated us to a trio of samplers, the German deep house duo Session Victim finally deliver their debut full-length for Delusions of Grandeur. Given their impressive credentials, it's no surprise to find that The Haunted House Of House is a bit good. Almost overflowing with ideas, it serves up 11 slabs of deep house that do their best to sidestep the genre's many pitfalls. Sure, there's plenty of comfy, melodic goodness (see "Push Comes To Shove" and "Zoinks"), but also forays into disco-flecked jazz-funk-house ("Alpine Glow"), slick disco-house ("The Haunted House"), groovy slo-mo electronica ("Bilson"), dewy-eyed Balearica ("The Light Scent of Decay") and even Clyde-ish broken hip-hop ("Fine"). Impeccable, and this ultra special Juno edition includes an exclusive bonus track in the shape of "Spellbound"!
Review: Delusions Of Grandeur have been relatively quiet on the release front this year, but they're back with a bang thanks to this latest collaborative effort from Dan Shake and Medlar. The former has gotten a name thanks to being the first non-Detroiter on Moodymann's Mahogani Music, while the latter has been pushing his disco-friendly take on house music largely via the Wolf Music imprint. They got two cuts on here, the first one being a boogie-leaning, hazy summer club jam in the form of "Walk", and the second one a jazzier affair with plenty of soulful vocals and tribal drums called "I On You". Philpot bossman Soulphiction takes care of transforming "Walk" into a pot of filter-licking madness, where the percussion is stretched and freaked out further out into the ether compared to the original. What a package!
Review: Nottingham based Ron Basejam is the anagrammed alter-ego of Crazy P co-founder James Baron who creates music with feelings on labels such as Futureboogie and Wolf Music and now for Freerange sister label Delusions Of Grandeur. On the fittingly titled The Sound Of A Feeling EP he serves up the charmingly titled "Shit Wizard" a soulful, nu-disco boogie-down jam. "We Walk To War" in its original form is the kind of lo-slung/slo-mo disco that really floats our boat, but the remix up next by Tee Mango really injects it with some Stevie Wonder style soul-funk that'll help get your shine on. The title track is the deepest and most emotive offering here, with its sublime and hypnotic qualities being pushed along by a tight groove.
Review: New on the Delusions of Grandeur label (a sub label of Jimpster's excellent Freerange imprint), Berlin based duo Session Victim have made a gem of an EP that would find a good home in the racks of any nu-disco fans. "The Keyboarder" sounds like something Treasure Fingers would drop, as it's both full of groove and heavy on the silky string stabs. The clean, live sounding drums on "Tomorrow Night" alone are worth getting excited about, underpinning a corking deep rhythm that becomes infectious. Well worth checking out.
Review: Recloose on Delusions of Grandeur? Yes please! "Don't Get Me Wrong" is classic Matt Cicioine, packed full of his usual musicality and dense, melodic production. It sounds like an unlikely fusion of distant, long-forgotten disco and spine-tingling deep house, with more atmospheric vocal samples and live instruments than you can shake a smelly stick at. It's heady and intoxicating, coming on like a classic house production made somewhere between Detroit and New York. The driving "Shimmy" continues the murky, retro-futurist trend and is just as engaging. As if that wasn't enough, there's also a lovingly fluid, decidedly Balearic rework of the title track from Melbournite Tornado Wallace that's quite possibly the best thing he's done to date. Splendid!
Review: If you missed Soul 223's previous exploits - and given that he's released on Delsin and Soul Jazz, you shouldn't have done - this tidy EP for Delusions of Grandeur offers an excellent introduction. His influences - Detroit techno, soul, disco and hip-hop, mainly - can all be heard on "Fear of Shopping", a tight-but- swinging deep house gem built around tropical soul rhythms and Detroit-influenced chords and melodies. It's really quite excellent, as is the deeper, quirkier, Mr Beatnick style "Birdbrook Rain". The shuffling European futurism of the Max Mill Remix of "Fear of Shopping" really impresses, though the spine-tingling breakdowns and rising chords throughout Hoist Covert's mix of "Walberswick" are a Balearic delight.
Review: Since dropping his debut release on Hi-Phen in 2005, Toby Tobias has built up an impressive body of work, with EPs on Rekids, Hector Works, Let's Play House and his own Late Night Audio imprint. This EP for Delusions of Grandeur is another slow-burn winner. Lead cut "Pathfinder" gets just the right balance between heavy drum machine programming - think old skool electro or '80s boogie - and contemporary deep house smoothness. Fabrizio Mammarella's hypnotic remix is pretty tasty, too. "Backbeat" provides a hazy tip into Balearic boogie territory, while "Abergon" - with its lazy jazz guitars and Harvey-ish bump - is impeccable wide-eyed White Isle fodder.
Review: Scott Moncrief's quietly confident debut album Columbising has been one of the sleeper hits of 2016, with the Sheffield-based East Midlander serving up an effortlessly soulful set that joins the dots between hip-hop, broken beat, boogie, and U.S deep house. This follow-up EP showcases one of the album's highlights, Dave Aju collaboration "Turn It Out." Aju takes the deliciously loose and live-sounding original - all jumpy clavinet lines, swinging deep house drums and urgent vocals - and turns it into a stripped-back, heavily electronic broken house gem. Elsewhere, Lawrence Guy delivers a wonderfully warm, rich and soulful deep house interpretation of Erik Rico hook-up "Boogie Down", before Moncrief enlists the honeyed-tonsils and impeccable piano playing skills of regular collaborator Pete Simpson, on the jazzy gospel-house deepness of "For Bae".
Review: Given the quality of Session Victim's 2012 debut album, Haunted House of House, expectations are naturally high for this follow-up. Like its predecessor, See You When You Get There takes a widescreen approach to deep house, with the German duo drawing on a myriad of influences, from jazz ("Hey Stranger"), soundtracks ("Crystal Maze") and evocative downtempo beats (the impeccable title track), to Atmosfear-ish jazz-funk ("The Most Beautiful Divorce In The World") and, most notably, classic Balearica (see the druggy pop of "Hyuwee" and deliciously slow "EOS Place". Best of all, though, is "Never Forget", a glorious blues-house epic laden with smoky vocal samples and thrilling piano motifs.
Review: It's three years since Craig Smith and Graeme Clark impressed with One Night In The Borough, a landmark album that epitomized all that was good about the cut-and-paste, disco-sampling deep house scene of the time. This sophomore set offers more of the same, delivering tracks that ride a range of tempos in their trademark deep, loopy, hypnotic and pleasingly baggy style. While there are plenty of surprisingly supple, heavily electronic uptempo cuts on offer (see "Feel", the disco rush of "In Your Arms" and the classic, Frankie Knuckles-ish US house of "Read My Mind"), they're still at their best when operating at a slower tempo, as the deliciously jazzy "Walk Away" and sensual throb of "Through The Night" neatly prove.
Review: First unleashed on vinyl this time last year, Flight Mode and Joel Brittain's first collaborative EP has finally made it to digital download. This is undoubtedly a good thing, because "Burn This" is superb. In its' original form, the track is a near perfect fusion of dub disco heaviness - chunky bass guitar, delay-laden horn snuppets, crunchy drums - and the kind of electronic instrumentation and mood-enhancing chords more often found in straight-up deep house cuts. There are two tidy accompanying remixes: a sparkling, synth-heavy Balearic house revision by Medlar and a suitably trippy, spaced out Flight Mode dub that's arguably even more driving and floor-friendly than the original mix.
Review: The recent reappearance of "Green Marimbas" on a Mister Saturday Night release had us remembering with fondness how great a producer Ali 'Nebraska' Gibbs is - especially that Rush Hour LP Displacement. It's been a while since we last saw some new Nebraska in the trollies at Juno so kudos to Delusions of Grandeur for coaxing some new cuts out of Gibbs for this fine Rye Lane Rhythms slice of nice. From the moment "Aw-rite (Mute version)" slips into action it's like Nebraska has never been away, that attention to percussive and rhythmic detail still dead eyed and the musicality tight as ever. "Warp & Weft" veers off into fuzzy, minimalist beatdown territory that will appeal to fans of obscure Sound Signature tracks whilst "Eighty Eights" is the sort of loop heavy house cut that you can tease dancefloors with.
Review: Delusions of Grandeur present a second selection of tracks from Session Victim's superb sophomore set See You When You Get There, the German duo's acclaimed follow-up to 2012 debut The Haunted House of House. Predictably, there's much to admire, from the jazz keys and skewed deep house swing of opener "Do It Now", to the rubbery disco bass, smoky atmospherics and Moodymann style, jazz-flecked grooves of "Make People Dance". There's also a hip-hop tempo excursion in the form of the heady title track, and - best of all - a deep, bluesy disco-house jam in the shape of the brilliant "Hey Stranger".
Review: One Night In The Borough, the debut full-length from Scottish disco/house fusionists Craig Smith and Graeme "The Revenge" Clark, is arguably the best thing either producer has done yet (and certainly collectively). This first sampler 12" showcases four of the album's many highlights, offering plenty of loopy, floor-friendly grooves for those who like their house with more than a dash of original disco flava. Choose between the slo-mo MDMA soul of "If The Feeling's Wrong" (our pick), the urgent stomp of "Find A Way", the smart retro house vibes of "Changin" and "Iznae", a delightfully stripped-back chunk of late night deep house bliss.
Review: This second sampler for Craig Smith and Graeme Clark's excellent debut album once again sees them in fine form. While three of the four tracks stick to their tried-and-tested formula - rock-solid deep house built on heavy, head-nodding loops, long, lazy builds and cute, killer hooks - there's plenty to get excited about. The distinctly old skool "Back To Me" (check that analogue bassline) and hynotic head-nodder "Deep C" stand out, with "BURT (The Journey)" not far behind. The most revelatory moment, though, is "Settle", a dreamy downtempo concoction crafted from syrupy soul samples, echo-laden beats and sinewy strings that sounds like an updated version of Minnie Ripperton's more sensuous moments.
Review: Scottish duo Graeme Smith and Craig Smith aka 6th Borough Project present the third and final sampler ahead of the release of their debut album, kicking off with two surprisingly house dominated cuts, "B.U.R.T" and "The Fool", whose intro does indeed fool via a standard tech house first half. Abruptly, the music cuts and from nowhere an immense disco accapella cuts in - the beat returns as a disco fuelled funk attack, 6th Borough Project as we know (and love) them!
Review: Toby Tobias' Rising EP, released in May 2015, signaled the forthcoming release of his belated second album, Rising Son. With that set now imminent, Delusions of Grandeur has decided to treat listeners to two more album highlights. Both "The Wonder" and "Only Getting Better" are undeniably spacey, with the emotive, melancholic vocals of Atwell adding extra intensity to the London producer's analogue-rich, Detroit and Chicago influenced, retro-futurist grooves. Of the two, it's arguably the bolder "The Wonder" - all squidgy synth bass, acid flashes and swirling Motor City chords - that's the pick. Franc Spangler provides a tasty dancefloor re-work of "Only Getting Better", focusing the action on a killer, low-slung acid house groove, select vocal snippets and rolling deep house chords.
Review: It's been seven years since Toby Tobias dropped his debut album on Rekids, Space Shuffle. This sophomore set, then, is long overdue. Seemingly more reliant on hardware - and, in particular, analogue synths and drum machines - Rising Son is an altogether more mature, tightly executed album than its' predecessor. The London producer includes nods to many of his familiar influences - think saucer-eyed Balearica, Italo-disco, acid house, Larry Heard style '80s deepness, modern boogie, Detroit techno and Chicago jack, capturing just the right balance between downtempo curiosities, fuzzy mid-tempo grooves and bona fide dancefloor hits. There are also a couple of impeccable forays into the world of early '90s ambience, with the odd "Broken Computer" standing out.
Review: Comprising the second half of their hotly anticipated album, this latest slab of wax from the widely celebrated house duo Session Victim showcases just why their groove is so well liked. Far from trying to be cool in their music, instead the kind of funk the German duo conjure up in their sample-heavy sound is pure and addictive, not least on "Push Come To Shove". It's not all party rockers mind you, as well demonstrated in the low slung hip-hop leaning of "Fine". With the summer looming this is a strongly advised addition to your sun-compatible arsenal.
Review: Comprising the second half of their hotly anticipated album, this latest release from the widely celebrated house duo Session Victim showcases just why their groove is so well liked. Far from trying to be cool in their music, instead the kind of funk the German duo conjure up in their sample-heavy sound is pure and addictive, not least on "Push Come To Shove". It's not all party rockers mind you, as well demonstrated in the low slung hip-hop leaning of "Fine". With the summer looming this is a strongly advised addition to your sun-compatible arsenal.
Review: Delusions Of Grandeur, easily one of the most consistent deep house labels to come out of the post-minimal era, returns with that guy we all love, Thatmanmonkz. Himself and Chicago's Khalil Anthony are remixed by the equally consistent Jimpster, who delivers the goods by laying down some utter tech house quality on "Take U 2 My House", while Detroit's Ge-ology takes on "Jus Anutha Wunna Deez", and comes out the other end with a murky, beat-heavy house monster that bumps so perfectly along. The originals are sexier, chunkier in the mix, and backed by some killer vocals, particularly "Take U 2 My House" - what a beaut! Recommended and tipped!
Review: New school deep house specialists Delusions Of Grandeur return with another solid three-tracker, this time from Seattle-based studio knob-twiddlers Zepp001. It's the duo's second EP for the label, following 2009's warmly received "Don't Sleep". "The Warm" itself has a touch of Deep Space Orchestra about it - all off-key chords, otherworldly noises and alien melodies. "Dearly Beloved" has a slightly warmer feel thanks to a bubbling low-end groove, sneaky carnival percussion flourishes and some excellent, far-out nu-disco synths. Best of all, though, is DJ Nature's remix of the same track, which re-casts the original as a jazz-flecked spacey deep houser.
Review: Warm and chugging disco-tinged house is on offer once again from the imperious Delusions of Grandeur, with the Foolin EP arriving with Germany's Manuel Tur at the wheel. Sticking with his usual synth heavy and sultry style, Tur strikes an immediately gritty tone of funk with tightly plucked guitar riffs, swooning brass and soulful vocals on the title track. Up next, an instrumental version of "Foolin" is accompanied by "The Traveller", which treads percussive realms with a heartbeat drum platform that pushes this otherwise orchestral and ambient track ever forward. Piano keys dance gently as string beds ascend against scatterings of brass and tinny crashes; our pick of the bunch.
Review: Pattern Select is Milton Jackson's new endeavour with Show B and the results of their first collaborative work together finds a suitable home at Delusions Of Grandeur. Tale Of The Tape is both an auspicious glance at what the duo have up their sleeve and perhaps the finest EP on the DoG imprint to date. Ploughing a decidedly subterranean path through the rawer excesses of house music, what is really a selection of simple elements - vocal hooks, crafty drums, ever rising pads and satisfying crashes - are combined excellently and infiltrated by the wormiest of arpeggiated synth lines. The accompanying dub version does what all good dub versions are supposed to do and there is the bonus of a flipside revision from man like Cottam that completely rewires the track along some next century utopian galactic house tip - you'll love the smudged rhythms that come floating in. Just to switch up the vibe, Pattern Select end on the dusty fingered brilliance of "Matrix" - full on beat down head nod vibes soaked in Detroit atmospherics.
Review: Having already impressed with outings on Foto, ARP and their own Use Of Weapons, Deep Space Orchestra add Delusions Of Grandeur to their CV and deliver perhaps their most refined work to date. "Lo Pan" weaves between flourishes of Rhodes and analogue arps with a confidence that fully demonstrates their progression as a production unit. Underpinning all this is the constant groove of 808 kicks and Detroit that provides the all important rawness and momentum. The accompanying remix from Berlin duo Trickski drags "Lo Pan" into the lower reaches of muscular house movements, stripping proceedings back to a dramatic synth lead and neck crunching beat before unfolding into a groove that really gets under your skin - thanks in no small part to the added vocals. Deep Space Orchestra end proceedings on the hazed out "Disarm" which accrues a delightfully ethereal quality as it floats towards its conclusion. Fine work all round!
Review: Underground Sugar Caves marks a triumphant third waddle through the deepest recesses of rhythmic programming on Delusions of Grandeur for Tornado Wallace. The Australian is a man whose grasp of The Simpson's trivia is more than matched by his rise in the public's estimations since he debuted with Paddlin'. Lead track "Underground Sugar Caves" sees the erstwhile Wallace leave the sanctity of chugging disco for something altogether more thrilling - warehouse ready raw house music. The ease with which Wallace flips the script from the kick drum heavy compressed sound of the opening moments to the stabs and energising strings that dominate the track in full flow will transcend excellently in a small basement space. "Insect Overlords" is a more familiar mid tempo saunter, though there are enough production nuances to separate it from the chaff, whilst the venerable Idjut Boys turn in an excellently dubby transition of "Underground Sugar Caves" which is indelibly stamped with moodiness. Highly recommended.
Review: Well, it's safe to say that Delusions Of Grandeur has become something of a house institution by now. The imprint has put out a vast amount of material since the late noughties, all by an impressive collection of talents including Session Victim, Tornado Wallace, 6th Borough Project, Recloose and many others. Benjamin 'Ben Sun' returns to the label for his third appearance with "Tricks On Wax", an utterly funky and bass-heavy sample-house number reminiscent of the Moodymann school of sound. "Seven Sisters" is more spacey and futuristic in its melodic structure, while "Special 4U" winds things down to near hip-hop levels...chuggy beats, subtle breaks and smoked-out swirls of electronics.
Review: It's now a decade since Toby Tobias made his debut, and two years since he released a pair of acclaimed EPs on Delusions of Grandeur. Here the London-based producer returns to that imprint with a chunk of deliciously warm, hazy and - whisper it quietly - Balearic deep house. "All Rising" combines subtle deep house percussion with swirling disco string samples and goose-bumps-inducing blue-eyed soul vocal snippets. The results are rather magical, all told. The accompanying Dub takes the track in a sweatier, more heavily percussive direction, while the Jitterbug Dub Remix re-casts "All Rising" as a heady chunk of dreamy European deep house.
Review: In the canon of EPs that require little in the way of additional prompting from the Juno review staff, the latest release from Delusions of Grandeur must surely rank high. Pairing We Play House duo FCL with VFB, the latest alias from Dani 'MCDE' Plessow proves to be a smart choice, securing Delusions perhaps their finest release to date! Love Prescription is nominally formed around three variations on the title track from Plessow's new VFB moniker (yet another smart ode to his hometown) introducing the yearning soulful tone of Stef Gustaph amidst a nicely stripped down take on house music which is perhaps best utilised on the bubbling Dirt Dub version. FCL appear with the masterful "Matrix Plus" full of bouncing rhythms and high rise chords dipped with Mr Fingers style emotion.
Review: Given his production vintage spanning REKIDS, Burek, Under The Shade and Let's Play House there's a sense of inevitability that Toby Tobias would surface on Delusions Of Grandeur sooner or later; indeed it feels strange that it's taken so long but as Burning Love demonstrates, its been worth the wait. Lead track "It's Burning" is notable for the chiming synth that resonates brightly amidst a multiplicity of gurgling analogue grooves, whilst "I Give You Love" opts for a more rugged warehouse vibe, embellished by the yearning vocal hooks. Down below these two cuts get remixed in requisite fashion; the London Housing Trust collective tackle "I Give You Love" morphing it into a tripped out jacking freestyle number, whilst the always excellent Lauer works his magic on "It's Burning" introducing all manner of vivid colour with his melodies and basslines. This Juno Download exclusive version also features the original demo version of "It's Burning".
Review: Having put their Instruments of Rapture label to sleep, Craig Smith and Graeme Clark return to Delusions of Grandeur. With its shuffling, late night groove, delay-laden atmospherics and sub-bothering, bleep-era bassline, "The Vibes" is arguably their darkest and toughest release to date. It's predictably good, though, sitting somewhere between Morales' darker Red Zone moments and early '90s UK techno. Chicago Damn joins in the fun with a thumping, edit-heavy remix, all fuzzy chords, vintage percussion and old skool vocal stabs. Bluesy bonus track "New Day" - a kind of 6th Borough take on "Deep Burnt" with balls - is pretty tasty, too.
