Review: Dave Lee's Z Records bring us the third instalment in what is a very occasional series, with Vols 1 and 2 having dropped in 2009 and 2020 respectively. In fairly self-explanatory fashion, the 'Dubstramentals' compilations round up some of the best Instrumental and Dub mixes from the label's recent(ish) back catalogue, and as you'd expect from a label of Z's stature that makes for an impressive roster of talent, with remixes coming from the likes of Grant Nelson, Dam Swindle, Dimitri From Paris, Michael Grey and Sean McCabe. Spanning right across the spectrum from soul, funk, disco and boogie to peaktime house bizniss, this is a fine collection that will make a worthwhile addition to wide range of DJs' virtual record boxes.
Review: Kerri Chandler's first album of original productions since 2008 is an epic in every sense of the word: a vast, 24-track excursion recorded on location in a multitude of clubs around the world, with each track inspired by, and specifically designed to sound best inside, each of the selected venues. It's basically a love letter to some of his favourite clubs, created with guest vocalists and musicians, and is little less than a deep house masterpiece. There are far too many highlights to mention, but our current favourites include the bassbin-rattling bump of 'Subbie (Jackpot Mix) [Sub Club]', the heart-aching soulful house brilliance of 'Back To Earth [Knockdown Center]', the sax-sporting funkiness of 'The Morning Heat [La Grange]', the sunrise-ready beauty of 'Who Knows [Barbarellas]' and the Berlin-friendly deep house hypnotism of 'Sunrise [Watergate]'.
Review: As usual, Z Records' annual compilation of catalogue tracks doing business over on the White Isle is packed to the rafters with high-grade dancefloor treats. It opens with a sweltering Dave Lee and Harry Romero mix of Z Factor's '90s house classic 'Ride The Rhythm' and ends with Lee's string-laden disco rework of Foreal People's 'Does It Feel Good To You'; in between, you'll find an attractive mixture of bouncy Afro-boogie revivalism (Emmaculate's extended mix of 'Dougswana' by Dave Lee as Doug Willis), reworked Z Records classics (Atjazz giving a classic-but-percussive deep house feel to Jakatta's 'American Dream'), super-soulful house (Wipe The Needle),driving disco-house (Prospect Park) and breezy piano house (Sean McCabe's 'Italo Piano' mix of Soul Dhamma). As the old clich? goes, this is genuinely "all killer, no filler".
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