Review: Fresh from delivering an EP of nostalgic 'Club Specials' on regular home Wolf Music Recordings, Frits Wentink returns to Clone's Royal Oak imprint for the first time since 2020. Title track 'Spiritual Basslines' - which is available in 'Club Mix' and 'Extended Mix' variations - follows a similar sonic template to the Amsterdam stalwart's most recent releases, adding classic deep house sounds to the kind of skippy, loose-limbed groove most often found on late '90s US garage releases. Highlights elsewhere across the EP include the vintage Nu Groove-influenced excellence of 'Eternity', the dub house meets-nu-disco shuffle of 'Golf Cart Joyride', and the deliciously deep, dusty and dubby shuffle of 'Olympiad'.
Review: Throughout their decade-long career, Alma Negra has combined their love of disco and deep house with percussion, instrumentation and ideas excavated from African, Caribbean and tropical musical cultures. On this EP, they largely ditch the latter inspirations, instead delivering full-throttle revivalist disco sounds where the Basel-based band's organic instrumentation and vocals combine with colourful synth sounds and heady horns. The headline attraction is undoubtedly 'Madrugada', a warming and thickset, subtly deep house-influenced take on the turn-of-the-80s NYC downtown disco-not-disco sound. It comes backed with two revisions - an extra-percussive, dubbed-out Yuksek tweak and the band's own dub disco-goes-deep house 'Dub Mix' - and the riotous, party-starting brilliance of 'Funky Fever'.
Review: Producer Blair French makes an impressive debut on MotorCity Wine Recordings with his "Ancestarians" EP. The release finds him adeptly bridging the worlds of soulful Detroit deep house and laidback Balearic grooves, carving out a distinct musical identity. The Physical Mix of the title track lays down a midtempo, jazzy groove primed for the dancefloor, infusing pan-African rhythms and a rich interplay of live instruments. In contrast, the Spiritual Mix ventures into more atmospheric, ambient realms, highlighting French's varied musical influences. Kicking off with a vibrant bounce, "Champagne Kiddie Pool" melds bright cavaquinho tones with an infectious dembow-inflected groove, conjuring up a summertime beach vibe. The EP's closing cut "Sandbox Fossils" ratchets up the energy level with its dynamic drum programming, shimmering keys and a standout bassline performance.
Review: The new EP, "Offshore Sunsets," by the collaborative effort of Steve Cobby (of Fila Brazilia fame) and Third Attempt washes over the listener like a warm, hazy summer evening. Released on Paper Recordings, this three-track offering is a delightful exploration of Balearic house, perfect for unwinding or soundtracking a laid-back gathering. The opening track, "B Human," sets the tone with its "rolling, hypnotic, spaced-out" vibe (as described by Paper Recordings). Floating minor keys, a walking bassline, and a gorgeously chugging guitar create a sun-drenched soundscape. This is Balearic bliss at its finest. Third Attempt takes the reins for the aptly titled "Language Of The Heart." This track leans into a more downtempo, a perfect offering for those late-night sessions or creating a chilled atmosphere. The duo reunites for the closing track, "Feeling Seen." This hazy, jazzy broken beat number brings the EP to a satisfying conclusion. Deep basslines intertwine with funky elements, showcasing the collaborative magic between Cobby and Third Attempt.
Review: Bondax's "Journey" on Future Disco isn't just an album title, it's an experience. This LP marks a decade in the game for the UK dance duo, and "Journey" reflects that beautifully. It's a blend of their signature sounds with fresh influences, all wrapped in a future-disco sheen. The album kicks off with the previously-released banger "Don't Want It," setting the pace with driving rhythms and those classic Bondax synths. Tracks like "I Only Have You" showcase their versatility, featuring smooth vocals from Eno Williams that blend seamlessly with their sonic palette. A true highlight is "Fade" featuring SHELLS. Flanging guitars and entrancing beats create a mesmerizing soundscape, perfectly embodying the album's exploration of diverse sounds. "Yabaal to London" is another winner, a funky fusion of 80s disco and modern production with the Dur-Dur Band. It's impossible not to move to this one. It's a genre-bending album that pays homage to disco's roots while offering a fresh, modern take. Packed with infectious beats, captivating vocals, and stellar production, this album is a guaranteed dance floor filler and a must-listen for fans of electronic music with a touch of nostalgia.
Review: NYC combo 79.5 are, like Midnight Magic and Escort before them, a live outfit whose trademark sound and output is shaped by the rich musical history of the city they call home. That superb sound was outlined on last year's eponymous debut album, tracks from which appear in remixed form on this must-check EP. There are two takes on previous single 'Feel Like Dancin': an extended deep house take by Malik Hendricks with added Afro-house percussion, and an impressive low-tempo chugger titled the 'Generalisation Dub'. 'B.D.F.Q' also comes in two contrasting variations: the spacey electro-meets-ghetto-house flex of the Jubilee Remix, and an extended version of FSQ's Midnight Magic style neo-disco interpretation. A percussive and joyous J Kriv house revision of 'Our Hearts Didn't Go That Way' completes a fine package.
Review: Over the last few years, Martin 'Atjazz' Iveson has spent a fair amount of time mentoring Peacey, a young producer with oodles of talent. That much is proved by the rising star's expansive debut album, a superb 16-track set that combines sizzling colo cuts with a string of inspired collaborations. The Edinburgh-based artist sets his stall out via the luscious horn arrangements and immersive ambient electronics of 'Play It By Ear', before drifting between head-nodding R&B loveliness (Oveous hook-up 'Love In The Forest'), sensual and seductive, soul-flecked deep house ('Hold Me Back' with Clyde and Atjazz), mid-tempo boogie-soul ('Playground' with Rona Ray), dubby and dreamy downtempo grooves ('Last Night's Dream'), deep and techy, spoken word-sporting dancefloor workouts ('Culture Bandit' with Vanessa Hidary) and jazz-funk influenced excellence (LaRoye collab 'In The Distance').
Review: Here's another must-check missive of lesser-known and hard-to-find material from DJ Kaos's Jolly Jams label, curated with love by the man himself. Over the course of 12 tidy tracks, we're treated to ambient lusciousness (Superpitcher remixing Kaos's own 'World Turning'), deliciously dubbed-out proto-house (the 'Warehousin' Mix' of Split Secs' 'I'm Not Losing'), mind-mangling psychedelic electronic disco-meets-acid house (Red Axes' 'Promo Only'), dub disco (Slaves of Love and Tavish, whose 'Raw Seduction' is genuinely superb), soaring disco edit action (Spring Break Edit), Sylvester pitched-down and blissed out (Balearic Skip), Kenny Hawkes-ish disco-not-disco eccentricity (Luke Solomon remixing Richard From Milwaukee) and ragging acid tracks (Danny Russell & Timothy Alexander).
Review: Reel People Music's annual Soulful, Deep & Dope compilations always deliver exactly what the title promises, namely club-focused jams of the most positive, musically expansive and spiritually enriching kind. This year's edition is a particularly potent collection, with 20 tried-and-tested tracks to devour. Highlights are naturally plentiful, from the tech-tinged deep house soulfulness of Mark Francis's remix of Opolopo and Angela Johnson's 'Stay This Way', and Glenn Underground's wonderfully musically expansive revision of Harold Matthews Jr and Sean McCabe's 'This Place', to the sunset-ready wonder of Matthew Brandy's 'Wish' (featuring an impeccable vocal performance by Josh Milan) and the soulful deep house brilliance of Atjazz and Shea Soul's inspired 'Home'.
Faith (Medlar & Dele Sosimi remix) - (5:59) 118 BPM
San Diago (Prins Thomas Diskomiks) - (7:37) 115 BPM
Review: Barcelona-based Arnau Obiols has chalked up releases on such respected labels as Local Talk, Ibadan and Compost, and now returns to the latter in the company of Zurich's KAYYAK. Together they serve up two tracks that draw heavily on 70s Afro-funk for inspiration, with 'Faith' coming with a slightly mellower remix courtesy of Medlar & Dele Sosimi while 'San Diago' gets two rerubs, with Rahaan giving the track a slightly jazzier, more leftfield makeover while Prins Thomas's Diskomix transforms it into a slab of percussive, slo-mo disco. Any/all should go down well on floors where Afro-oriented beats are in demand.
Review: In honour of its tenth birthday, Donato Dozzy and Tin Man's first - and so far only - collaborative EP is given the remix treatment. This time round, it comes in lightly expanded form, with 'Test 3' appearing in two forms: the blissful ambient acid style original mix (a wonderful mid 1990s throwback) and a previously unheard vocal version, which not only adds a drowsy, effects-laden lead vocal, but also a hypnotic, soft focus groove. Elsewhere, 'Test 7' is a fine slab of otherworldly deep house/acid house fusion, while 'Test 2' is a more out-there, mind-altering ambient acid excursion.
Review: Volume 7 in the series but for once we can't really say "you should know what to expect by now" because what this compilation really goes to show is just what an eclectic and diverse camp the long-running Manchester label has become, with tracks on 'Paper Cuts #7' ranging from the near-ambient Balearica of Aniso Tropics' opener 'Apricot Memorex' to the self-explanatory synth-y stylings of La Guardia de la Luz's 'Trance Aleman de los 90s' via the uptempo strut of Jahn Solo's 'Disco'. So all we can really do is point you in the direction of some standout cuts, which for this reviewer would include D.S.D's luscious 'Just Can't Stop' and Benny Pitcher's 'Transatlantic Motion', which is like a little musical nod to the days when Paper comps were called 'Splinter'.
Review: Retromigration makes a triumphant comeback to WOLF Music with Cloudin - six tracks of deep disco tinged house music just like we like it. It follows the artist's debut album Straight Foxin on the label which sees the German producer once again proves his stripes by seamlessly blending dusty samples with original beats, bassline compositions, and PH-fat grooves. Taking it back to the classic disco-driven, pad-powered, and woozy-Rhodes sound from sometime before 2010 - WOLF Music is still your one-stop shop for Retromigration for sure.
Review: Ostensibly a response to techno being 'in such a sorry and predictable state', Full Pupp's latest compilation goes off in a number of wonderfully captivating tangents. Label owner Prins Thomas' "Mere Apokalypso" is a tripped-out groove, while his take on Synk's "Tool Mix" is an acid-laced chugger. In contrast, JaddajaddaPlay's "Bird No Bird" goes down a percussive route. Despite the title, techno does make an appearance. Blackbelt Engh Rhythm Combo's "Frydenlyn" is a rolling tribal affair, while trance influences bubble to the surface on Christian Engh's dubbed out "Khonsu" and Karolinski's high-paced, melodic "Slutt A Mase Eg Har Ikkje Spelt Pa Ei Veke".
Review: Since making his debut way back in 2022, Franck Roger has served up a lot of exceptionally good deep, soulful and spiritual house. In its' original mix form (track six), 'Enchanted', featuring Shawn Chappelle, is another high-grade treat - a shuffling, soft-focus vocal house number rich in warming chords, Osunlade-esque spiritual house percussion, meandering guitar solos and chunky bass. The accompanying remix package is naturally very strong too. Fred Everything delivers two takes: a subtly jazz, boogie synth-sporting vocal revision built around bouncy Afro-house beats, and a deliciously dreamy, weightier and more bassline-driven 'Dub'. DJ Spinna dips the tempo slightly on his more relaxed and laidback deep house versions (vocal and instrumental takes are both included), while Demarkus Lewis opts for a more immersive, thickset vibe on his full vocal interpretation.
Review: Australian artist Ben Smith, known by his stage name Temple, is bringing a fresh sound to the music scene. His upcoming EP, "Who You Are," blends the classic vibes of disco with the futuristic energy of techno. This debut release marks the launch of Temple Musiq, Smith's own record label dedicated to his musical creations. The headline attraction is undoubtedly title track 'Who You Are' (featuring Quartz Pistol), an acid-fired, cowbell-laden fusion of cheery nu-disco and nostalgic house sounds with added breathy female vocals. Prins Thomas remixes, rolling out the warehouse-ready elements (including Temple's trippy acid lines) before introducing a maelstrom of synth lines and spiralling electronics later on. Elsewhere, 'Wait For Love' joins the dots between mid-80s NYC proto-house and Maurice Fulton's Syclops project, while 'The Tetra' is a spacey, sax-sporting slab of nu-disco chug tailor-made for sunset and sunrise.
Review: Leeds label Shades of Sound seem obsessed with serving up melodious and colourful music tailor-made for sunny days and humid dancing at dusk. They're at it again on 'Disco Archipalego', a bold and entertaining label debut courtesy of Sydney producer Arp Decco. There three typically sparkling and kaleidoscopic original tracks on display: the mid-tempo, synth strings-laden Balearic piano house-meets-Reverso 68 cheeriness of 'Disco Archipalego', the synth solo sporting piano house-with-acid-bass flex of 'New Life', and the gorgeous 'Breeze', whose snaking sax solos, joyous melodious and chunky TB-303 bassline create a suitably loved-up mood. 'Tech Support' turn 'New Life' into an acid-flecked, sunrise-ready breakbeat house gem, before Joe Morris rounds off a fine EP by giving 'Breeze' a nostalgic, Balearic house-goes-breakbeat re-fix.
Review: Cuthead, real name Robert Arnold, hails originally from Moldova but has been based for many years in Dresden, Germany. His musical output has ranged from hip-hop and breaks to disco, house and techno, but this release, the second of our installments that will eventually make up the 'Detour' album, finds him firmly in house mode. While its four tracks are all definitely rooted in deep house, though, they nevertheless also manage to embrace influences from disco, jazz-funk, sci-fi themes and dub - all of which add up to an EP that represents a very worthwhile use of 15 minutes of your life.
Review: Two recent cuts from Russian disco don Alexander Chebankov, better known as Sunner Soul, get handed over to fellow St Petersburg native Unclepasha - whose musical CV dates back to the early 00s - for the remix treatment. His take on 'Right Place', which first appeared on last month's 'Something Good' EP, tones down the boogie and jazz-funk influences of the original and ends up deeper and smoother as a result. Conversely, he's kept the boogie stylings of 'Need You' (taken from February's 'Da Funk' EP) intact and arguably even emphasised them, in a dubbed-out remix that gets distinctly Levan/Peech Boys-esque in places.
Review: Bufi & Kubebe unveil Sternana Remixes: a collection of reinterpretations from their collaborative EP, initially launched under sister label Fauna Reve. This release introduces fresh perspectives from Balam, Tyu, Mufti, and Hermetics, each infusing the original tracks with their distinctive takes, introducing fresh approaches respectively. Balam kickstarts the compilation with a pulsating remix of acid-infused energy and trance elements, while Tyu's hypnotic rendition of "El Jockey "blends deep drums with psychedelic nuances. From Guadalajara, Mufti delivers a break-driven remix of "Cicatriz" while Argentinean artist Hermetics closes with a captivating version of "Sternana" - luring listeners in with its potent kick and entrancing vocals.
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