DJ Aakmael

Review: Through a wide selection of releases on his own UnXpozd Entertainment, DJ Aakmael has truly established his place within the house scene, and his own sound, too. The man deals in a very specific sort of deep house filled with jazzy elements, much like the one championed by the likes of Fred P or Patrice Scott. Here, on the People Earth imprint, we are graced by the deep and chimerical synth work of "Izza" on the A-side, while "Untitled 116" on the back of the wax contains an air of disco, but one that's been warped and messed with good and proper; "Spreadsmoluv" is a heads-down house lover with an insanely hummable vocal flex. YES.

Review: There are some deep house producers you just know you can rely on, like DJ Aakmael. No matter the season, his dusty, sun-kissed sound radiates warmth and groove loaded with authenticity and impervious to hype and fads. On this release for Deso he's in a particularly breezy mood, letting the easy tones of "Flyte Tyme" drift out over a sturdy, funked up groove. Desos strips the track back to a spartan core, all percussion and subtle flecks of the original melody. We're back to widescreen technicolour on "Just A Track 6" with delirious chopped up vocals aplenty, which Luvnote shirks for the shuffling remix that closes out this strong package of contemporary deep house.

Review: Fresh from inspired outings on Freerange, Monologues and Axe on Wax, Greg Stewart brings his DJ Aakmael project to Scissor & Thread. He sets his stall out via opener "Take It Back", a wonderfully loose, relaxed and sepia-tinted deep house cut that simply oozes melodious warmth from start to finish. Stewart showcases his knowledge of vintage New Jersey deep house on "What Iz Deep House", where pitched-down spoken word samples and jazzy riffs work in unison with a snappy drum machine groove, before opting for a classic Frankie Knuckles sound on the tactile and piano-heavy "Sand". Frank and Tony are on hand to remix the latter, delivering a stripped-back and bass-heavy dub that's every bit as alluring as Stewart's original version.