Deep House Recommendations May 2014

Review: Despite some FXHE releases containing playful artistic references to the films that undoubtedly referenced the titles, this Romancing The Stone double pack from Omar S is sadly lacking in any MS Paint renditions of the Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner 90s vehicle of the same name. It does however contain four more fine examples of the fact no one does it quite like Omar S. Lead track "Leave" sets the tone, as ripples of percussion emerge from a pool of simmering sonic emotion and embarks on a masterclass in slow build dancefloor revelation at breakneck pace. "Romancing The Stone" pulls from the same palette of anthemic Omar S productions as "Here's Your Trance, Now Dance" and "Psychotic Photosynthesis" as a lead array of synths, keys and chords weave with supple grace over crunchy drums - watch out for the track finishing abruptly. On the second 12", "Frogs" dovetails from a simple disco guitar loop into fucked up abstract acid techno territory with little prior warning whilst "Surpass" finds AOS ending with some anthemic maximal piano house.

Review: Mile High Records comes up with a first various artists release including Janeret, Fabe, Supertape and Bastien Carrara. Specially designed for sweaty dancefloors, this versatile 4 track compilation treats different aspects of house music. From deep and spacy cuts to smashing 90's groove.

Review: It seems surprising that this debut album from Kassem Mosse should appear with little fanfare, but that's apparently how the acclaimed German producer wanted it. Predictably, it's rather good. Rippling with fuzzy analogue warmth, crusty drum machine rhythms, toasty keys and alien electronics, it offers a selection of undulating deep house cuts in his inimitable style. At times - such as on the soulful shuffle of "Untitled A1" and jazzy "Untitled D1" - it sounds a little like vintage Moodymann; at others, Mosse's techno influence is much more apparent (see the wonky throb of "Untitled D1"). Throughout, Workshop 19 is formidably atmospheric.

Review: Riding high on the buzz he has generated in the last twelve months, Max Graef delivers this album to Tartelet as a man very much in demand. His style, fuelled on the foundations of sampling funk and soul to a brilliantly modern end, has more space to breathe on this LP, but still the fundamentals remain. "Itzehoe" struts on a lazy jazzed-out sizzle of drums and beautiful Rhodes notes while "Tamboule Fudgefunk" punches its way through woozy synth work and a righteous beat and "Drums Of Death" struts on a perfect disco groove replete with live instrumentation, but there's a wealth of other tempos and styles all shot through with the homespun jazz charm that Graef has made his own of late.

Review: REPRESS ALERT: After kicking off with a delightfully classy deep house EP from Chicago's Strong Souls, D3 Elements presents its second EP from Brian Harden. This long anticipated EP is reminiscent of his upbeat, melodic style that is his trademark after releases on Relief Records, Underground Therapy, NiteLife Collective, Moods And Groove and House 4 Life records.The Black 3 EP opens with "Qunu", a rhythmic homage to South Africa's Nelson Mandela. A complex piece filled with tribal percussions and vibrant melodic sounds that will keep you dancing. "Qunu" creates an addictive rhythm of warmth and color. "Days of Days" is a euphoric affair with lush chords, enticing percussions with a rising bass line. Light and airy with a compelling groove, it's a masterful example of genuine house. "Chicago To Detroit" closes out the release and lives up to it's title, touching on what makes house music from the two Mid West cities so very compelling.

Review: After overseeing releases from Mikki Funk, Jamie Trench, Jackmaster K and more that helped establish the Music Is Love label, boss man Oli Furness steps up to helm the eighth release. If you are familiar with Oli Furness' work you'll be happy with The Four 4 The Floor EP which takes a pleasingly direct route to the dancefloor. From the opening track "Over Jack" onwards, what really impresses you is how much fun with the samples Furness appears to be having and the way the kick drums and hi hats slalom around cuts like "Creeping In The Shadows" means you will have as much fun slamming them into your mix.

Review: Washington DC's DJ Nav immortalises his melodic grooves on hand-numbered 12" vinyl on the ever-growing Scottish imprint, Made Fresh Daily. Classic sounds are prevalent through City Limits, with strong garage flavours in the percussion. A moving bassline on 'Your Words' keeps things interesting as it realms into more underground areas, bringing variety to the otherwise classic sounding EP. Reflect is a beautiful example of how real house can sound when executed properly, it also provided a platform for Danny J Lewis to build his dancefloor-minded Dub. Mastered by the mighty Nate Tinsley Productions in Long Island, NY. This one comes with a free sticker if that wasn't enough.

Review: Delano Smith has been an integral part of Detroit's musical landscape for nigh on 30 years, but it's only recently that the producer has begun to explore the album format. Back in 2012, Smith released the debut album An Odyssey for Sushitech which was a fine representation of the Detroit-via-Chicago producer's contribution to techno pretty much since its birth. His relationship with Yossi Amoyal's label has only strengthened in the ensuing period, and its little surprise to see that the Sushitech boss has coaxed a second album out of Smith. Entitled Twilight, the eleven track album will please fans of the Mixmode Recordings boss no end, mixing smooth, hypnotic deep house and snappy techno with just the right amount of basement soul and melodic complexity.

Review: Splittang, the Utrecht way of splitting, and we are splitting flavors on this EP, with 2 SlapFunk soldiers from the beginning.. Daniele Temperilli drops 3 dry minimalistic raw house tracks, and Stooge Wilson will get you dancing with his own typical style.

Review: On the second series of Silent Movie Sounds, Rough House Rosie presents selection of 4 various deep house tracks. Together with Pjotr, who the public knows from his releases on Anton Zap's label Ethereal Sound and his second EP on Udacha, RHR 005 includes addictive tracks from a man behind Udacha record label - A5 and British producer Laak from Austere Records. Gamayun, Russian artist from city of Smolensk has his debut with the track Slum Odyssey.

Review: Planet E peel off another gem from Life On The Back 9, Terrence Parker's refined album length exercise in Detroit business, for some 12" action. In original form, "Saved Forever" was Parker in full on sweaty club mode so it's not surprising they deemed it fit for 12" duty. Carl Craig pulls rank and turns in a n A Side gripping remix that embellishes all that's good about Parker's production, namely the snapping percussion and the infectious piano hooks, whilst Monty Luke opts for a deeper, orchestral rendition with his Black Catalogue remix. Parker himself rounds out the package with a Kick mix that turns up the rhythmic pressure nicely.

Review: The next Love Fever installment comes from party regular and Voyeurhythm co-founder - Ben Sun backed up by Australia's Mic Newman (aka Fantastic Man). Together the pair fit the remit like a glove using nothing but the Juno-60, MPC60 and S3000 to bring together sizzling textures, swollen synths and sultry, creeping vocals and create a steamy and palpable atmosphere. "Fall Upon You" is a brooding opener - granular synths and clicks are propelled by a full-bodied throb and a softly rotating bass sequence. A vocal reprise is dropped in and out, bolstering progress alongside gently bubbling Juno patterns. Slightly more physical than it's predecessor, Ben Sun's own "Shadow Dance" steadily progresses behind flickering hats, darting clap patterns and a glacial synth drone. Vocals refrains fall in and out while melodies continually blossom until the close.

Review: After scoring points with their first installment, Vin Sol and Matrixxman are back with their second round of cheeky Sade edits for the modern analogue house brigade. On this occasion "Never Thought" rides on plaintive chord touches and an evenly paced salvo of drum machine rhythm, while a healthy bubble of square wave bass bubbles underneath Sade's inimitable vocals. "Love Is Stronger" takes more of a mellow Balearic approach, still solid in the rhythm section but with a more wistful melodic finish for the perfect kind of heartbreak house. As you would hope for with edits of these nature, there's still plenty in their construction to help them gel into a mix as well as melt the crowd into a loved-up mess.

Review: You wouldn't think twenty years had passed since Mood II Swing originally dropped this gem on Nite Grooves, but that makes a re-release all the more worthwhile in these times. Teaching everyone a thing or two about making proper, grooving, bumping deep house music, all five tracks on here are worth their weight in wax. "Nafara" nails the moodier end of their repertoire while "Chicago Blues" hits the piano and MIDI sax with aplomb. "Sunlight In My Eyes" gets into a more dreamy state of mind without losing the punch, and "Freaky Funk Feeling" piles on the sample looping and a touch of jazz to devastating effect.

Review: Leeds based vinyl-only imprint Albion Records return with Council Estate Soldiers, a third label offering and their first split artist release! Side A delivers a slap across the cheeks with Deep House heavyweight Rick Wade leading the barrage on "Giggin" which perfectly encapsulates his well honed and iconoclastic sound; crisp percussion effortlessly carries the track alongside a devilishly deep bassline that hits deep. Young Brit Wil Maddams follows with "Warm Organic" which is the sensation you get from listening to the production as classic keys and accompanying synth reverberate a classic House sound which seems to have been lost over the last couple of years. On the flipside, Chi town legend Gene Hunt steps up and delivers an impressive sharp, hard hitting track which you find yourself unconsciously rocking away to manically throughout whilst Dudley Strangeways ends proceedings in emphatic style on the synth happy "Woods For Trees".

Review: The KMS reissue programme continues apace and switches focus to the Trance Fusion offshoot and a classic from the canon of Derrick May's R Tyme collaboration with Darryl Wynn. Use Me was originally released in 1993, and has been repressed a few times over the years but has been given the remastering treatment for this 2014 edition and sounds remarkably fresh over 20 years on. M.K's opening take is a flawless example of the production style he's since become renowned for, chopping vocals to become their own melodic lead, whilst Darryl Wynn's version is Detroit does Freestyle at it's best. On the B Side there are two Carl Craig versions to contend with, an insistent and delightfully rugged Piano mix and a sweeter R Tyme Groove version. Essential reissue for all Detroit techno dot joining endeavours!

Review: Roots For Bloom SHAG Edits series returns with volume 3. M.James brings us a track that will catch any music lovers ear. With the crisp percussion, delicate guitar riffs, a bassline that keeps evolving throughout and that vocal, this one ticks all the boxes. On the flip label boss Jamie Trench maintains the general feel for the record. This one focusing on a more simple yet just as effective bassline and obviously being heavily reliant on the sample being in the shag edits series. If your looking for that record that stands out from the rest, this is the weapon you need.

Review: It's hard to move for the amount of quality Chez Damier gear available these days, but here he is again on Popcorn linking up with Siler & Dima & Thomas Zander for a crossover project that sees "Speachless" getting four different treatments. On the A side the track comes infused with immaculate blue note Rhodes tones and other atmospheric deep house signifiers, with the original mix taking a leisurely stroll against the peppier club mix. On the flip side Chez turns out his two versions, getting into a chunky Latin roll with the "Play It Again Edit" and softening the edges out for his guitar-infused "Rex Club Paris Mix".

Review: Sound Signature completists will be rubbing their hands with a sense of relish at the label's 42nd release as it sees more material drawn from the late 80s archives of Leron Carson. Back in 2001, Theo Parrish introduced Leron Carson's work with "China Trax" which sounded like the uncovered cassette recordings of a deviant Robert Hood. Carson's busted lo fi productions from the same era were later given a more extensive airing on the double plated Sound Signature issue Red Lightbulb Theory '87-'88 and this third appearance on the label draws from some recordings made in collaboration with the unheralded D Wilson. All Sound Signature will offer by way of description is "This was Southside Chitown '89. If you weren't there you weren't there.... lots of underground unreleased music circulated on the Southside on maxell and tonemaster tapes from Walgreens - 2 dollars for a pack of eight" For our money both "Siren" and "Other Science" can be compared to the twisted, grainy freeform acid Jamal Moss makes.

Review: For those with a passion for vintage Chicago house, this 12" should be essential listening. It does a great job at chronicling the largely uncelebrated work of QX-1, a rarely used early '90s pseudonym of Chi-town veteran Mike Dunn. All four tracks are essential, with the rolling, X-rated deep house sweatiness of "I Won't Hurt U (I Swear)" contrasting nicely with the Dancemania-inspired ghetto-house bump of "Let's Work That Mutha F..." The EP's most obscure moment is arguably Emmanuel Pipen hook-up "Wild Child", a thrillingly intense trip into Wild Pitch territory that originally appeared on a long-forgotten compilation. Arguably best of all, though, is "On a Journey (Journey Mental Mixx)", a brilliant fusion of bumpin' New York groovery and Mr Fingers style Chicagoan deepness.