Juno Recommends Deep House June 2020

Review: Nu Groove has long been a bastion of house music quality. The New York label had its heyday in the late 80s and early 90s and still now much of its catalogue stands up. There is everything from deep and dark house to more uplifting and vocal styles, and this collection of high points is an essential one with key acts like Bas Noir, NY House'n Authority and Metro all making the cut. The results are impassioned, soul enriched house music that set out an early template that has rarely been bettered. Essential for any real house head.

Review: RT Factor is one of Ron Trent's less familiar aliases, but rest assured anything graced with the Chicago great's name is a buy on sight situation. So it goes on this latest release for his Electric Blue label, which is a single-sided 15-minute epic that will have fans grinning with satisfaction and newcomers wondering what they've been missing all this time. The extended run time gives Trent free reign to let his musical motifs unfurl in a relaxed manner - this is one of the all time greats of soulful deep house after all - but there's also power and presence in the electronic elements of the sound on "EBS 1". All the better to carry the airy keys and pattering hand drums - these trademark ingredients never sound better than in Trent's hands.

Review: REPRESS ALERT: Derek Carr is a name known by few and far between, with only a handful of vinyl releases in the early 2000s, he built a worthy but unfortunately not widely-spread reputation for putting together stunning deep techno. Originally pressed in finite numbers, the records have recently found themselves in demand on Discogs, and rightly so, Derek's music is in a class of its own. Having been a big fan since his releases on then local (to label owner Ben) Leeds label Geek records, For Those That Knoe has dug deep into the archives to put together a sizeable selection of Derek's back catalogue, with some unreleased gems dotted amongst the classic must-haves, spread across three EPs

Part three in Derek's starts with Cuba, probably the most sought after track in his back catalogue. It's stunning simplicity and charming summer vibe puts it amongst Derek's greatest works and understandably so. Red then slots into the A2 position which was originally released under the radar on a Headspace compilation. As warm as Cuba but with an added touch of melancholy. Truly outstanding deep house.

Iceberg takes things back more into techno territory with a funked up bass line, stepping rhythms, Detroit strings and those trademark twinkly leads. Finally Penthouse Apartment 3AM a lush electro breakbeat track from the very hard to find Trident release, rounds off the EP with aplomb.

Review: Charitable acts carry more significance than ever right now, and Needs are on hand with another instalment in their brilliantly curated series to give something to those in need while also presenting some wonderful, exclusive music. This one leads in with a truly uplifting blast of sunshine from Telephones before dropping into the edgy, swinging tech-funk of Ciel's "Faye Wong Plays The Strings". Al Wootton is on point with another of his fresh and dynamic twists on the soundsystem blueprint, with a dubby, percussive vibe that should appeal to those who miss proper dubstep. Eliphino completes the set with a squashed and feverish garage thumper that sounds like it has an iconic vocalist chopped up somewhere in the signal chain.

Review: Having recently impressed with a deliciously off-kilter - and hugely impressive - debut album on Studio Barnhus (last year's must-check "Once Upon A Passion"), Stockholm's Bella Boo dons the alternative BB alias and offers up a cheeky, acid-laden future anthem. In its original A-side form, "Hey Ladies" sees the rising star top a sweaty, all-action house beat with dreamy chords, layered R&B/soul vocals, deliciously dirty bass and waves of angular, mind-altering acid lines. It's a brilliant combination of elements all told, with Boo's smart production and on-point arrangement making it a genuine peak-time banger for underground DJs. The accompanying vocal-free Dub Mix is superb, too, with the Swede replacing sampled R&B snippets with bubbly electronic motifs and even wilder acid lines.

Review: REPRESS ALERT: The Mysticisms label serves up a valuable reissue of the very first release from Nail, the long-serving UK house veteran as prolific now as he was back in the heyday of legendary Nottingham soundsystem DiY. "Cassiopeia" originally appeared on a compilation on Warp, but now it gets a full side of vinyl over which to unfurl its arcane 90s magic. Entrancing synth cascades and stuttering sampler mantras, throbbing b-lines and jacking claps all make for a holy grail deep techno track from the good old days, and Nail has given it a 2019 remix on the flip which brings the spiritual shenanigans of the original into a different kind of meditative, house-oriented context.

Review: The African Dream are best known for their gorgeously deep and persuasive "Make A Livin", which first appeared on this cult album back in 1994. It is the work of Lee Rodriguez and has now been remastered and reissued in all its glory. It has long been sought after by those in the know and for good reason; the tunes on it are definitively deep, with M1 basslines, afro tinged drum programming and cuddly, rubbery drum programming that gets deep into your soul. "Jazz Impressions" is one of the many standouts, with its sliding, lo-fi beats and brisling atmosphere all taking you to the heart of a sweaty and steamy basement party. Pure vibes.

Review: Lee Burridge's All Day I Dream label continues to roll out the most dreamy and escapist house grooves around. Always tinged with beauty and melancholy in equal measure, this latest offering comes from Argentinian Valdovinos. There is a new age ambiance and yawning architecture to these tunes that takes you out into wide open, sun drenched spaces. There is a real cosmic majestic to "C Moon" that makes it more suited for the after dark hours while "Night Whispers" also gets a little darker and freakier for the trippier moments of a set.

Review: In only a mere five years, producer, engineer and DJ Per Hammar has racked up an impressive discography, and now presents his long awaited debut full length album 'Pathfinder' on his own Dirty Hands imprint. This is a fine collection of moods and grooves for any occasion, and you can bet that his dubby and glacial aesthetic is evident throughout. From the chilling and bass-driven opener "Mother" and the Basic Channel-ish "F Dubb 1000", to ethereal and hypnotic rollers in the vein of fellow Scandinavians like S.A.M. on "If You Have A Mind It Will Wonder", and wonderfully representing the new breed of tech house on bangers like "Galatea" and "Manchester Lone Star". There's a lot to get through on here, but it's top notch all the way. Tip!

Review: 4To The Floor's "Classics" series returns with another round up of must-have U.S house music from the late '90s and early 2000s. Side A is all about disco queen Fonda Rae's Mod II Swing produced 1996 cut "Living In Ecstasy". Choose between the "Groove Mix", a rolling and soulful affair rich in rolling drums and jaunty synth stabs, and John Cicafone's dark, driving and bass-heavy "Ecstasy Dub", which remains a formidable chunk of late night body music. Over on side B, there's another chance to savour Jon Cutler and E-Man's "It's Yours", a gently jazzy chunk of soulful house goodness that was one of the biggest club hits of 2001, and the lesser-known delights of The Return's deliciously deep and dreamy 1999 workout "New Day".

Review: One of the brightest talents in the UK house firmament, Thatmanmonkz is back on his own Shadeleaf label with an EP of remixes and versions centering around last year's Non Zero Sum Game album. First up is the mighty Waajeed, who brings some Motor City bump to "Them Thangs" in fine style before 'Monkz's own "Dubstramental" of the track. PPF deliver some seriously pumping, pneumatic pressure to "Freaks 'n Prophets" and then new original track "Sawa Sawa" completes the set with that dusty, tactile blend of sounds that 'Monkz makes his own.

Review: Swiss producer Dan Piu is a true techno veteran, with an expansive catalogue that reaches back to the early '90s. His return to form in recent years has been a delight, with classic tracks and new productions alike resurfacing for a new generation of heads to fawn over. Following recent drops on Childhood Intelligence, Ovnie and Common Dreams, Piu rocks up to Hizou Deep Rooted Music with some stellar machine musings. "Quantum Computing" is a warm and soulful house groover with rich layers of synth work at its core, while "Robots In Rage" takes a more angular approach with skittering techno rhythms and plenty of analogue synth wriggles. "A Machine Will Never Do X" is pristine electro, and "F#UK The World To The Core" completes the set with a sumptuous ambient techno trip oozing sophistication and vintage atmospheres in equal measure.

Review: Aze's reissues continue with this latest one from Janeret which actually only came out in early 2018 but sounds effortlessly timeless. "Neptune" gets underway with a far sighted cosmic deep house groove. The keys are soft, the drums delicious. "Abyss" then ups the pace, but stays just as silky and fluid with its rolling final drums and "Atlas" then just things up with a more punchy drum line and busy groove. The trip is completed with the superb "Odyssey", with frictionless drum rotations and balmy, bendy pads all proving irresistible. House music doesn't come more seductive and smooth than this.

Review: Last time we heard from Melchior Sultana, he was offering up jazz-flecked downtempo beats for the heads. The jazziness remains on this fine EP, which marks the second round in his ongoing collaboration with deep house legend Jus' Ed. Opener "Luqa Jazz" lives up to its name, delivering a deep, sun-kissed and sanguine fusion of deep house aesthetic, gentle broken beats and jazz-funk musicality. "Malta Cipher" sees them switch to hazy, hypnotic late-night deep house mode, while "Bridgeport Lindy" is a chunkier, tougher house workout full of moody, sustained-note chords and sharp analogue synthesizer motifs. Rounding things off is "Tension & Release", a cheery and jaunty slab of classic house positivity.

Review: We'd say it was a smart move by Shall Not Fade snapping up an EP from Byron The Aquarius, but his track record is so good that there's little or no risk involved. The Atlanta-based producer has yet again delivered the goods, confidently striding crunchy analogue deep house jazziness (the synth-and-piano-laden opener "Feelings Is It Real"), 21st century broken house/jazz-funk fusion (the jacking drum machine fills, Kaidi synth motifs and acid squelch of "Age Of Ultron (featuring MDMA)", spacey deep techno futurism ("Techno Is Black (Respeck)"), woozy deep house warmth ("Falling In Love (Dub)") and intergalactic downtempo beats (classy closing cut "CyBoTrAx").

Review: Following a sterling first drop from Nick Holder, Selections return in fine style with this EP from Tobi Danton. This is proper deep house in the modern mode - crisp beats and silky smooth synth lines shot through with a spaced-out attitude. Just tune in to "That's Right" and find yourself transported to the dancefloor of your dreams. "1988" is equally light and limber, with a classy vocal sample heralding the Chicago roots of the music, while "Last Dance" takes on a more anthemic tone with its strong melodic core and uplifting bump. Kevin Over comes on board for a remix of "Last Dance" that treats the original with care, edging some 90s motifs, dubby flourishes and a tougher jack into the mix without losing that hazy mood.

Review: Fans of Milo Johnson's early work as Nature Boy have been positively delirious with the run of reissues and archival work getting pulled off dusty tapes, and the material keeps coming. What truly justifies this slew of music arriving in a short space of time is how fresh and unique it all sounds, with this latest batch showing up the pacey freakiness of "Better Man", the dramatic drum roll of "9 Ether", the swinging bump of "Act Like You Feel" and the uneasy loops of "On Up". So it goes on, this gritty, bassweight strain of early 90s house music from an original Bristol soundsystem badman turned NY house renegade. More please.