Back catalogue: Deep House

Review: A top value for money opportunity here, as Moiss Music deliver the latest in their sweet and sticky Jam series of various artist 12" line ups, bringing you no less than six bubbling, vivacious disco triumphs from six artists. Khemir's 'Disco Bandit' kicks off proceedings, a production that sounds like it was made by a band of around 45 musicians, a proper cavalcade of strings, brass, brazen disco thump and beautifully bold vocals. Wurzelholz's 'Prince' goes for a bit more economy but with a slinky funk bassline like that - not to mention the occasional exclamation from the purple overlord himself - it's equally devastating in dancefloor terms. Among the other highlights, 'Golden' by I Gemin has the feel of a lost Daft Punk flip tune and Cosmocomics' 'Glamorous Garcon', boasting 70s-style synth bubbles that are as cute as they are retro. Tasty as ever.

Review: The mighty and unmovable Toolroom offers up a snapshot of where it is at right now with a fifth volume of its Sampler series. The boss himself Mark Knight kicks off with a collaborative tune with Crusy: 'Daddy Shhh' is loopy, tribal, full flavour tech with jumbled drums and lots of buffed metal. Huxley's 'All I Need' is one of the UK producers warm house sounds, a smart vocal brings a sense of pain over simple but effective beats. Essel's 'Lennon' then brings peak time energy with strobe-lit synth sequences and churning drums, and Leftwing: Kody, James Hurr & I Jah shut down with 'Music Is The Medication', a muscular bumper with dub-wise vocals.

Review: The long-running and always quietly assured Crosstown Rebels kicks off yet another new year with some deep offerings from Oceanvs Orientalis featuring Idil Mese. 'Heart Pieces' is a delightful coming together of organic trumpets and loose percussion with a languid house groove, funky little riffs and heavenly vocal coos. The Mustafa Ismaeel remix brings some grit to proceedings for more of a club-ready sound and then Ibiza-based Leeds man Nightmares On Wax offers his typically laidback and sun-kissed take on things with a deep one to start and a dubby once to finish.

Review: Oceanvs Orientalis and Ilhan Ersahin first entered each other's orbits by chance at a performance at Turkey's Cappadox Festival in 2018. Orientalis is renowned for his fusion of Eastern musical motifs and traditions with cutting-edge electronica, while Ilhan Ersahin has long plowed a unique path uniting assorted musical strains from around the world via an exploratory jazz-improv sensibility. Following two tracks ('Mesta' and 'Pire') co-written by Ilhan and OvO and released as collaborations, as well as two more Ersahin / OvO co-writes ('Revenge Of The Wankers' and 'Television') released under OvO's name alone, a fresh and exciting new song, '1980', now heralds a full-length collaboration slated to land in Spring 2024. The track's title hints at a certain nostalgic bent, all while still keeping its gaze firmly fixed on the future as it evokes sun-drenched, bygone good times. The 10" edition adds several extra versions, one of which spotlights the multi-instrumental mastery of Darkside's Dave Harrington, and the other the mesmerizing vocal stylings of Gaye Su Akyol.

Review: London-based Japanese artist Junki Inoue founded Saisei last year with a stunning trio of releases featuring Kino-Moderno, COLOGNe and Suzukiski. Now the label sets out a more comprehensive mission statement for the sound they're exploring with this six-deep VA release featuring return appearances as well as some new faces. The overarching sound is one of 90s-flavoured techno with a melodic, melancholic quality as beautifully demonstrated by Palomatic on the stunning 'Under The Ground'. Interferon has enough punch packed into 'Blasting Soul' to stand up to some of the foundational Detroit techno gear, but crucially it's got plenty of heart to match its weighty impact. If you want to get a handle on how Saisei is progressing, or just need some fresh techno with soul and smarts, be sure to nab one of these gems.

Review: Fourier Transform launches a new White Label series here with the aim of tapping into that magical sensation of heading into a record store and digging for treasure that only exists in the racks. The first in the series is a various artists affair with label co-owners inkipak and The Vast Profound, as well as ReKaB and Rai Scott. The tunes are not credited to the artists so you will have to work that out for yourselves. There is dreamy deep house lushness and more tase tech on the a-side, then squelchy electro-funk and escapist ambient house on the B-side with 'When Funkcutter Met Candiflp' a real highlight.

Review: Paharas Musica is a new label out of Spain that kicks off with a single served up four different ways. It is a truly blissed out and Balearic one to start with as the Summa remix of 'White Isle Memories' offers just that, even if you have never actually been to the island itself. The house is deep, the melodies sun kissed and Latin and the vocals sublime. An extended mix slows things down and drapes even more heartfelt chords over the top and then the Inner Spirit rework layers in extra melodies to a more driving version with potent bass. The Ridney Sunset reprise is the most laidback of the lot.

Review: Defected's numeral EP series is up to a 13th edition but this one is in no way unlucky for anyone. It collects together some of the biggest and most widely heard tunes of 2022 across two sides of wax. First up is the summer banger 'Rise Up' from Harry Romero & Inaya Day which dropped in June and was never far from a big moment. The Deep In Jersey remix of 'Rise Up' is more deep and dubby and then on the reverse Spanish artist David Penn offers 'Push The Feeling' with vocals from Leon Stanford. House hero Mike Dunn then pairs off with LOA for a hip-hop-leaning sound.

Review: Defected gather together some big hitters for this VA release which will appeal to all those who like their house music pitched for the biggest rooms possible. John Summit takes us to the top with 'La Danza' and Dennis Ferrer & Disciples get some epic remix treatment courtesy of Summit once again. Ferreck Dawn and Izzy Bizu face off on the B side with 'Life', which brings some powerful pop hooks into the mix atop a catchy as hell house beat. That leaves it to Dawn to tackle Jem Cooke for a version of 'Back Tomorrow' that's just as anthemic, giving you everything you need to move a massive crowd.

Review: German label Workshop is surpassing itself with two excellent new EPs in the same month. As well as a solo effort from DJ Slyngshot, here they offer up a four track VA packed with gold. It kicks off with the lush and ambient-laced deep house of "Strip Down to E" before taking off with the wonky chord hits, off balance drums and withering sci-fi effects of "Grand Street Piano", which is rave re-imagined. Things get as deep as you'd expect of a track called "Cerebral Repertoire" with its crystal clear and reflective pads, then "Zero" catches you off guard with its skittish rhythms and unusual arrangement. As always here, Workshop have cooked up some truly beguiling brilliance.