Back catalogue: Deep House

Review: The most sought-after release from the entire Sounds catalogue, Gemini and Unit T's 1995 release, 'Sideburns', finally gets a much-needed reissue. A1 track, 'Trip', is a prime example of deep house if there ever was one. An infectious, encircling melody meets the deep groove of the bassline to create a finished product that is in equal measure sun-soaked and cosmic. 'B Trip', the A2 track, is a gloriously shifted, off-beat reimagining of A1, pummeling percussion reverberates across the track, left alone to enjoy moments where everything is stripped back, before the body of the track returns. On the B-side, 'Mystery Tones' arrives with the kind of groove that instantly makes its way across dancefloors - a unifying track that feels precise in its simplicity, whilst still retaining exactly the right degree of looseness to get a crowd moving. This is a must-have record for any deep house aficionados, and you can now save yourself the hefty Discogs price tag!

Review: St Petersberg's Dobro label is noted not just for the quality and playability of its funky house and disco re-edits, but also for its value for money. This, their seventh release, is another great example, with no less than six floorfillers included on one 12", each bringing their own individual mood to the table. 'Flowers Festival' from Sun Rhythms has throbbing organs and fruity keys, topped off by a gorgeous Russian vocal. DJ Merci's 'Timetable' goes for chunky rave pianos and Fairlight stabs, lending it an 80s Italo-disco feel, before Ground Plane Aerial's 'Transition SP' closes the side with slap bass and stripped down house vibe that echoes some of Roule Records' more accessible moments. Side two VIGI's 'I Am You', is the most memorable of the whole package, with its idiosyncratic female vocal weaving a magical spell around the listener, before we finish off with a double whammy of Monny Me's swirling stringfest 'The Name Of The Game' and the parping horns and strutting groove of Ugly Frankie's 'Free Alcohol Shit', the latter including a bewitching and unexpected piano solo. Great work all round.

Review: NBAST's wax operation has an early spring treat in store for us with this split EP featuring Belgium artist Uc Beatz and UK talent Ethank. The stylish and considered EP opens up with bouncy and soulful sounds from Uc Beatz's 'Rino Magic' with its lush chords and groovy beats, fine samples and upbeat feel. 'Tricky Games' then cuts loose on big filter loops and euphoric vocal cries and on the flip Ethank opens with some sexy sax sounds and punchy, raw beats for 'Kootenay' and 'Clouds' then bristles with frazzled drums and hits but smooth chords.

Review: A new imprint arises from mainland Europe in the shape of the mysterious Rawax with the debut twelve presenting a quartet of Untitled Tracks from Siberian producer Unbroken Dubs. Given the mood present throughout and the location of the producer, obvious parallels can be drawn with the excellent output from Ethereal Sounds, and that should be recommendation enough for people to investigate. Should you require further enticement, this release opens with wormhole traversing rhythms cutting through the sonic ether, though distant chord embellishments add a touch of warmth to the slightly alien tones that circulate constantly. The subsequent two tracks continue in this manner as Unbroken Dubs seeks to flush the stripped down patterns of drums and fuzzed out bass in ever increasing expanses of sonic dust. It's the final track where a more apparent sense of urgency is introduced as the Siberian lays down a tropical shower of percussion over intrusive chords.

Review: For their latest deep dive into the world of hard-to-find house classics, Italy's Groove Records take us back to 1996. "House Music Will Never Die" marked Glenn Underground's first collaboration with vocalist Cei-Bei (AKA Curtis Harman) and has long been considered one of the Chicagoan producer's finest releases. Wisely, Groove has decided against tinkering with a classic, instead serving up all four mixes from the original Cajual Records 12". Choose between the classic deep house soul of the GU Cei-Bei Foot Mix, the wonderfully summery, jazz guitar-laden CVO Bismark Hotel Mix, Mark Grant's brilliantly evocative, stretched-out interpretation, and a killer Afro Dub that makes great use of a heavy analogue bassline. All four versions are top notch.

Review: Another UK tech house/Rominimal styled white label in this week, a one-sided 12" titled 'Close'. This bouncy and bass-driven jam is as loopy and hypnotic as you like it, and the pop/R'n'B vocals thrown into the mix make it really infectious. Sure to have rocked many a dancefloor this summer, it's absolutely essential for fans of labels like Digwah, EEE or ODE. Tip!

Review: From the artwork to the vocal stamps to the beats themselves, this is a brilliantly retro-tactic release that brings plenty of nostalgia to the dance floor. Ursula 100 serves up the goods with 'Movin' 2 The Sound' - a dense and intense cut with vocals musing on drum beats and rocking the house, electro-tinged bass and lashings of acid with plenty of analogue percussive sounds. The Acid Jerks Refix strips away some of the noise to focus on the 303 and loopy vocal fragments and Fort Knox 5 up the acid-electro vibes on their rework. Last of all, the DJ Absolutely Shit remix brings some big jungle breakbeats and lively sax. A fun and destructive EP for sure.