Back catalogue: Minimal House/Tech House

Review: Constant Black and Josh Baker are two key parts of the current underground conversation and here they come together in perfect harmony here as the UK's hit maker Baker gets down and dirty with his signature blend of minimal and tech. 'Sometimes Cap' opens up with rolling, fleshy bass and light footed drums that get you hopping. 'Some Of That' brings muted acid lines and curious bell hits while the squelchy bass rolls deep. 'Repeat Business' keeps the pressure up with a bristling mix of snares and hits over slick drums that have plenty of drive. 'Cheshire Badger' shuts down with real urgency and dark tech funk that is perfect for strobe lit backrooms.

Review: Vibraphone Records kicks off its New Year with a mighty first release that pays great tribute to the city of Detroit. Basic Realities is the artist behind the originals and the first is 'B-9', a percussive, loopy tech roller with vocal sounds and dreamy pads drifting in and out of focus. Motor City icon Kevin Sanderson then steps up to remix and does so with more warm and surging basslines and thudding drum funk. 'Viento Lunar' then cuts loose on some inventive melodies and cosmic rays of energy that unfold over tinny beats and 'Endles Clouds' rounds out with some more dusty drums and nice spangled synths that surge through the cosmos.

Review: Cabinet is a label that has already got a fine reputation and that has been well-deserved for its work over the years. Now it offers up a new EP from a new project by long-time friends and early Cabinet members Daniel Paul and DJ Trike. They are calling themselves Bass Cab and their vibe is, going off this first EP, classic early 90s analogue techno with live dub versions. 'G2' is a silky and frictionless dub that is as smooth as glass and perfect to get lost in. 'Lofi' has dusty deep house aesthetics with a lovely muted lead synth that voyages at its own pace through the cosmos. 'Dub Chords' brings a mix of twitchy synths, reverb, bouncing drums and rubbery bass.

Review: Hot Creations has now put out well over 225 records, which is no mean feat, but even more impressive is that it still very much sets the conversation for a certain section of the house world. This new EP pairs off Beltran with Harry Valencia and offers some interesting fusions of tribal, Latin, house and tech. There is a wonky feel to opener 'Origins' (3AM Tusi mix) with its characterful vocal chants and percussive grooves, while Beltran's solo cut 'Tira A Roupa' (feat Mc Jajau - Putaria mix) has a Spanish feel and a fat bass guitar riff that brings rubbery funk to the crisp tech drums. Last of all, Harvy Valencia goes it alone on closer 'Brut' which is more steamy and sweaty and ready for some sun-kissed open-air deployment.

Review: We have been really liking what we've heard from the Dolphin label out if the US of late. Now we get a taster of an upcoming album from Blaque Dynamite with a second single from it. Beka Gochiashvili features on keyboards and synthesizers throughout the cut. The Stefan Ringer remix is a wet and funky mix of jazz, house and experimental sound. It has a sleazy sense of vocal naughtiness to it with shuffling broken beats and rich layers of percussion. The original is an organic and loose-limbed deep house vibe and Ben Hixon brings a little more edgy tech to the drums.

Review: Get your stomping boots on for this new pink 12" from the Revival crew out of New York. Bodeler and Manu Desrets link up for some heavy, straight-up tech that lands hard but with funk. 'Impact' makes just that with its crisp snare hats and thudding kicks all underpinned by a loopy bassline. Some trips out synths break out like fireworks at the midpoint before the tough, stiff, brilliant beats return. EPAU Sepp X Nu Zau remix with a more loose and fluid and freewheeling vibe - claps spin out, basslines bobble and freaky vocals all burst out of the mix. A killer two-tracker, frankly.

Review: The first part of a two-part release for Sushitech's sub label Pariter, with Chicago second generation house hero Boo Williams joining the likes of Delano Smith and Norm Talley on the roster for 'Night Fall', the partner 12" to the simultaneously released 'Day Rise'. It features three tracks, all of which fit the mold of early evening classics. 'Acid Matrix' has an early Detroit feel to its raw machine handclap snares and panther-like, stalking bassline, while 'Deep Tech' might be geographically closer to late 80s, early 90s Yorkshire, a compulsive funkiness emerging from its bleepcentric soundscape. 'Service Chamber' is sleeker and more mellow, telephone dial tones spiralling off into the ether while tinkling, xylophone-sounded keys play hypnotically. Choice, quality material that will help any DJ to subtly pick the pace up as the sun falls.

Review: Boo Williams is in good company appearing here on Sushitech's sub label Pariter where he joins the illustrious likes of Delano Smith and Norm Talley in its ranks. You wait for a Boo Williams record and then, of course, two come along, 'Day Rise' being accompanied by the simultaneously released 'Night Fall', each with their own corresponding vibe. 'Day Rise' is definitely more upbeat of the two but it's a subtle distinction - it's certainly not full of 4AM bangers designed to keep you awake until the busses start running again. 'Talley Up' is a very straight forward affair, circling around a two note synth riff and gradually building percussion. 'The Take Over' is similarly spritely, another builder with crashing cymbals, jazzy chords and drum machine tumbles steadily building an insurmountable wall of funkiness. Breezy, bumping closer 'Teleport' completes the set, meaning three ultra-handy, raw but sophisticated tunes that house and techno DJs alike will find slipping into their sets with a natural ease.

Review: Short Attention has more than grabbed ours with its first two EPs and this third one keeps up that good early form. It's a heavy-hitting mix of pivotal house talents starting off with prolific Windy City player Boo Williams. The big man's 'Transformation' is a smooth and chord-laced house roller that has a more reflective vibe than his usual party-starting offerings. Atlanta don Kai Alce's 'Love Exists' is a heartfelt house romance then the long-time partnership of Owen Jay & Melchior Sultana douse us in star-gazing chords on 'Soul Expression' that leave you feeling refreshed. Hector Ram's 'Morning Sun Vibes' then uplifts with beautifully gentle piano chords.

Review: REPRESS ALERT!: Admirably no-nonsense house duo Dungeon Meat kick off a new label here, Slabs, which aims to serve up only the chunkiest hulks of wax aimed squarely at the club. Borren takes charge of the first platter and is the latest fast-rising talent to emerge from the ever-fertile Dutch scene. He has come up on a diet of Bret and Slapfunk parties and that shows in the tunes he presents here. 'Up Next' is heavy but silky, with gliding grooves and splashy cymbals next to cut-up vocals that will amp up any party. 'Beat My Shit' is another no-frills hardcore house assault with drums that have just the right amount of swing under old school chords and busy melodies that never rest. A fine first release.

Review: When not knocking it out of the park with his garage alias Instinct, James Burnham is somehow also managing to find time to revert to his original Burnski moniker and the minimal and tech sounds with which he first made his name. On this latest 12" via his own Constant Sound label, 'Boom' is a rude boy jam for sure - the filthy bass and low-end wobble are accompanied by ragga vocals up top. 'Toxic' is a more straight-up tech pumper with slinky hi-hat designs, smart filters and bass-driven drums. As always with this powerhouse, the subtle production details really elevate this one into a standout cut.

Review: More proper tacker makes it way to vinyl here courtesy of the blow label who enlist four more producers of this latest various artists EP. Kitchen Plug's 'Cheat Code' marries the best of tech, garage, dub and house into a kinetic bit of body music that oozes warm and lo-fi soul. CYMKA brings kaleidoscopic colour and squelchy acid to 'Sweet Peach' then it's all pout old school piano rave madness from Batenko on 'Inside Summer 21'. Last of all is the searing electro funk of Les Hauts with 'Passing Clouds', a blisteringly quick trip into another dimension with some rueful chord work. Sensational EP.

Review: A reissue that minimal house fans will have been waiting for - an expanded version of Baby Ford & The Ifach Collective's Sacred Machine album. Released in 2001, it's genreally accepted to be the high weatermark for minimal, and here's it's been lovingly remastered by Dubplates & Mastering and comes blessed with two unheard-til-now corkers from the same sessions - Mark Broom's mix of 'RTDC' and 'In The Bag'. What are you waiting for?!

Review: Distrikt Paris head honcho Bassam is back with a superb double album that defines his own unique take on the underground. It is genre-defying and widescreen in its cope as it flows freely from sound to sound. 'Electronic Rhapsody' is a superb symphony of lush synth design and airy breakbeats that keep you suspended in space. 'Apres Faut Aimer La Fete' brings twisted acid to slick tech house beats and 'Sos Marrakech' brings a more retro synth sound with crashing hits and stiff, angular rhythms. Elsewhere are more poppy sounding melodies and synths on 'Panorama Vision' and a turbocharged future tech cut 'LAP Memory' (40ine mix) is another late nightlight.