Back catalogue: Minimal House/Tech House

Review: Aterral Limited has taken things slowly to start with but that's fine because the quality of the label's first few releases has remained high. Carlo is behind this one and opens up the EP with 'Hungover', a tune that features Black Loops, who has previously released his own EP on the label. It's lithe, funky deep house with silky synth work and classic drums. 'Lelazo' (feat Emanuele Barilli) carries on down the same path but this time has a darker bassline and more garage tinged skip in the grooves. On the flip side things slow down to a sunset sound on 'Maison' (feat Hauke Freer) and 'Poops' Feat O is a tight, well swung bumper with jazzy keys. Robust and emotive house music from front to back, then.

Review: Waage is a firm favourite amongst dub techno fans. The Icelandic producer has long been turning out icy and atmospheric rollers for the heads and here he works alongside a fresh name, Quantal, who is sure to go on to big things. Here they land on Thule Records, a legendary label in its own right with roots going back to 1995. They kick off with the textured dub of 'WQ1' which has glitchy sounds paying over the rolling drums. 'WQ2' is much more smooth and streamlined, with an underwater current that sweeps you off your feet, then 'WQ3' leans into the wind with hypnotic techno drums and vamping chords that melt the mind. Last of all comes 'WQ4', a timeless dub with infinite horizons and the most frictionless drum loops.

Review: Tech house titan from Leeds wAFF has nothing to prove to anyone when it comes to party starting, riot inducing club smashers. Despite that, here he is launching a new label called Nature and delivering some of the fiercest tackle he's ever presented to the world, with lead track 'Colours' in particular turning heads with its canny blend of rampant arpeggios, catchy vocals and a beat to die for. It's a slickly produced workout which will infect the limbs of everyone in a five mile radius, no doubt. 'Django' is moodier, but no less thumping in the important places. 'Switchin' keeps the pressure up while sliding into a more streamlined house framework.

Review: The small but well-formed Snaretrade label squeezes out the third release just before the end of the year. It is some super stylish minimal from the Walrus with 'EchoEva' opens up with a dark web of twisted synths and whispered vocals. 'Your Heart Is Your Passport' is a deft tapestry of icy snares, chopped vocals and fizzing synths that get you into a late-night dream state. Last is 'Weekend', a punchy acid house cut with elastic bass and knack-snapping drums all fizzing and spitting with real sleaze and attitude.

Review: Six years ago, Vince Watson released a digital-only compilation marking two decades since his first release, in the process providing updated re-makes and remixes of some of his best-loved cuts. The versions on this 12" appeared on that set but have not been released on vinyl before. His re-wire of 1999 cut 'Mystical Rhythm' is little less than sonically gorgeous, subtly updating Watson's classic, Detroit influenced sci-fi techno sound to include all manner of spacey chords, warming organ sounds and jazzy, life-affirming synth solos. His version of 2000's 'Moments in Time' is even deeper and more intergalactic in tone, delivering heart-aching Motor City style machine soul by the boat-load. In a word: stunning.

Review: The rise of the titans right here! (pardon the pun). Two of the biggest hi-tech soul merchants from the United Kingdom team up here on Spanish imprint Suara, for some epic and futurist dancefloor drama on "Rise". Strict rhythms accompany layer upon layer of warm emotive pads and soaring synth leads - as you'd expect from the duo. Their further homage to Detroit (via Glasgow and London) continues on second original offering "Variable Slope" which brings the funk with its bleepy bassline and killer groove for a life affirming dancefloor journey. There's a couple of killer remixes too. French sonic wizardry from the one and only Voiski: who delivers a scorching rendition, plus a lovely neon-lit classic house perspective from the controversial Marquis Hawkes. If that was not enough, a sombre, deep electro re-take on the aforementioned "Rise" by Leipzig's Lake People caters to a more downbeat moment.

Review: Wave Particle Singularity makes a brilliant debut on Hot Haus Records here with three stylish house slammers while M4A4 remixes. 'Self Control' opens with an upright marching beat that straightened your back and makes you boucle on the plump, perfect kick drums. The remix is more high speed and bumping with a hint of garage swing and invitingly deep and dark bass. The silkiness of the pads and drums of 'Quantum Seduction' is truly alluring as the cosmic electronic house grooves roll on and this futuristic EP closes out with the nice neon melodies and wispy pads of 'Cadmium Telluride,' a brilliantly colourful house jam.

Review: Chiwax are back this week with a more than welcome reissue of Wax Fruit's one-and-only release Whispers from 1994. This was one of many aliases sussed by Toronto-based producer Ron Allen, who some of you may know for his seminal work as one half of Psyance (with Hayden Andre Brown) who released on Plus 8, as well as his work under the names Aztech, The Apache Project and The R.A.S.E. The late night mood music of the title track is a true zeitgeist from the period in which it was released, while the looped-up disco sampling deep house of 'Just A Party' or 'Mindgames' over on the flip were equally as trendsetting as anything fellow Torontonians like Nick Holder or DJ Sneak were making at the time.

Review: Baby Ford and Dazmos take the limelight on this first release on Nice 1. We Are Syd's original "Gently" is a mellow downtempo roller featuring choice vocals from Shea Seger, but it's the remixes here that get pride of place. Ford and Dazmos lock into an understated drum machine funk draped in hazy pads on the A side "Backroom Mix", while on the flip they push the club elements to the forefront. Riding the rhythm section with intent while still retaining the smoky spirit of the original, the pairing come up with an impeccable "Frontroom" club cut that should nestle comfortably into the bags of all deep digging house heads.

Review: ***B-STOCK: Sleeve damaged, but otherwise in excellent condition***


Following on from Robert James' Revenge Of The Wasp 12" and a classy VA release, Body Movement is back with a new drop from Harry Wills. Wills has been building up a name for himself across a slew of releases on labels like Holding Hands, 2X, Lemak and Subsequent, and his sound is accomplished and engaging on this fresh batch of tracks. 'Waiting For Rob' is a warm and shimmering track that splits the difference between sharp tech house and fluttering melodic electro, which Tim Schlockermann then remixes into a low slung, broken beat mood that leans on the bass. 'Vimto Paradox' takes things into moodier territory with a broad sweep of keys spelling out an eerie mood around a minimal beat. 'Cap Snatching' finishes the EP off with a more overtly electro construction marked out with snappy acid flecks and a crisp 808-esque beat.

Review: Sevensol, Map.ache and Bender's new Leipzig-based venture Long Vehicle presents its inaugural release here entitled "LV 1X". Featured are Harry Wills (Osman/Entity London) who serves up some groovy analogue minimal funk on his contribution "Sloshed", while A2 comes from local up and comer Tim Schlockermann (aka U.S. Coin Map) who gives us the utterly infectious "Locked" which you won't be able to get out of your head. On the flip, Mbius of Ethernal fame serves up more of his distinct blend of mesmerising deep house on standout track "Helge Nuch". Good first impressions of the label - tip!

Review: On the latest missive from his energy packed Power House imprint, Rene Pawlowitz - he of Shed and Head High fame - has chosen to showcase tracks from two of his lesser-celebrated alter egos, WK7 and Zigg Gonsalezz. As befits the peak-time ready, party-starting nature of the label, A-side 'Wait' offers an addictive blend of bustling, beefed-up house drums, glassy-eyed female vocal samples and sleazy, rave-igniting riffs. Over on the flip we get two distinctive takes on 'Sunday': the classic New Jersey garage meets Nu Groove style deep house warmth of the '3pm' version, and a stomping late night revision (entitled 'Work It') that peppers a chunky, extra-percussive beat with tight electric piano stabs and booming bass.

Review: Originally formed in 2014 as a trio dedicated to blurring the boundaries, the Waves now exists as a solo project of one of the members: Berlin-based Maayan Nidam. Here she presents her long-promised debut album, 'Motorikherz', an atmospheric and off-kilter affair that confidently joins the dots between eyes-closed experimentalism, wonky post-punk-pop, minimal house, opioid electronica and stylish new wave pop. It's opaque and atmospheric in the extreme, with Nidam's evocative vocals rising above (or sometimes being buried beneath) sparse but warming analogue electronics, stripped-back rhythms, heavily processed instrumentation and inventive production trickery. As you can see, it's hard to describe, but it's adventurous, entertaining and - for the most part - surprisingly soothing.

Review: Since first emerging three years ago, Harry Wills has built up quite a reputation, first as a maker of sub-heavy, garage-influenced tech-house jams and more recently via releases that blend melodious, bouncy house and techno sounds with nods towards broken beat, rave-era anthems, electro and IDM. Luxury Bedtime, his debut album and the inaugural release on Wills' new label Nimble, is generally warming, tuneful and atmospheric, with a mixture of attractive motifs and wonky electronics rising above beats that variously draw influence from tech-house, breaks, deep house, dubstep and electro. It's a gently eclectic beast for sure, but also a coherent and high-quality listen.