Back catalogue: Progressive House

Review: Background is a Rimini-based label which specialises in slinky, playful strains of minimal tech house from some emergent names well worth keeping tabs on. Alex Dima has certainly earned his stripes as a name to get you checking the record, and his opening track 'Twisted' offers the mysterious synth touches and boxy drum machines beats we've come to expect, while Luca Piermattei lays down some seriously satisfying trance-minded melodic lines to loosen the crowd up good and proper. Munir Nadir is in an equally artful, inquisitive mood as he fires off the interlocking riffs and licks of 'Guinea' and then Smoud Beats completes the picture with a diversion into shaky, 90s-styled acid for the jacker in your life.

Review: Novaj Records presents its second vinyl release - 'Space Energy', an electrifying compilation EP inviting listeners on an interstellar journey through a wide array of sonic cosmologies, in good stead with the nascent trend of space-age acid house emergent of late. Lauching into the boundless realms of space, the likes of Donnie Cosmo's 'Venus Transit', MLink's 'Frequencia' and Sunaas' 'Flash Dancer' are all as enchanting as they are out-of-body-experience-inducing.

Review: Habitat Recordings is an art platform from Mind Against which seeks to explore a variety of formats and modes of expression, but here they're focusing on the good old techno 12" with the finely curated pairing of Dyzen, Syderal and Recondite. First up on the A-side is Dyzen and Syderal with their catchy, chunky anthem 'Dialogue'. Then Dyzen goes it alone with a vinyl pressing for his digital single 'Radiant', which takes cosmic disco influences in the direction of big room techno. Finally, Recondite remixes 'Dialogue' and smooths out some of the edges for a straight-trucking version that keeps the original vibe very much intact.

Review: Semi Delicious return for their sixteenth edition with the impressive 'Asylum Of Love' V/A, inviting faces old and new to the imprint. A label noted for bringing together impressive collections of talent, SEMID016 is no exception, with six separate contributions from Krywald & Farrer, Gallegos, Tatie Dee, Omar Smadar & DJ Gear, Scarlett O'Malley & label boss, Demi Riquisimo. The A-side welcomes Krywald & Farrer, Gallegos and Tatie Dee, kicking off with 'Seize The Source' from the aforementioned Krywald & Farrer, before label regular Gallegos tops things up with 'Asylum of Love', and finally, Dee's 'For My Niece'. The B brings the most jubilant of the bunch, 'Check One', while this tonal up-shift continues with 'Hey Party People', before finally closing on Demi's finishing touch that is a version of 'Rocking You Internally' from his own 'Mirage Over' EP, released on the same imprint. All quality house here.

Review: The Revivis-run Santo Tomas label launches a new edits offshoot devoted to reworking less obvious, forgotten house and prog gems from the 90s. The A-side is a collision of techno, prog and trance with cosmic synths, twitchy pads and plenty of old school stabs. The flip is a little more stripped back - the drums slap, the acid lines grow ever more wild, and a steamy and sensuous vocal sample is run through the middle for maximum emotional impact. Two dancefloor destroyers, for sure.

Review: First released in 1992 on Muzak, an Italian label headed up by Leo Mas, Fabrizio Lazzari, and Andrea Gemolotto, this crucial 12" played a pivotal role in shaping Italy's dancefloor electronic scene of the early 90s. Infused with influences from Detroit and New York, it forged a unique sound that is still fresh today. Now, it sees an official reissue with a great remix of 'Futureless' by Berlin-based Trent. This revamped version strips away the breakbeat elements, infusing the track with a new acid vibe. The reissue breathes new life into a timeless classic, bridging the gap between past and present electronic landscapes.

Review: Just in time for Valentine's Day, System 108 from the Netherlands marks eight years of business with Eight Years Of Love Pt 1, a superb 12" packed with fresh house sounds from across the spectrum. Simple Symmetry & Lord Fascinator open up with 'The Search Continues', a thumping acid laced tech house cut with indie vocals while Cream Soda bring twitchy electronics and amped up drums. There's electroclash-style rawness from Kovyazin D, Lipelis & Cosmic G explore a more celestial sound that will place you amongst the heavens and Gleb Filipchenkow shuts down with slow, elastic, acid laced gurgles on his 'Mieux La' (feat Ode).

Review: Frame Of Mind has been one of the best techno and house labels in the past couple years hailing from the Netherlands. This is the second appearance for Synaptic Voyager on the label in total. 'Epoch Ten' exhibits a premier example of the quality ambient techno the label has released in recent years. Fans of As One, FBA, Stasis and Sensurreal are sure to gravitate toward this track in particular. The 90s Detroit vibe is here in many respects. 'Ne Plus Ultra' and 'Reverie' are perfect tributes to the lineage there. The robot funk in 'Milestone' is particularly exciting with this early 90s styled foray into UK techno while 'Parallax' gives off a heavy Innovator and early Warp label impressions. If you are a fan of ambient techno then this is a quick and easy pickup.

Review: Pioneering psychedelic trance label Platipus is going all-out to celebrate its 30th birthday, with no less than 12 compilation style EPs scheduled for release this year. This is the second and, like its predecessor, sounds pleasingly current thanks to the trend towards harder and more psychedelic music. Len Faki kicks things off via a pleasingly weighty, hypnotic, chant-sporting rework of Union Jack's 'Cactus', before Chab channels the spirit and sound of dawn at a turn-of-the-millennium free party ('Sunrise'). Over on the reverse, Simon Berry and Luke Brancaccio deliver a deep, progressive house-influenced tech-trance interpretation of Martin Merkel's 'Little Wonder', while Star impresses with the driving, peak-time hedonism of 'Rock Rose'.

Review: Prog house has been cool again for a while now and that's how it should be. The sound, when done right, is as rewarding and enjoyable in a club setting as any of its genre-conferes. Soul Button makes a fine job exploring many different prog vibes on this Dual Realms of Sound album from the gently twirling melodies of opener 'Incendiary' to the more deep, stripped back moods of 'Secret Sense.' There is some pure and heavenly synth beauty to the ambient laced depths of 'Crescendo' (feat Rustboy) while further guests like Mashk, Terry Grant and Clawz SG all add their own charms to an array of other fine cuts.

Review: We're still not quite sure why fabric rebranded their much loved mix series because the fabric present series seems to be very similar in that it is unbound by genre and chases only the best DJs in the game. Saoirse is one of those and makes a fine entry here that is on the header end of the spectrum following on from efforts from the likes of Sherelle, TSHA and MCDE. Her functional, low slung sounds are perfect for late night moment slots in the groove with cuts from the likes of Luca Lozano, Rinse FM founder Geeneus and many more all making for a storytelling mix.