Review: REPRESS ALERT!: As Soul Capsule, Baby Ford and Thomas Melchior made some of minimal techno's most accomplished records. It has been many years since they stopped turning out new material - sadly - but their archive tracks are still in hot demand and undeniably relevant. While 1999's 'Lady Science' might be their most famous offering, this EP from 2001 on Aspect Music is no less vital and it will currently cost you well over L250 on second-hand markets. It is Ford's Trelik label who reissues it here in all its glory: the entirety of the a-side is taken up with 'Law Of Grace,' a delightfully deep and breezy minimal dub house roller with pensive chords draped over the frictionless drums. 'Meltdown' has a more experimental feel with brushed metal drums beneath a wordless vocal musing. The cult 'Lady Science' (Tek Mix) is also inched with the whole package being remastered by D&M to make this one utterly essential.
Review: A special summer-tuned dedication to two of Africa's most creative contributors who both passed away at the birth of the New Year. First up, South Africa's Shaluza Max's 2002 classic gets the revisitation it deserves; big accordions, honeyed Zulu vocals and a chugging groove that could plough into any dancefloor under the sun, it struts with a timeless sense of universal groove science. Flip for a rewind to the mid 80s as Soundway pays tribute to the hugely prolific Tabu Lay Rochereau. Complete with smooth, soothing synths, show-stopping harmonies and slinky bassline that won't quit, it's as heart-rending now as it was 30 years ago.
Review: FXHE return with the master of the mysterious OB Ignitt! Arriving roughly a year on from the last slab of Ignitt goodness, Mysterious finds OB on imperious form, once more showing off his penchant for excellent track titles and singular slant on bumping Detroit business. The title track is a veritable epic of unquantifiable emotive stakes, emerging from a heat treated fog and easing into a subtle yet beguiling rhythmic framework which coaxes you into a spell that grows stronger as the track charges electrically forth. Face down, "Celestial Salacious" has that same rough edged bass line growl to it, but the skipping percussion and building layers of instrumentation give the track real energy, whilst you can almost feel the funk dripping off final track "Chocolate City" which sounds like DJ Nature hocked up on MDMA.
Love Story (Vs Finally) (Paul Woolford 2023 extended mix) (5:43)
Love Story (7:52)
Review: 'Love Story' is one of the most classic tunes in all of house music. It was written by Layo & Buschwaka who heard the original 'Finally' by Kings of Tomorrow and wanted to tweak it to their own ends so mashed it up with further samples from Dave, Nina Simone and Tati Quebra-Barraco. It's a rousing, heartwarming dancefloor trip of the highest order and who better to remix it than the always on fire Paul Woolford. His extended 2023 edit brings all the best bits to the fore and ensures we will be hearing this one all summer long. No complaints here.
Review: Choosing favourites among the prodigious creative outpouring of Omar S isn't easy, but this one from 2009 is usually riding high on any list. 'Here With Me' is the one - a twitchy, futuristic house cut with detuned chords tumbling about the mix while a heart-aching vocal from Diviniti rings out with raw soul. Elsewhere is the raw minimalism of 'Three Blind Rats', the deep throb of 'Stop Running Around' and the forlorn synth work of 'Sign & Drive.' A timeless EP for sure.
Review: Theo Parrish has green-lit a couple of back catalogue reissues from his Sound Signature label this month and this one originally came back in 2010 and found him on production duties and Bilal Love on the vocals. The Melloghettomental EP is an archetype Parrish offering - dusty, lo-fi beatdown and house fusions with muted but meaningful chords and aching vocal hooks. You get all that on blissed-out opener 'Can't Keep Running Away', superbly soulful live bass work on 'U Bring Me Up' and heavier, more griding grooves but still sublime vocals on 'Why Wait'. The title cut is an off-grid mix of sci-fi melodies and diffuse chords, shimmering drums and low slub bass. Sublime.
Review: There are two kinds of house-hunting. The first and most popular kind is unfortunately the one that scams unsuspecting people out of their money for the basic human right that is shelter. The other kind, however, is much more enjoyable - it involves scouring the internet or local record shops for the genre of music known as house music. Kerri Chandler is our favourite estate agent (words we never thought would escape our lips) in this regard; his latest EP series 'Lost & Found' is sure to help you remember the joy of the latter kind, and forget the former. Dubby and soft pulsers like 'Fluff Rehab' are futuristic bouncers for the highfaluting ear, replete with rapid-delayed spring noises and ruff chord stabs. Ensuers 'What If', 'Who Are You' and 'Dem Joy Ride' are pure and nigh-perfect deep house ruminators, and all are lifted from Chandler's coveted archive.
Groovejet (If This Ain't Love) (Purple Disco Machine & Lorenz Rhode remix) (7:09)
Groovejet (If This Ain't Love) (Breakbot & Irfane remix) (5:32)
Groovejet (6:19)
Groovejet (If This Ain't Love) (vocal mix) (7:30)
Groovejet (If This Ain't Love) (Riva Starr Disco Odyssey mix) (7:50)
Groovejet (If This Ain't Love) (Riva Starr Skylight mix) (6:31)
Groovejet (If This Ain't Love) (Harvey Sutherland remix) (7:24)
Groovejet (If This Ain't Love) (Harvey Sutherland instrumental) (7:23)
Review: Sophie Ellis Bextor got her self back in the headlines during lockdown having hosted a series of live streams from her own home. They reminded people of her happy go lucky and dance floor friendly sound, not least her epic naughties hit 'Groovejet' (If This Ain't Love).' Defected capitalise on this with a massive double pack of remixes from contemporaries like Purple Disco Machine and Riva Starr. The original sits pretty in the middle of them all and frankly still takes some beating but Harvey Sutherland does a fine job of updating it with some cool jazz-funk bass and chords.
Review: 'Couldn't Love You More' is one of the most iconic songs from one of the most iconic soul singers of her generation. It is such a sweet tune that it is perfect for reworking into a lovely deep house framework. And that is exactly what we have here as some mysterious artist who for obvious reasons wants to be unnamed reworks it three different ways. Mix 1 keeps the lush, lazy chords in place and sprinkles in some deft percussion. Mix 2 is a subtle tweak that has a little more drive and edge to it and Mix 3 completes the package with another deft touch that is sure to get floors all loved up.
The Way You Love Me (Dim TSOP version - Dimitri From Paris Glitterbox retouch) (8:14)
The Way You Love Me (Tom Moulton Philly Re-Grooved remix) (12:54)
Review: Some may argue that Dimitri From Paris and Tom Moulton have already provided the definitive remixes of Ron Hall, the Muthafunkaz and Marc Evans' 2006 gem "The Way You Love Me". This Glitterbox 12", which features alternative versions of those two legendary reworks, proves that they're wrong. Dimitri's "Glitterbox Retouch" of his Philadelphia International-inspired TSOP Version is a little more focused and tightly edited than its predecessor, but naturally incredibly similar. It's Moulton's "Philly Regrooved Mix", though, that's the real stunner. A near perfect example of Moulton's classic mixing skills, it sees the original disco mixer give space to each instrumental solo before unleashing the now oh-so-familiar vocal. The result is 13 minutes of unashamed disco bliss.
Review: Marcellus Pittman's #2 EP on FXHE is one of the legendary labels very many early classics. It's originally from 2006 but if this one were to drop now you wouldn't suspect it was almost 20 years old. As always with Pittman, everything is muted and low-key as well as lo-fi. The pad drums on 'Obsession (Datsallivdatsalliv~'^**!!)' are suggestive rather than in your face, and the depths of his bass are bottomless as natty, barely-there synth patterns unfold up top. 'Skylark (Late Morning mix Foool!!)' is similar with swirling dub pads and a skeletal rhythm but this time it's a little more defined with rusty hi-hats. Two absolutely stone-cold classics.
Review: Back in 2004, when his muscular brand of peak-time house music was all the rage, Vito Lucente AKA Junior Jack secured a sizable club hit with 'Stupidisco', a squelchy and driving fusion of weighty tribal house beats, swirling electronics and giddy disco vocal samples. Here the track returns in remixed form for 2022. David Penn kicks things off with a thrillingly uplifting piano house update, before Deeperlove opt for energetic drums, sweaty fills, echoing vocal snippets and a suitably gargantuan bassline Over on the flip, Jolyon Petch joins the dots between rubbery nu-disco and turn of the '80s electro-disco, while the Electrik Disco mix is a funky, revivalist disco-boogie treat laden with rubbery bass guitar, sparkling synths and Chic-style guitar licks.
Review: Gideon Jackson and Eddie Richards are bona fide tech house titans who have more than helped to shape the genre since day dot and the All Rise EP sees three of their finer past glories gathered together and remastered and pressed on lovely red wax. The excellent 'Biscuit Barrel Blues' opens with exactly the sort of compelling drum work you would expect and it is imbued with some prying synths and sultry vocals. There is an irresistible glitch and dryness to 'Pull Tab 2 Open' and its smeared pads that make it perfect body music then 'Crying' (Gideon Jackson remix) brings a more heavy tech house sound with extra dub weight. Perfection.
You Forgot (feat Genevieve Marantette & Jerry The Cat) (12:47)
Dirt Rhodes (11:30)
Review: Sound Signature boss Theo Parrish does a fine job of keeping the majority of his vast back catalogue available to buy for all. It's a tough job, too, cause most of it sells out in a quick fashion, so he has to be on the ball with reissues. A couple are landing this month and 'You Forgot' is one of them. It was his label's 15th release way back in 2001 and for many, b-side cut 'Dirt Rhodes' is one of Parrish's best and most definite tracks. The grinding mechanical grooves that lock you into a hypnotic state are overlaid with perfectly knackered-sounding Rhodes chords and it makes for a magical listen. 'You Forgot' with its soulful vocal musings and perfunctory drum sounds is not bad either.
Review: With each album, Daft Punk threw down something new for their mammoth fanbase to deal with. Never ones to repeat themselves or play it safe, Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo ruffled feathers when they followed up the pop-tastic heights of Discovery with the rock-tinted stylings of Human After All. In hindsight, with the world-beating project brought to an end, the album sounds like Daft Punk through and through, not least on lead single 'Robot Rock', but full credit to them for not taking the easy route to give the fans what they want. As we reflect on the legacy of one of the biggest dance acts of all time, it's a fine time to revisit this album with a sparkling new pressing as part of the Daft Life Ltd series.
Dennis Ferrer - "How Do I Let Go" (feat TK Brooks)
Rain: A Lil Louis Painting - "Give It Up" (Masters At Work club mix)
Mood II Swing - "Sunlight In My Eyes"
Kimara Lovelace - "Misery" (Lil Louis club mix)
Review: Now under new ownership (international dance music powerhouse Armada Music, fact fans), long-serving New York house imprint King Street Sounds is doing a good job in showcasing gems from its vast archives. This second label sampler contains four more genuine must-have cuts. First up, there's a chance to admire the deep, soulful house wonder that is Dennis Ferrer's 2008 hook-up with honeyed vocalist K.T. Brooks, 'How Do I Let Go'. It's followed by Masters at Work's deliciously loose, disco-influenced deep house revision of 'Give It Up' by Lil' Louis' Rain project (first released in 2000), Mood II Swing's DIY Soundsystem favourite 'Sunlight In My Eyes' (easily one of the greatest deep house jams of all time) and Lil' Louis's swinging garage-house rub of Kimra Lovelace's 'Misery'.
Review: Salif Keita's 'Madan' gets a fresh spin with Martin Solveig's Exotic Disco Mix and Exotic Disco Dub, originally released in 2002. One Side-1, Exotic Disco Mix, merges disco beats with Keita's distinctive African vocals, creating a high-energy dance track. On Side-2, the Exotic Disco Dub emphasizes tribal elements and heavy drums, focusing more on background vocals and the song's groove. Even after 22 years, these remixes continue to be staples at festivals far and wide. Anyone who has set foot on a dancefloor in the past two decades will instantly recognize this Afro house classic infused with a French touch.
Review: Larry Heard's strain of deep house absolutely lends itself to the album format, and he demonstrated this flawlessly on the 2001 album Love's Arrival. Decades on from his first forays into production at the dawn of house music, Heard's sound slipped into a dreamlike lounge-state which spoke to continued development of his melodic sensibilities. Just stick on 'Praise' and let the sound unfurl around you, full of the aching melancholy which gives his music such power. Like machine jazz funk beaming from another dimension, this is deep house at its very best, as made by one of the true architects of the sound.
Harry Romero - "Revolution" (House Masters edit) (5:13)
Prunk & Rona Ray - "Keep It Simple" (6:41)
Review: The mighty Defeated has got a fun package on its hands here with some fat disco and house anthems primed and ready for big room summer fun. A'Studio's 'SOS' (feat Polina - Skylark remix - Nic Fanciulli edit) is chunky house with a hooky vocal and rolling groove designed to sweep you up and away. Chloe Caillet then remixes Tensnake's classic 'Coma Cat' into a hands-in-the-air house stomper with epic strings. Harry Romero's sweaty 'Revolution' gets its drums buffed up and well swung by a House Master's Edit and Prunk & Rona Ray steal the EP at the last with their lush vocal house cut 'Keep It Simple.'
Review: Rabid Sweden are currently reissuing a number of The Knife's early records. Silent Shout is arguably the band's most famous. It was their second after the bubbly euro-dance delights of Deep Cuts and proved a marked change in sound and style. Gone were the bright arps, the happy-go lucky drums and upbeat dance songs, and instead came low slung bass, menacing and snaking guitar leads and tortured vocals. All these years later the album has stood the test of time and still very much stands out as a high point in the band's career. This special reissue comes on limited violet vinyl.
Review: Originally released in 2003, Daft Club was the first official compilation of any Daft Punk material, and they chose to gather together some of their most prominent remixes from the likes of The Neptunes, Cosmo Vitelli, Basement Jaxx and Slum Village along with a few other exclusives and obscurities like 'Aerodynamite' and 'Overture'. It's a must for any fan, especially now we know (or at least assume) there won't be any more DP material to come in the future. Repressed to fox the resellers, you can finally grab this one on wax once more, and you don't need to be told it's packed full of bangers.
Man With The Red Face (ATFC When The Lights Go Up remix) (8:14)
Man With The Red Face (Rene Amesz remix) (7:43)
Review: Ready your arms and ears for an injection of nostalgia from Mark Knight and Funkagenda. These two longstanding artists tear the house down with their reimagining of the classic track by French maestro Laurent Garnier - clearly, the original is by now a house music standard, to the extent that Garnier isn't even obviously credited on the release here. It just goes without saying. Knight and Funkagenda's 'cover' here is neatly chiptuney, emphasising the bare bones of the composition, while their networking abilities see to further remixes of the cover by ATFC, Rene Amesz, and - hilariously - Hardwell. A varied remix EP spanning EDM, deep tech and nu-disco.
Review: Kerri Chandler's 'Bar A Thym' is one of those tracks that seems to contain everything great house music aspires to beia groove so undeniable it feels perpetual, melodies that loop and evolve as though they've always existed. This reissue, spanning Chandler's original extended mix, Foremost Poets' vocal edit, and THEMBA's reimagined version, charts not only the track's history but its continuing relevance. The Foremost Poets edit imbues the already hypnotic motif with an enigmatic narrative, its vocal fragments both anchoring and reframing the mood. THEMBA's remix, on the other hand, nudges the groove toward Afro house, subtly opening up the track's spatial dynamics while preserving its magnetic pull. Chandler's work never feels datediit shifts and reshapes to meet each new moment, and 'Bar A Thym' remains as arresting today as it was when it first found its way onto the dancefloor.
Review: Carl Finlow has been turning out killer electro since forever and is the man behind the revered Random Factor alias. He started it back in 1994 and since he's brought us four full lengths on 20/20 Vision, with a new one dropping very soon. In the meantime, here's a reissue of one of his most in demand classic EPs that's back on wax after initially making waves way back in 2000. The cuts draw on electro-pop and lithe future disco a la Metro Area, from the sparkly 80s-vibed opener 'Old News', 'Richochet' - imagine dub techno rerouted through guitar-led funk - to the more heads down, deep and moody dancefloor delight 'Update' and the indelible melodies of closer 'Swing'. Timeless machine funk from one of its latter day masters.
Review: This is the fourth and final installment of Sushitech label head Yossi Amoya's reissue series focussing on the work of Eric Spire and his Silver Pearl label. The Los Angeles based producer was on a hot streak back in the late 90s, fomenting a new take on West Coast house music with hard drums and psychedelic synths that lay down something of a blueprint for later tech house a la Craig Richards, Wiggle and co. This useful 12" packs another punch with potent drums and razor sharp percussion across three cuts from some of the Silver Pearl mainstays.
Somebody Already Broke My Heart (Excursions mix) (6:31)
Hang On To Your Love (De Rigueur) (7:35)
Review: Dunno about you, but we are absolute suckers for Sade mixes. Not the tasteless ones that are in no way sympathetic to the original mood - but the deep house reworks that couch Sade's heart-melting toes in soft, dreamy drums are hard to beat. And that's what we have here on another cheeky white label 12". First is a nice blissed out and late night rework of 'Somebody Already Broke My Heart' (Excursions mix) which is a pure joy, and then 'Hang On To Your Love' (De Rigueur) is a little more dancey with disco chords bringing some sparkle to Sade's irresistible tones.
Review: 20 years ago now, Michael Gray secured what you can rightly say was a global and monumental crossover dance hit when he dropped 'The Weekend' in 2004. To mark its 20th anniversary and as part of this year's Record Store Day celebrations, it is making its way, for the first time ever, to a limited edition coloured vinyl 7". This one comes with the celebrated original sleeve artwork and that's not all, because it also includes a previously unreleased 7-inch Version from Gray himself: titled the 'Sultra 7' mix, it comes with live strings and a lush ambient feel that makes this even more essential.
Review: Capturing the carefree mood of the mid-00s in a dazzling burst of chart-topping funky house perfection, Michael Gray's 'The Weekend' remains an all-time floor-filling classic. The funked up filter house production takes its cues from the French trailblazers, but it's Shena's soaring vocal which makes it a perennial favourite, transmitting a message everyone can relate to about the week-long hustle and the joy of letting it all go when Friday night rolls around. This reissue brings together different mixes of the track which subtly shift the parts around without messing with the heart and soul of the track, while the Glitterbox mix shifts it down a gear to a slower disco strut which will sprinkle some crowd-pleasing magic over any warm up set.
Review: Second time around for Harlem Hustlers' surging disco-house anthem, which first appeared in stores way back in 2005. This time round, the Italian duo have reworked it considerably, placing underground boogie legend Orlando Johnson's lead vocal front and centre while opting for some more organic-sounding instrumentation (the original was more sample-heavy). On their '2023 Rework' they channel the sound of Groove Culture label bosses Mickey More and Andy Tee, wrapping Johnson's vocal, tidy horns, flanged guitars and classic-sounding piano riffs around a warming bass guitar part and crunchy house drums. It's a very classy and far more authentically 'disco'-sounding track than their 2005 original. Their flip-side 'Get On The Floor' mix, meanwhile, has a smoother, more synth-heavy disco-house sound, less vocal and even more of the excellent horn sounds.
Groove Armada - "Fly Me To The Moon" (Exclusive Cover version) (4:01)
BRS - "Lovin' Me" (Dubtribe mix) (8:04)
Good Together - "(We Can) Work It Out" (Underwater Trumpet mix) (8:15)
Tim Love Lee - "Java Jam" (5:52)
Open Door - "Breathe" (6:18)
Kleeer - "Tonight" (5:06)
Roy Ayers - "The Memory" (4:33)
Metro Area - "Miura" (6:44)
Kimbu Kimra - "Raise The Dead" (Love From San Francisco dub) (5:52)
Don Ray - "Standing In The Rain" (6:33)
Al Green - "Truth N' Time" (3:39)
Shuggie Otis - "Strawberry Letter 23" (3:57)
Mr Fingers - "Can You Feel It" (5:48)
Aretha Franklin - "Day Dreaming" (3:50)
Loose Ends - "Feel The Vibe" (4:16)
Sir Patrick Moore - "Peepshow" (part 1 - Exclusive Spoken Word) (5:03)
Review: Groove Armada proven so adept at putting totters intimate late nigh sound tracks that they have made not one, not two, but three different entires into this legendary and long running series. And each one has its own equally special vibe. This one finds the pairing digging into the new York disco of Metro Area, the funk of Roy Ayers, the classic house of Mr Fingers and the gorgeousness of Shuggie Otis. It's as good an after the afterparty mix as you could wish to hear so we're delighted it is being reissue.
Review: German-Turkish producer Butch is a machine. He has put out hundreds of tunes over the last decade-plus, most of them more than useful club fare that gets played far and wide. Every so often he also serves up a real classic - and that was the case with 'No Worries' which brings brilliantly loopy drums, classic disco vocal samples and just feel-good grooves that inject a bit of vitality into any set. It now gets a subtle 2022 update and reissue on the original label Cecile with a Toman remix on the flip.
Celeda - "The Underground" (St David Dark Swing mix) (7:31)
Patrice Rushen - "Haven't You Heard" (St David Gentle Re-Touch) (4:19)
Armando - "100% Disin' Of You" (St David club Re-Diss) (5:58)
Salsoul Orchestra - "Sun After The Rain" (St David Groovylizer Magic dub) (6:05)
Review: Tribute To House Masters launches its homage to talented producers from the foundational days of house and disco with a first volume featuring some real heavyweights. Each of the originals has been remixed by St David who begins with swinging and delightful deep house depths on 'The Underground.' His Gentle Re-Touch of Patrice Rushen leads to some chunky and full flavour disco house fun, the Club Re-Diss of Armando is jacked up and peak time house with a retro flair and lastly Groovylizer Magic dub brings some silky and soulful flourishes to a Salsoul Orchestra classic.
Sly & Lovechild - "The World According To Sly & Lovechild" (Soul Of Europe mix)
Mark Lanegan Band - "Beehive" (dub)
Flowered Up - "Weekender" (Audrey Is A Little Bit More partial mix)
Gwenno - "Chwyldro"
Saint Etienne - "Only Love Can Break Your Heart (A Mix Of Two Halves)"
Confidence Man - "Bubblegum"
Espiritu - "Conquistador" (Sabres Of Paradise No3 mix)
The Orielles - "Sugar Tastes Like Salt" (Andrew Weatherall Tastes Like dub mix part1 - live Bass)
Audiobooks - "Dance Your Life Away"
Saint Etienne - "Heart Failed (In The Back Of A Taxi)" (Two Lone Swordsmen dub)
Doves - "Compulsion"
TOY - "Dead & Gone"
Confidence Man - "Out The Window"
LCMDF - "Gandhi" (Andy Weatherall remix II)
Espiritu - "Bonita Manana" (Sabres Of Paradise remix)
Unloved - "Devils Angels"
Review: The latest in Heavenly's colossal milking of the late Andrew Weatherall's extensive remix career comes in the form of a CD bundle of the first two collectible vinyl compilations, the Weatherall Remixes Volumes 1 and 2. The man occasionally known as Lord Sabre provided plenty of reworks for the London-based imprint over a 30-year period, and you'll find most of his greatest here, including the legendary two-part dub of St Etienne's 'Only Love Can Break Your Heart', his peerless, 15-minute peak-time 1992 take on Flowered Up's 'Weekender', a delightfully dubbed-out, Asphodells-style rework of Gwenno from 2015, and a stunningly spaced-out dancefloor dub of Mark Lanegan's Band.
Review: The short-lived moniker of Kingpin Cartel comprised techno titan Mark Broom and lost legend CJ Baker. Their output spanned a 5-year period starting in 2005, on which the release of 'Moogie Nights' laid down their methodology; funky abstinations from Broom's usual style of hard, gritty techno. The 'Ghetto' EP was their second and most famous release. Best known for its lead title track, a triumphant techno-funk piece and a prototype for the bright, swanky mode repopularised by the likes of KiNK in recent decades. Also came 'Fishfunk', a wacky cut dipping its on motifs from French house to g-funk, and 'Bottle', a raspy house number replete with bitcrushed chords and domestic, found-sound samples.
Review: Those two little letters GU are always enough to get us excited. They are of course an alias of Glenn Underground, the masterful Chicago house producer, musician and DJ who still has a much lower profile than his talents deserve. Here he adds a Mix Mashup to Bobpstar's 'Mayday/Captured Restless Soul Mixes' and the result is a bubbly, mellifluous deep house cut with warm and liquid synths, chopped-up vocal fragments and a gooey sense of romance. It is another crucial offering from the Windy City mainstay, even if it is a one-sided 12".
Alan Braxe & Fred Falke - "You'll Stay In My Heart" (instrumental) (3:30)
Review: Alan Braxe & Fred Falke's 'Intro' was an undeniable earworm in its day, being the scratchy French house montager on present everyone's decks for at least several summers in a row in the early 00s. Few know Braxe was also behind the inimitable 'Music Sounds Better With You' by Stardust, alongside Daft Punk's Thomas Bangalter of course, for which he was finally credited on 'The Upper Cuts' here, first released in 2005. Now almost twenty years later, the EP gets a full reissue, documenting some of the artist's most well-known hits.
Review: One of the many songs that defined a distinct, hot, made-for-TV dance-pop era, Martin Solveig and Dragonette's 'Hello' is an energetic electro house rouser, and made waves with its tennis-themed back-and-forth music video, which allegorised the gone-bad relationship narrativised in the song. Now pressed to sporty white vinyl, this is a warm-up song if there ever was one, with its lead two-note piano riff clipped to searing, overdriven proportions. Dragonette's vocals sing of romantic vascular sweats, caused by botched inter-relational backhands, poor get-back-at-you swings, and triple bagel defeats. This version comes with a 2024 'Super Edit', bringing a stuttering progressive house continuation.
Review: While he is still thought of as a God of a DJ to many, Welsh wizard Sasha is a dab hand in the studio too. Airdrawndagger, his second studio long player, is proof of that and a real masterpiece with co-productions by Charlie May, Junkie XL and James Holden. It is a hugely complex world of sound with progressive melodies, wavy electronic drums and immersive synths capes that all add up to one smooth and serene trip. This luxury reissue comes on limited, numbered trifold 180 gram audiophile silver & black marbled vinyl. A vital collector's piece.
Review: Grammy award winners and production duo Deep Dish throw another contemporary update of their classic track 'Flashdance' into the mix. Compared to the original 2004 track - which saw to a curious but effectively fiery blues-rock come electro-dance delight - this new version elides some of the early rock rawness for a more muted yet mutable 'Guitar Redux' version, which adds a subtle tribal trance direction. There's also two new versions of 'Say Hello', one prog trance and the other full-on trance, and whose original version followed 'Flashdance' as their second collaboration with singer Anousheh Khalili in 2005.
At Les (Christian Smith Tronic Treatment remix) (9:44)
At Les (Christian Smith Hypnotica remix) (9:14)
Review: Christian Smith revisits Carl Craig's iconic ambient masterpiece 'At Les' with two exceptional remixes, originally crafted in 2010. This reissue on Tronic revives the deep house genre with a fresh perspective on a track that first appeared on Craig's 1997 album, More Songs About Food and Revolutionary Art. On Side-1, the 'Tronic Treatment remix' injects a pulsating energy into the ethereal original, blending rhythmic depth with the serene atmosphere that made the track a legend. Smith's remix maintains the emotional intensity while adding a driving beat that propels the listener forward. On Side-2, the 'Hypnotica remix,' where Smith delves into a more immersive, trance-like state. This version is all about loops and intricate layers, creating a soundscape that feels both expansive and intimate. Smith's reimagining of 'At Les' pays homage to Carl Craig's genius while introducing new sonic dimensions. Still, 14 years later...this is a club ready peak time record.
Review: Named after their infamous Brixton club night, Basement Jaxx's second album Rooty saw them continue to push the boundaries of pop and club music. The album mixes classic house with generous lashings of punk, funk, R&B, jazz, hip hop, 2-step and pop song-craft in a mad genre crash that works like a charm. It features the massive tracks 'Where's Your Head At', 'Romeo' and 'Do Your Thing'.
Review: Alton Miller's previous appearance on Rawax's Motor City Edition series, 2019's Amazed, was a genuine treat, so a follow-up is well overdue. What's on offer appears to be a mixture of sought-after cuts from his archives and previously unreleased material. In the former category you'll find 'Love Inside (Detroit Dub)', a soul-soaked chunk of warming and spacey Motor City deep house from 2002 and the subtly Latin-tinged, Ron Trent-style melodious warmth of 2009 cut 'Higher'. Elsewhere, 'Chari' is a gorgeous chunk of summery, sun-soaked deep house positivity rich in colourful chords and kaleidoscopic lead lines, while 'Mocasays' offers a near perfect blend of raw, tech-tinged grooves, sustained chords and sparkling piano riffs.
Review: Repeat's 'All & All' series is doing a great job in documenting the immense contribution that UK tech-house pioneer Terry Francis has made to the electronic underground. The genius of Francis's work of the late 90s and 2000s is how it presented a form of purist tech-house that drew as much from classic US deep house as the stargazing futurism of techno. This fifth instalment in the series boasts three decidedly deep excursions. Side A sports 'Loving You', an ultra-dreamy and immersive affair from 2001 that wraps deep house elements around a typically chunky and hypnotic groove. Over on the B-side, the echoing male vocal snippets, sumptuous pads and bubbly electronics of 'Strong Woman' are followed by the slightly more dubby (and even dreamier) brilliance of 1999's 'Love In'.
Bessa Simmons - "Sii Nana" (JKriv Fit rework) (7:11)
Vincenzo - "Love Accurate" (6:54)
Ilija Rudman - "Discoteka Parmida" (5:25)
Yasmin - "Real High" (4:59)
Arnau Obiols - "Pagan Mambo" (5:04)
Review: On this sampler EP for the Razor N Tape label's latest Family Affair compilation, the Brooklyn based imprint showcases previously unheard cuts from a mixture of new artists and long-established names. In the latter camp you'll find long-serving deep house don Vincenzo, who delivers the gorgeous, tactile and loved-up deliciousness of 'Love Accurate', and Croatian nu-disco don Ilya Rudman (the acid-heavy dancefloor squelch of 'Discoteka Parmida'). Elsewhere, Yasmin impresses with the neo-soul/nu-disco fusion warmth of 'Real High', Arnau Obiols slams down the Fela-influenced Afrobeat excellence of 'Pagan Mambo', and label co-founder J Kriv turns Bessa Simons 'Si Naana' into an Afro-tinged analogue house treat
We use cookies to personalise content and ads, to provide social media features and to analyse our traffic. We also share information about your use of our site with our social media, advertising and analytics partners who may combine it with other information that you've provided to them or that they've collected from your use of their services.