DJs: Most Charted - Deep House - Most Charted March 2012

Review: London-based deep house label Ornate Music come through with another gem in the shape of the latest EP from Dubbyman, filled with robust, beatdown grooves. The EP opens with "Time & Sensibility", creating an all-enveloping atmosphere with its oven-warm pads and rich analogue bass, punctuated with jazzy chords and vocal murmurings. "Kirigi Is Coming", meanwhile, showcases Dubbyman's excellent knack for crafting Moodymann style textures with the depth to boot, combining a solid rhythmic snap with drawn out vocal landscapes and Detroit-referencing melodies. Finally "Uuuuhhhh!!!!" closes the EP with its breathy intro and low slung filtered grooves combining with bubbling laser sound effects.

Review: After more or less owning 2011 with a surprise album, a collaboration with urban crooner Colonel Abrams, an ahead-of-the-game reissue of Marc Kinchen and the all-conquering "Here's Your Trance Now Dance", FXHE don Omar S kicks off a new year with Wayne County Hills Cops Pt 2 (where, we ask, was Part 1?), a hook-up with the mysterious OB IGNITT. The eponymous A-Side is characterised by the kind of glistening synths last seen on "Here's Your Trance...", with a rugged analogue bass line giving the track with the requisite bump. A tired cliche it may be, but this could easily soundtrack an 80s cop movie: clearly Omar has this in mind given the 12"'s title and the fact the record's centre label features a doctored image of Eddie Murphy from Beverly Hills Cop! On the flip, Omar S provides his own remix, drowning the synths in dubby textures and showering them with shuffling hats for a more heads-down take. Another killer 12" - business as usual at FXHE, then.

Review: Italian producer Nicholas had a killer year, with a healthy string of releases on 4Lux and Quintessentials, not to mention his excellent podcast for RA, but his EP on Hometaping Is Killing Music was probably his best concoction of house beats to date. The title track "Love Message" is an impeccable 90s reminiscent deep house belter, taking some Pepe Bradock style drums and tearing them apart thanks to some gorgeous pianos and prophetic vocals. "From The Roots" was another massive track, where bumping bass lines meet suave piano keys to create a serious house explosion! The bonus beat version extended those thumping kicks and injected extra dubbiness for the true house heads. Big 12"!

Review: Irish label Apartment come through with a superlative second release: everything about this twelve inch breathes class and style and bodes well for whatever the imprint does in the future. Sometime Fine Art contributors TR One are at the helm for "Drum Dance", a decidedly dusty exploration of rough hewn house music, all gently placed analogue drum rhythms embellished by neat percussive elements and the steadily rising procession of woozily hypnotic chords that appear from the misty ether midway through. The beatdown sensation is only improved when you drop the RPM down to 33 for some lolloping slo mo house excellence. You couldn't ask for two more well chosen remixers than John Heckle and Juju & Jordash really, and both excel on the B Side. The former adopts a slower pace, filling the expanses with the kind of fidgety machine funk textures that would have Jamal Moss nodding in approval over a delightfully thick heaving kick. The latter Amsterdam based duo opt for a widescreen dub revision that veers brilliantly through moments of expansive delight and bass heavy house sludge with an ease we've come to expect from Juju & Jordash. Fans of amusing run out groove inscriptions will be satisfied by this twelve inch too.

Review: Mad Mat's excellent Local Talk emporium reach out to neighbours Finland for some killer house tracks from the vastly under rated Deymare. Across a smattering of releases for the likes of Boe, Quintessentials and Morris Audio Citysport, Deymare has always demonstrated a real finesse for authentic sounding deep house, and the four tracks on his eponymous debut for Local Talk further showcase that. It's pretty hard not to get sucked in by the gloriously lifting piano tones of lead track "1990", which is built around solid rhythmic patterns and complemented by subtle melodic touches. From here Deymare gets tougher on the drum machine workouts "Time to Work" and seriously bumping "The Beat Is Back", whilst "Keep on Movin'" highlights the Finn's talent for crafting tracks rich in detail without sounding cluttered.

Review: If you managed to snap up Shane Linehan's My Initial Grooves 12" the first time round, we doff our caps to you. Released in the super limited quantity of 100, they sold out more or less instantly, and had house heads salivating over the Cork-based producer's knack for sculpting deep, tracky grooves. Here the two tracker gets a proper release on Linehan's own Basic Groove imprint, with the chord driven epic "Hidden Harmony" - one of those tracks that has everyone rushing over to the DJ booth to find out what the hell is playing - hogging the A-Side. The equally raw "Make It A Ritual" appears on the flip, marked by a Kerri Chandler-esque kick drum (i.e. booming) and the most cavernous bass line we've heard in some time.

Review: Dubbyman's Deep Explorer imprint comes correct with a limited edition white label 10" from Kai Alce. With roots that stretch across America, from Atlanta to New York and Detroit, Alce is tied closest, musically, to the Motor City (he was hired to do lights at the city's legendary Music Institute at the age of 16). The Willow EP positively drips with Detroit machine soul; the title track features floating synths and a subtle bassline working beneath Azulu Phantom's vocals. This leads into the excellent "Track 3", which features some raw, brittle drums, soulful moans and an unforgettably deep bass line. Flip over for the acid-tinged Deep Explorer remix of the title track, which takes the original and spans it out over an entire side of wax with subtly hypnotic results.

Review: Rush Hour did us plenty of favours this year but by far our most cherished was the reissue of James Mason's timeless, proto-house excursions on the infamous "Nightgruv" EP. There's really not much to be said about these peerless productions, the original mix is a stunning voyage through glimmering synths backed by a chugging beat groove, but the unreleased longer edit is the one - voyaging through those gorgeous drums and piano keys like there's no tomorrow! "I Want Your Love" is another masterpiece - slo-mo hip-hop beats mixed in with those killer funk bass lines and the infamous vocals taking you to another dimension.

Review: Mahogani regular Andres comes correct once again with the debut drop on his new label La Vida, with three tracks that flow with that inimitable Motor City soul. Much like previous Andres output, the triplet on New For U draw obvious lines of influence from Dilla and Dixon Jnr, though it's all sprinkled with Dez's own unique touch and style, be it the infectious snap of percussion or deft and subtle implementation of samples. The title track is a gloriously ripe combination of both those elements as thick drums intertwine with the sumptuous waves of strings and warm chiming chords, everything worked into a rhythmic template that weaves with intoxicating energy. "Drama Around The Corner" makes for one of Andres' trademark neck snapping beatdown moments and the level of percussive detail that's apparent when you concentrate is stunning and is the charming almost brief interlude to the B Side magic. Commencing with a short, looped up jazzual intro, "Jazz Dance" swiftly settles into a stripped down procession of bumping drums, low reaching double bass and swift keys - all of which are intermittently complemented by some expertly looped vocal samples. Occupying most of the B Side, it feels like the track could reach into infinity without losing any charm. Rightly the 12" of the year for us and many others.

Review: The Secretsundaze main man Giles Smith teams up with Martin Dawson for some Two Armadillos jams, newly minting their self-titled label with this sumptuous three-tracker. As has been the way with their releases to date, the vibe of warm deep house comes emanating through, not least on the sultry tones of "Walk In The Park" with its oozing square wave bass line and Rhodes chords. "Ronin" is a touch more uptempo, while "Another One (For Larry)" could well be a tribute to Larry Heard, the way the distant lead melodies occupy a mysterious space between sadness and joy simultaneously.

Review: Such is the prolific nature of FXHE at the moment, which ever pressing plant Omar S uses must be pretty happy with their contract. Following swiftly from Omar S's ode to the Axel F sound comes the debut missive from Aaron "Fit" Siegel. Named so thanks to his work at the helm of Fit Distribution, Siegel is a key figure in ensuring the ongoing healthy output of Detroit's house and techno militia and "Tonite" proves to be an auspicious debut. Featuring the vocal talents of L'Renne, the track is one of those eminently soulful house tracks with a sparse approach to production, all the elements sounding so crisp and distinct in the mix but judged perfectly. Such a track and the tougher B Side Detroit Mix just demonstrate how on top of their game FXHE are right now - big tip!

Review: Amongst the many new albums to get excited about in 2012, those of a gallic house persuasion will surely list Megamix, the forthcoming 4th studio long player from veteran French producer I:Cube highly on their want lists. More so once your ears have soaked in the three tracks on this Lucifer En Discotheque 12" - all of which feature on the forthcoming album on regular haunt Versatile Records. I:Cube fans will be familiar with the multi faceted sounds that feature here with lead track "Transpiration" a gloriously sweat filled paean to various stages in dance music history, seamlessly combining 90s era rave stabs with the percussive swagger of punk funk and his own leftfield inclinations. Alongside this "Jah Menta" proves to be equally experimental in its melodic approach as it does subterranean and scratchy in its rhythmic directions, whilst the title track is a driving synth wave oddity of the highest order.

Review: The first Firecracker transmission of the year arrives and it's as pretty much as you'd expect, though the twelve inch format kind of makes us feel like we've shrunk... Regardless, enlisting long term Juno favourites Vakula and Juju & Jordash to remix Fudge Fingas is always going to be a strong look. The object of their prowess is "Mass X", taken from What Works, Fingas' 2010 debut for the Edinburgh imprint and the original's chiming sea calm gets reworked into two differing but complementary dub house gems. The Ukrainian - no stranger to remixing Fudge for Fire - calls shotgun with a wonderfully dusty house number filled with the kind of brain melting touches we've come to demand from Vakula. In contrast Amsterdam dwellers Juju & Jordash go uber deep, continuing their recent strand of immersive and expansive remixes that feel so soft you want to bury yourself in them. Comes in limited edition packaging with gold and red screen printed sleeves.

Review: As something of a mainstay in the more upbeat and classy end of techno, UK don Kirk Degiorgio is always a safe bet for a robust, streamlined cut. With both mixes of "Divine Logic" he stays true to form, letting the arpeggios lead the way in a warm and embracing 'Main Mix', but it's the 'Dub Mix' that lights a fire under the same refrain and imbues the idea with a sense of urgency. Immaculately presented, pumping in all the right places and packed full of old-skool charm, this is everything you would hope for from a Degiorgio release. Recommended.

Review: Fine Art is one of our favourite little labels here at Juno, with each release from the London via New York imprint a joy to behold both sonically and visually. The latest, from Auckland-based Hit It & Quit It radio host Frank Booker, contains two sublime excursions into low slung jazz-flecked house spread across two sides of 10" in vinyl. Title track "Hope" teases an infectious looped guitar lick with pan-pot percussion and occasional flourishes of piano, while "No Delay" delves deeper still, with oven-warm chords undulating hazily beneath the ebb and flow of live sounding drums and the most subtle of bass lines.