New Jersey house don Kerri Chandler is rightfully lauded as a hero of the scene. He continues to pour his heart and soul into every record and imbue his music with real-world emotions that elevate his tunes. He is of course a master of a deep but driving sound that borrows from soul, funk and jazz in ignitible ways. The third volume of his Lost & Found EP series on his own label Kaoz Theory is packed with more gold, from the slinky depths of 'Let It (Give Me Back My Love)' to the soul staring vocal work of 'Another Dawn' via more paired back sounds on 'The Bassline' (Kerri Dark mix) and the percussive energy of 'The Breeze.' Yet another essential Kerri 12" for your collection.

Swiss producer and DJ Lea Lisa gathers together some of her favorite tracks to play out with in a double pack compilation for Favorite Recordings. As you might be able to tell from some of the artists and tracks on here, Lea likes her house music deep, tracky, sometimes soulful and verging on proper techno. Featured here are key tracks like 'Ekeyz' from Pure Science, the club mix of 'Be There' by Kerri Chandler and 'Blax Thanxs' by Abacus. One very desirable addition is the early 90s gem 'Emotional' by Think. This very strong gathering of deep house tracks may be one of the best this year. Act quick and grab a copy.

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Black Sweat turn their attention to the work of Klaus Wiese, a noted if not widely recognised German ambient musician who briefly worked with krautrock legends Popol Vuh in the early 70s. His first solo album in 1981 was Baraka, a cassette-only release of shruti box drone, sustained string hum and singing bowl resonance with a distinct focus on instrumentation from other parts of the world. Receiving its first official vinyl pressing after more than 40 years, it's a perfect demonstration of minimal ambient music as an ancient, eternal force which transcends the realm of electronic production.

The more nerdy out there will know that Keepsakes has featured on Perc Parc before having contributed to the Forever 2 various artists' release back in 2020, but now he makes his full debut with this fierce solo EP. 'Scene Analysis' is just that, a heavyweight takedown of dance music bullshit with no-frills drums and rattling percussion all topped off with a dark monologue. Label head Perc remixes and makes things even more caustic and ear-splitting, then 'Industry Anthem' does manic things with the word 'money' over taught, twanging synths and slamming drums. 'Prey For Hype' is the final potent offering, again with brash sounds and rusty textures, hard drums and no-nonsense de-humanised vocals.

Razor-N-Tape's Family Affair series makes a welcome return here with a third great instalment. This series is something of an annual end-of-year tradition by now (OK, it's arriving a touch late) and this one hits as hard as any with five tracks taken from the full and standout compilation. It is two great remixes of classic RNT material that gets things underway with Ezel offering a dub of Cor.ece and Bruce Leroys sublime deep hose mix of Guinu, then JKriv's 'Better Than Her' is a fat bottomed bit of deep cut electro funk and elsewhere Kim Anh gets raw and cosmic, and Cody Currie's 'Ghost' is broken beat perfection.

Atlanta's leading deep house outlet NDATL welcomes DJ Aakmael for its next outing and - as always with this producer - the results are smoky and seductive. His signature sound is all about cuddly, dusty drums with deft little melodies, horns or gospel samples that lodge in your mind while you move to his compelling grooves. That's true again here with a Latin-jazz-infused opener in the form of 'Track 109.' 'Imagination' is a truly hypnotic house sound and on the flip are 'This Is Not A Game,' a killer collab with label head Kai Alce, and '102.5' which has a bassline smoother than chocolate. Another doozy from Aakmael, then.

In the enchanting realm of music, Laufey's latest offering, Bewitched: The Goddess Edition, unveils a captivating tapestry of vocal prowess and emotional resonance. Expanding upon her Grammy-winning 2023 LP with four additional tracks, the album solidifies Laufey's place as an artist of exceptional talent. Laufey's voice possesses a crystalline purity that shimmers with effortless grace. Her intonation glides effortlessly through a cascade of jazz ballads, each one imbued with a bittersweet tale of love's potent allure. 'Bewitched: The Goddess Edition' a stunning display of musical artistry.leaving an indelible mark on the hearts of listeners.