Long time house and disco devotee Dave Lee comes through on Z Records once more with a sampler from this years ZR Essentials collection. It features two of his masterful reworks starting with Jamiroquai's 'Little L'. He flips into a funked up cosmic delight with plenty of the original's synth flourishes melodic hooks and orchestration all present and correct but with added slap bass, replayed rhodes and beefy new drums which make this a surefire dancefloor winner pretty much anywhere. On the flip comes Dave Lee's Disco Fantasy mix of Shelia & B Devotion's 1979 hit 'Spacer' which has a more retro disco sound thanks to the masterful original work of Chic. Additional clav, new string parts and solo-ing keys give 'Spacer' the extended DJ mix it never had at the time of original release.

Toronto native Demur is a master of groovy, funky deep house and has been since his fine debut TruSkool back in 2016. He has been busy of late with Visions back in March finding him collaborating with the likes of Fred P and Aaron Gray. Now comes another full length in Under The Waning Moon, another compelling mix of contemporary deep house sounds, well-sourced and deployed samples and elements of everything from jazz to funk to downtempo colouring the grooves. For steamy late-night stuff look no further than '21 Days A Hoe' while 'Wasted Wednesdays' is delightfully sunny and well swung for cosy back room vibes.

For the latest edition of their ongoing Italo-disco reissue series, Blanco Y Negro has dusted down ‘Living In The Shuttle’, the 1985 debut from Milan-based five-piece Torrevado, delivering a 12” that also includes a couple of later interpretations of the track initially released in 1988. On the A-side you’ll find the band’s two original takes: a deliciously OTT vocal version smothered in spacey synth riffs, Fairlight-driven, Freez style sampled vocal stabs and driven forwards by a killer sequenced bassline, and an accompanying instrumental version that strips out the band’s heavily accented singing, adds in whistling synth sounds and has a far deeper and warmer feel. Over on side B, the ‘Shuttle Mix’ is a throbbing early Euro-house rework, and the ‘Dub Mix’ is like a composite of all three versions.

Soul II Soul has been performing their cover of Sinead O’Connor’s Prince-penned classic, ‘Nothing Compares To You’, in live sets for some time, though this is the first time it has been released on vinyl. This seven-inch single boasts two mixes by similarly long-serving reggae duo Mafia & Fluxy. They begin with a full-blown vocal version – a sun-soaked, hybrid organic/electronic reggae revision rich in dancing strings, booming bass, hazy horns, jaunty synth stabs and simply superb female lead vocals. As you’d expect, it comes accompanied by a seriously skeletal, sub-heavy Dub mix that’s worth the admission price on its own. A killer cover all told!

Galaxy Sound Co. hits 40 releases deep with yet another buy-on-sight 7". This latest entry into the Sample Series kicks off with an edit of 'Lovely Is Today' by Eddie Harris from his 1968 album Plug Me In. It's steeped in delightfully conversational saxophone with rousing chords dancing beneath in a swinging 60s fashion. A real classy gem. On the flip, 'September 13' by Deodato gets reworked and is from his self-titled jazz-funk album. This one is more funky and it's led by some big, proud horn stabs and silky drum rumbles enriched with great synths. Another vital 45 from this fine label.

Almacks is back on their own self-titled label with a second sizzling 12". This one opens up with a brilliant Afro-house sound that has playful basslines riding up and down the scale as falsetto vocals unfurl in curious fashion up top. Add in plenty of organic percussion and you have a subversive sound. Things get much more sensors and late night on the second cut then the B-side fuses gorgeous downtempo live drums and neo-soul stylings with dusty, funked up house and plenty of Moodymann-style moods. One of those EP that oozes genuine warmth and soul.

When Tatsuro Yamashita first released 'Christmas Eve' in 1983, it didn't receive a huge amount of attention. It was only when the track was picked up for an advert in the late 80s that it caught on became a seasonal favourite in Japan, going on to become one of Yamashita's biggest hits. Now it's being repressed in this 40th anniversary commemorative edition right in time for the impending festive season, featuring a bonus version of the B-side version of 'White Christmas' recorded for the Happy Xmas Show. If you want a quintessential ingredient for the Japanese Christmas experience, look no further.

The mighty Balance series has been around for a while now and is one of the few remaining mix series that still managed to excite. Everyone who is everyone has made their own entry into it over the years and now it is the turn of Henry Saiz. His Balance 032 is a masterclass in balancing drive and emotion across no fewer than three CDs of tasteful progressive house. It marks a real high point for the Madrid-based artist and features the shimmering riffs of 'Kickboxer', his own collaboration with Imalgi.