Anthony Nicholson

Review: Anthony Nicholson is something of an unheralded hero. He's been releasing variations on melodious, soul-flecked deep house since the turn of the 1990s, delivering material for such labels as Prescription, NIte Grooves and Peacefrog. 22 years after releasing his first 12", Nicholson returns to action with Four, his first albium since 2011. It's a sensual and atmospheric set packed with musically expansive material. While rooted in house, it offers so much more than simple, functional dancefloor material. It will no doubt draw comparisons with the work of Ron Trent, to whom Nicholson shares an impressive attention to detail and positive musical outlook.

Review: Since meeting, and subsequently working with, Ron Trent in the early 1990s, Anthony Nicholson has produced some seriously sublime deep house. These days, his releases are less frequent than many would wish, but retain the kind of high quality threshold associated with the very best house producers. Gravity is his fifth full-length, and delivers a swathe of gorgeously rich and musically expansive tracks shot through with serious amounts of soul. While he rarely strays from the dancefloor, tracks are layered with delicious musical flourishes - twinkling piano playing, live percussion, guitars and bass, for starters - while you'll a range of complimentary influences (African rhythms, modern soul, jazz-funk, boogie, and so on). In other words, it's a proper, grown-up house album.

Review: Following their last outing, 2016's "Humpty Dumpty", Ron Trent affiliate Anthony Nicholson teams up with William Kurk for two more beautiful house moments. "Confession" is a balmy sunset number that's so soulful it could make Louie Vega blush while "Azimuth (Suite No 1)" taps into his Chicago roots for an authentic machine massage where emotion seeps from every synth stroke. Timeless.

Review: Groovin can always be relied on for the finest deep house reissues and represses, and they've struck Prescription gold here with the hazy sway of Ron Trent and Anthony Nicholson's evergreen "Aquarhythmatica." In its smoky chords and freewheeling guitars, the dusted down track represents everything great and timeless about this absolute pillar of deep house. On the flip, Ron Trent flies solo with "City Beat," which originally appeared in 2009 on the "Dance Classic" album. From the rich layers of detail to the mellow mood and of course the infectious, organic grooves, the quality level and musicality on this rich vein of house music is quite simply astounding.