FLOORPLAN

Review: No one makes house music as steamy and rapturous as Floorplan aka Detroit's Robert Hood and his daughter Lyric. And there are few better labels for it than Classic, who now serve up this superb three tracker. 'Get My Mansion Ready' is family in structure - chunky but simple drums with a sermon-style vocal over the top and warm organ chords. 'Out Of Control' gets a little more loose with clattering hits broken bass loops, but still a church-like vocal. To finish off, Hood serves up a dub of 'Get My Mansion Ready' that has more turbocharged chords and even more uplifting energy.

Review: Following the re-mastered re-release of Robert Hood's 'Underestimated EP' in March, we continue the Perpetual Masters series on M-Plant with a vintage Floorplan double-header. 'On The Case / The Deal' was originally released on M-Plant's subsidiary label, Duet back in 2001. At the time Floorplan was still in its infancy with just a handful of releases on Drama in the '90s, the seminal 'Paradise' album had yet to be conceived and Robert's daughter Lyric Hood hadn't joined the party.

Review: Classic Music Company welcomes a real legend to their ranks in the form of Detroit innovator Robert Hood under his Floorplan guise, which has more recently also included his daughter Lyric. The line-up may have expanded, but the sound remains the same - uplifting gospel house with a very real sense of spirit. 'Right There' has dusty hi hat ringlets and warm organ stabs over an endlessly shuffling beat that will get clubs in raptures. 'Holy Ghost' then gets a little more bouncy with lively chords and clipped vocal yelps bringing the energy.

Review: Somewhat surprisingly, Floorplan's third album is not coming out on the M-Plant label established by founder Robert Hood, but rather Will Saul's Aus Music imprint. Either way, it's Hood and daughter Lyric's first Floorplan LP for three years and is full of spot-on techno treats. Those familiar with their style should know what to expect: big room ready loop jams that make extensive use of short, soulful samples, cheery electronics and lots of gospel influences. Highlights include the rubbery deep house/disco/techno fusion of "Oasis", the Terrence Parker style piano rush of "Brothers & Sisters", the stomping gospel techno insanity of "Song Like This!" (the album's standout moment) and the deeper, bluesy techno hypnotism of "I Try".

Review: ** FLOORPLAN REPRESS ** It's fair to say that this was one of the best Robert Hood moments in a while! Just two tracks but boy do they hit hard - "Altered Ego" is more brakey than the usual Hood bombs but he's kept the inimitable chords, all wailing and weaving their way through the beat. The real heat is on the flip however, where the nostalgic, rave-infused piano keys of "Confess" make for a certified classic! Is it Hood who influenced Shed on this sort of beat or the other way around? Who cares, it's bloody amazing!

Review: ** FLOORPLAN REPRESS ** Not content with releasing one of this year's best techno albums under his own name, Detroit producer Robert Hood turns his focus to his Floorplan alter ego. While it may not enjoy the same profile as Hood side-projects like The Vision and Monobox, it does provide an alternative to his repetitive metallic techno. Indeed, the title track is a jacking house workout centred on a disco loop and the chugging train sounds sampled so memorably on Telex's 'Moscow Disko'. 'Wall to Wall' is more in keeping with Hood's trademark techno, but here too, the harsh snares and ominous, prowling bassline are offset by a filtered disco groove.