Moomin

Review: The latest transmission from the luxuriant world of Smallville is a various artists collection that continues to weave elegiac tales via deep house means. Iron Curtis is up first with some plaintive acid in the form of "Daniel", which works pads and tender beats around the heartfelt squelch with grace. Moomin is a little more prominent in the beat department for "I Whisper A Prayer", while also feeding a hint of disco romance into a slow and simmering cut. Jacques Bon has his own acid tale to tell, and does so with a bigger nod to the jack but still keeping things respectable given the surroundings, leaving it to Rvds & Rau to happily float off on a buoyant throwdown in "Umbe Data", all positive chords and hopeful strings over a simple beat to show it's not all mournful in Hamburg.

Review: Having recently impressed with their contribution to the F*ck Reality series, Moomin returns to the comforting surrounds of long-time home Smallville Records. As usual, Aquarama sees him exploring the deeper, more melancholic side of house music, with typically impressive results. The headline attraction is undoubtedly a stellar rework of Peven Everett's 2001 soulful house classic "I Can't Believe I Loved Her", which Moonin has successfully turned into a misty-eyed chunk of melodious, bittersweet deep house bliss. In comparison, the other two tracks don't sparkle quite as much, but are still hugely enjoyable. The title track - all cyclical acid motifs, drifting vocal samples, shuffling beats and chiming melodies - is particularly tasty.

Review: Smallville present a deliciously hypnotic taste of what to expect from the forthcoming Moomin album, further showcasing the Berlin based producer's penchant for deeply driving house sounds. It's pretty difficult not to get swept up by the tender melodic sound at the core of "Sweet Sweet" which swings in and out of focus amidst some subtly effective drum rhythms. Flipside, the track is squeezed into what begins as a minimal shuffle by Oskar Offermann, before gradually unfurling into something jacking and euphoric. "The Game" is a swampy, pensive finale, with woozy deep lying melodies gently cascading around loose limbed syncopation.

Review: The second release on the amusingly titled Fuck Reality label comes from Smallville regular Moomin, AKA German producer Sebastian Genz. While flipsides "Room 207" and "Right On" are as deep, woozy, starry and twinkling as you'd expect from the long-established deep house producer, it's A-side "You Are Sweet Sweet" that will undoubtedly attract most attention. It's effectively an unofficial remix of Candi Staton's dancefloor anthem "You Got The Love", with the legendary vocalist's iconic vocal riding a chunky, organic deep house cut big on rolling, disco-influenced percussion, chiming melodies and rich chords. It's substantially different from the original, of course, but the familiarity of the vocal will ensure a great dancefloor response every time it's dropped.