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: Sebastian Genz's third full length this time around is surprisingly not released via Hamburg's Smallville (an imprint he's a known staple of) nor his own Closer Music - rather, it's for London deep house merchants Wolf Music. The Yesterday's Tomorrow LP is said to see the Berlin based artist go back to his roots, revisiting his early influences such as hip-hop and jungle, mixed with the sample driven house he's become renowned for. Deep and dusty late-night emotions await you on "Daysdays" and "In Our Lifetime", a soulful/jazzy kinda something on "Maybe Tomorrow", the liquid drum & bass of "Move On" (which calls to mind the mid-'90s glory days when Alex Reece and Peshay reigned supreme) or the blunted urban blues of "949494". it's a compelling listen from start to finish.