RALPH SESSION Vinyl & CDs

Review: Feelgood garage house with a touch of synth clavichord from DJ Fudge and Ralph Session, teaming up with singer Chinua Hawk for a rousing, string-dousing new single through Groove Culture. Here we're assured of the carat value of life, and Fudge and Sessions' appraisal is as generous as you'd hope any antiques dealer would be about your grandfather's wedding ring, with lustrous strings and belting vocals suggesting confident self-determination and regality (the NYC dub, by comparison, is much loopier, riffing on the French house feel nascent in the A).

Review: NYC DJ, studio engineer and all-round house head Ralph Session continues his fine form on a return to Quintessentials, having previously come up with the goods on the likes of Freerange and Exploited, among others, in his burgeoning but solid career to date. In keeping with previous efforts, he shows a deft touch when it comes to riding the four/four pulse here, kicking off with titular track 'Mad Deep'. Here, heavy Motor City chords power over tough drum rhythms, with moody strings and spoken word vocals adding to the tension. OG producer Jerome Sydenham steps up with an affectionate remix, with jaunty overdubs helping to subtly reframe the track while staying true to the floor-focused intention. Closing cut 'Sway' adds a touch of filtered funk, with phasing strings, determined chords and distant vocals combining over a pleasantly swung rhythm.