Juno Recommends Deep House November 2021

Review: Global dance music superstar Peggy Gou comes back with a second super summer single that is widely infused with her own distinctive influences. Chiefly, that is a love of 90's dance anthems, which was rekindled in her during downtime during the pandemic. Released via her own Gudu Records, 'I Go' is a catchy, singable bit of throwback dance-pop with her own vocals front and centre. The old school beats and bass will get any party pumped, with the synth work looks to the cosmos and explores a very different vibe to her previous single. An instrumental and acappella are also included on this lovely 12".

Review: Following up last year's production with Baltimore techno legend Maurice Fulton on 'Jigoo', the next release on Gudu is the first of two songs by label boss Peggy Gou that she will release over the coming months. Her first single in over two years, it translates to 'Butterfly' and is another collaboration. This time with fellow Korean sensation OHHYUK who is the lead singer and guitarist in the band Hyukoh. 'Nabi' is a downtempo, pop-inflected number said to be inspired by '80s synth classics and '90s Korean songs that Gou's mother used to play at home during her childhood.

Review: Norm Talley has put together a second volume of his Unity series on his own label Upstairs Asylum. It features his nearest and dearest from Chicago and Detroit, all of whom of course serve up perfectly smoky and stripped back deep house and techno grooves to make you move. Delano Smith's characteristic loops lock you in from the off on 'Big City Nights,' Norm himself pairs dub techno chords with suggestive techno stabs that keep you on edge and Brian Kage's 'Poly-Phonic Phonk' is heady, dreamy, richly melodic house bets listened to in a cosy back room at 4 am.

Review: Coming off a successful transatlantic exchange, Brian Kage and his Michigander label keep the momentum, and the collaborative spirit, moving with an EP that hits closer to home. For any Detroit artist, working with Delano Smith would be on the bucket list, as one of the city's original, more influential DJs - before the D developed any of its "waves" - who would come into his own as a producer later to, once again, help mold the Techno City's sound. Make no mistakes about it, this tastemaker had a ripple effect back before techno even had a name, when it was just "progressive" music and mixing. The thing is, the feeling of admiration and respect here is mutual, from the moment Smith first stumbled across one of Kage's records and had to know who was making these sounds. This meeting of the minds happened organically and timely, with Keep 'em Movin' as the result.

Review: Slow Life label head and cult house artist Laurine finally lands on her own hugely influential label with more of the forward thinking sounds it has become so well known for. This time out there is the high octane cosmic house pump of 'TOSDL' to get things going. 'Dr Gold' layers in the far-sighted cosmic pads and fluttering snares to get you on your toes and racing through the clouds then 'Catch The Flow' brings a nice off balance beat with turbo-charged bass. It's melodic, colourful, slick. 'Nobody Knows' closes out this good-time but classy EP with more mellifluous melodies and surging, vital beats that just make you want to cut loose.

Review: Northern Irish duo Bicep has built their production career on blending, repackaging and reimagining classic house influences. It's little surprise, then, to find that this latest 12" does the same. Hammer collaboration "Dahlia" sets the tone, combining the bold pianos of vintage Italian house with the kind of dreamy pads and snappy drum machine rhythms that recall the Halcyon days of late '80s/early '80s Balearic house. There's more of a sweaty warehouse feel about "Rays" - all yelping female vocal cuts, booming garage bass and skipping beats - while "Seagulls" sits somewhere between the two tracks, offering both bottom-end bump and eyes-closed sweetness.

Review: Spanish label Saft welcomes back the masterful LA beat maker Dam Funk for another EP in his Architecture series. This is the third and final volume and is another one jam packed with red hot late night house. As always, the chords are lo-fi here, and the mood captures that feeling of riding a bike down an LA street as the sun sets in the distance (not that we've ever done that, but we can dream.) The boogie bass, the hip sinning claps, the off-grid hits and kicks are all perfectly deep and seductive. Even though these are essentially simple loop tracks, those loops are so delicious you never want them to end.

Review: One of, if not the, most influential label's in dance music celebrates the milestone of three decades in the business here with this part of a compilation series featuring some of their greatest hits. Originally founded in 1989 by Mark Finkelstein and Gladys Pizarro, Strictly Rhythm tapped directly into the fertile New York underground and after hours club scene of the time, launching the recording careers of many. 30 Years Of Strictly Rhythm Part One includes classics such as on the second summer of love vibe on Code 718's 'Equinox' (Heavenly club mix), the pure euphoria of CLS' 'Can You Feel It' (a Todd Terry production from 1992), to such timeless anthems like Hardrive's addictive 'Deep Inside' and what's arguably one of the most mental acid techno tracks of all time Wink's 'Higher State Of Consciousness' (Tweekin Acid Funk). Absolutely essential!

Review: Felipe Gordon is a core part of the Shall Not Fade label and he brings some super sweet jazz vibes to this crucial new 12". 'Analog Only' is pure Detroit soul, with bumping kicks and skyward synths that bring the cosmic rays. Showing his range, 'Continuous Develop' is a more leggy and funk-fuelled cut with more great chord work and 'Keepin' It Jazz' puts the mad keys front and centre, with lively hits and kicks underscoring the good-time vibes. Things slip back into a deeper groove akin to the work of Alton Miller on 'Looking Your Reflection In The Water' while 'What You Say?' closes on warm, romantic vocal house. Excellent EP.

Review: Sample-house maestro Nebraska (real name Alistair Gibbs) has released some of his most potent material of recent years on Friends & Relations, an imprint he established in 2016 in order to promote DJ tools, loop jams and future disco-house anthems. Your Love Is True, his first outing of 2021, is another excitable, peak-time ready gem. The standout is probably French Touch-style disco-house jam 'Your Love Is True', though the accompanying dub, which makes more of his superb percussion programming and douses many musical elements in pleasing amounts of delay, is our highlight. Over on the flip he showcases his stoned, downtempo side via the drowsy chords, trippy vocal samples and soft touch beats of 'Fuis', before brilliantly re-imagining it as an ultra-deep house workout on 'Espace Fuis'.

Review: Sneaky remix action alert! We're not sure who DSO is (or are) - internet searches come up blank - but the two tracks on this 12" genuinely hit the spot. A-side 'Love You More' puts a new spin on the Sade classic of the same name, adding the '80s soul star's vocals to a hypnotic deep house groove, dreamy chords and occasional flecks of wine bar saxophone. Over on the flip the shadowy remixer(s) offer-up a radically different new take on Erykah Badu's 1997 hip-hop soul gem 'Apple Tree', reimagining it as a rolling chunk of deep house warmth. It's basically soul-fired, 21st century hip-house with enough depth and atmosphere to please deep house heads.

Review: Groove Access is back with a split EP by Dan Ryan & Ed Nine. Dan Ryan starts off the A-side with the cosy bassline of 'New Home', the track traversing down a path full of punchy stabs, atmospheric vocal textures and a unique key change to boot. 'Fuzzy Tape Dreams' is next up, setting out to hypnotize you with bouncy bass, crunchy drums, hazy 909 rides and pads that sound like they were run through your grandma's old transistor radio. Ed Nine takes over the B-side with 'Another Day'. Starting off with a glowing intro, we're quickly led into a floor banging groove, followed by a dreamy push and pull chord progression. Then, as an encore, 'Distant Reality', all knocking kick, dancing percussion and throwback brass.

Review: Sean McCabe's work has formed a solid backbone for Dave Lee's Z Records in the last couple of years. He has a fresh disco style that pairs the old with the new in essential ways. For this new 12" he teases his new album with a sampler of four reworks and remixes. His take on 'Now What' is deep and glossy, then he takes The Blackbyrds' 'Mysterious Vibes' in a slick and soulful deep house direction complete with standout lead sax. The deep house mood continues on the 'Timeline' remix chi has late night keys and exudes real warmth. Last of all is a fantastic broken beat workout that is lush and jazzy.

Review: Worldship Music is proud to present a special 7" release to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the classic Rudiments EP. A hand-stamped, limited edition white label will be made available exclusively at select outlets. The two tracks taken from the EP are Sun Fist Rising and You Ain't Really Down, are both given a DJ edit to maximize fidelity for a 45.

Review: Mirrors is Armand Jakobsson aka DJ Seinfeld's first LP release on Ninja Tune. The acclaimed Swedish producer has stated that he wanted to retain a lot of the raw emotionality that brought people to his music in the first place, and is a real statement of where he is as a producer at present. From the pop-inflected breaks of opening cut "She Loves Me" featuring vocalist Stella Explorer, to the deep and emotive mood music served up on "U Already Know" featuring Teira to the glassy-eyed and bittersweet journey into the ethereal that is "These Things Will Come To Be", Jakobsson once again displays his knack for splendid melodies, killer basslines and immaculately programmed rhythms that have been central to his success in recent years.

Review: Second chapter of the 'Inside' series of various artists eps selected by Neroli's very own Volcov. This time with a more eclectic approach than the previous volume, exploring more electronic landscapes with Domu's downtempo ambience song aptly titled 'Point Of Entry' and Jamal Moss's unmistakable sound on his opus 'Black Hands Sound 63' on the first side. On the flipside Mother Tongue's own Patrick Gibin returns with another bouncing collaboration with Kaidi Tatham entitled 'Don't Read' and new upcoming wonder producer EDB serves 'You Bring Me Joy' with the help of Alberto Lincetto on keys and NTS resident Marshmello on vocals!

Review: Brazil-based synth funk wizard Skymark aka Modern Sun Records founder Marc Friedli turns out endless amounts of sun worshipping musical goodness. The likes of Theo Parrish often reach for his dazzling gems, and now we treated to a remix form fellow house hero Mike Huckaby. The late, great Detroit producer flips 'Easy Saturday Night' into a deep rooted roller his trademark disco tinged loos limbed drums, surging chord work and a muffled vocal that brings an interplanetary vibe. It's a killer remix from the sorely missed artist.

Review: Ross From Friends is now firmly part of the house establishment, and part of the reason is because of his essential early EPs. This is one of them and it came on the Lobster Theremin label all the way back in 2016. Already by the time of release the tracks had made their mark on global dance floors and to this day they still bang. The heart-aching samples and subtle synth work of 'Talk To Me You'll Understand' bring nagging emotional feels and lo-fi drum work to the dance floor, 'Gettin' It Done' is all nostalgic vapourware synth washes and fuzzy old school drums and closer 'Bootman' brings a gorgeous R&B sample to the table.

Review: Israeli tech house hero Guy Judah runs the Bedrock affiliated label Lost & Found out of Antwerp, Belgium these days. For its latest offering The Lost Remixes, Guy J is joined by ethereal deep house expert Jonas Saalbach who lends his midas touch to "Catfish" which is an evocative and mesmerising journey into the aether which will have you amazed. Over on the flip, Judah's fellow countryman Khen gets in on the remix action as well, delivering a slinky and hypnotic rendition of Budakid & Jamie Stevens' "Story Of Tokay" which delves into the deep, full of exotic tones and meditative rhythms.

Review: You can always trust in the quality of house music carried by Inner Shift. As a long standing label pursuing a sincere and emotive strain of 4/4, they've carried the work of a huge number of high grade artists since 2012, and the trend continues with their second Collective Continents VA release. Opening things up, Mark Hand unfurls more of his exquisite, Rhodes-licked vibes, while Platform 001 offers up a more subliminal, stripped and bumping groove. G-Prod takes things into the distance with the pad-soaked dreamstate of 'Horizon', and Leo Gunn digs into something dusty and lounge-geared with the outstanding warm-up cut 'Aheeoo'.

Review: Chad Pulley first appeared on Nigel Hayes and Vincent Inc's Astrolife in 2019 with a digital-only release, and now he returns with vocalist Natalia Kissoon on the sweet and soulful 'Windows'. The original version is steeped in bluesy Rhodes and a bubbly rhythm section working away behind Kissoon's voice, but there's also plenty more versions to savour as well. First up is a crisp and bumping version from deep techno veteran John Beltran, who offers up a plethora of bleeps and pads behind a classic 909 shuffle. Hayes takes things in a deeper direction which stays true to Pulley's original, and then there's a beautifully suspended beatless version to close the record out for those who want to simply revel in Kissoon's lyrics.

Review: Germany's Editor Amore label continues to serve up lovable edits on hand stamped 12"s. This one kicks off with Lee Stefano & Simone Lebon's take on 'Dolci Emozioi.' It is a big, acid tinged and spangled disco tune with a chugging groove that slowly but surely works you into a lather. On the flip side, things grow a little more loose and playful as Jakobin & Domino link up to edit 'Amore In Fuga.' It's a delay-drenched, fat bottomed disco stomper with big vocals and plenty of lush strings.

Review: Launched this year, London-based Faith is the Defected sub-label run by scene veterans Terry Farley, Stuart Patterson and Dave Jarvis and is now into its third installment. This one comes from legend Reginald 'Rheji' Burrell under the Avant Garde alias which he used for one release on Nu Groove back in 1991. The Burrelll Brothers have been staples in the records boxes of the Faith crew for some time, and they are honored to present this release. The Perpetuity EP features four classic deep house expressions that are a zeitgeist of a golden era in the genre - indeed it's the early '90s that they are most reminiscent of - and we were pleasantly surprised that they're all new productions.

Review: It's always hard to second-guess Snips, a New York producer, beat-maker and remixer whose Barbershop label is as eclectic as they come. In recent times he's treated us to an epic, hip-hop style instrumental mixtape, modern jazz reworks and a massive soulful house number on Classic. So, what has he got for us this time round? Two fine revisions of noughties neo-soul nuggets, that's what. First up he has his way with a Prince-esque number, adding weighty sub-bass and house-not-house beats to the original's acoustic guitars and punchy brass. He's in smooth, soulful deep house mode on the flip, delivering a tidy and tasteful tweak of an old Erykah Badu gem.

Review: Kamarads Records is finally back and presents its second release made with four European producers from France & Italy, Jef K, icon of the Parisian house has collaborated on a track with Ilyes from the new generation of electronic producers based in France and you will also find Reda Dare who you already know, an important component of the new landscape of French house.

For Italians: Nicola Brusegan, ambassador and prolific producer of a fresh and romantic vintage deep house, made of analog synths and Mpc grooves and textures from Venice, and Laurent Ci who produced more of a minimalist house tinted with Romanian atmosphere and atmospheres.
The second Kamarads reference will be a Vinyl Only.

Review: Francis K remains a legend to this day and his music will always be well received whenever it is reissued. It was pioneering tackle back then and it remains a cut above the rest to this day. Here his FK EP is in the spotlight on Wave Music. It opens with the rapturous vocals of 'Hypnodelic' (feat Freddie Turner) before going for jacked up space beats on 'Mindspeak.' 'Edge Of Time' is a freaky tribal number for the dead of night with plenty of cosmic chords, and last of all 'Moov' explores deep house beats with new age melodies. Hard to categorise, easy to love, this is classic electronic music.

Review: Mirrors is Armand Jakobsson aka DJ Seinfeld's first release on Ninja Tune. The acclaimed Swedish producer has stated that he wanted to retain a lot of the raw emotionality that brought people to his music in the first place, and is a real statement of where he is as a producer at present. From the pop-inflected breaks of opening cut "She Loves Me" featuring vocalist Stella Explorer, to the deep and emotive mood music served up on "U Already Know" featuring Teira to the glassy-eyed and bittersweet journey into the ethereal that is "These Things Will Come To Be", Jakobsson once again displays his knack for splendid melodies, killer basslines and immaculately programmed rhythms that have been central to his success in recent years.