Juno Recommends Deep House: July 2023

Review: When The Morning Comes has done a quick job of turning heads by setting out a nice atmospheric deep house sound with its first EP, and now a second effort does the same. This one comes from Grant who lays out an elegant vision across four cuts. 'Opportunity' kicks off with analogue grooves laid down beneath warming pads and loose piano chords. 'Tangible Steps' picks up the pace with a more bristling mix of drums, perc and raw Chicago claps and onto the flip, things get deep once more with the horizontal vibes of 'Golden Wisdom' and more wispy cosmic pads of 'Foward Motion Dub.' Co-produced with the help of Dan Piu.

Review: Legendary Chicago house vocalist Robert Owens remains one of the busiest men in the game - barely a week goes by without his name appearing alongside some new school artists looking for a slice of his original authenticity. Well, before he was such an in-demand guest he was turning out his own tunes, such as 'High Hopes' from all the way back in 1997 - already some ten years after his definitive work with Fingers Inc. This limited hand-stamped 12" reissue features the smooth, lo-fi deep house of the original and a super dub.

Review: The origins of these mysterious edits are not exactly known but word is they come from the northern regions of California. All five of them are super slick and timeless cuts that are suited to a wide range of different moments at any party. There's old early post-disco house on 'Not Midnight', more sleek cosmic fare on 'Summer House', loopy funk on 'High Feeling' and deeper grooves on 'Not Math.' We're reliably informed this is a super limited, hand numbered, one-time-only pressing so move fast. Big-time tastemakers 2manyDjs and Tim Sweeney have already been showing this one plenty of love, so you should too.

Review: Purveyor Underground Limited signs up one of house music's most notable names and early tastemakers here. The one and only BBQ king, famous cigar smoker and straight talking Chicago house great that is DJ Sneak captures a fine bit of form on these three jams. There's a loopy warmth to 'Betta House' that you never want to end, then 'Bounce More' pairs busy synth details with a cuddly and cavernous bassline as well as signature Sneak drums. 'Seven Spice Rubz' brings a little beat of heat to the floor with its amped up feels and tribal twist.

Review: (Emotional) Especial and Giraffi Dog join forces once more to offer up the second installment of their concept EP series. It is focussed on live and studio collaborations and this one comes in two halves: the first half kicks off with '6th Chakra' (feat DJ Deflektorschild) - a fully live deep house and hi-tek soul exploration with mind-expanding synths and Detroit drum sounds. 'King OTN' is a jack dup acid cut ripped with cosmic synth details and 'DX Metero' has sheet metal synths lashing about next to ethereal synths and busted drum breaks. 'Starfather' is a star-facing closer with elegant piano notes dancing over serene grooves. A vital showcase of this essential live artist.

Review: Well, well, well, we didn't expect this one: Radio Slave in piano house mode. The man who has made a career off dark, rolling, wall-rattling and proudly linear techno releases on his mighty Rekids label shows a totally different but equally essential side here. 'Strobe Queen' is a slow burning, slow-release pleasure built on low-slung mid-tempo drums and overlaid with glorious piano chords that speak of joy and happiness. Eric Kupper removes a little of the polish, ups the dust and adds his own vocal mutterings over the top for something more zoned out.

Review: 'Rainy Nights' is the debut release from Philippa, a talented producer and DJ from New Zealand. The EP is a homage to the 90s deep house sound, with four tracks that blend soulful samples, warm chords and groovy drums, and captures the mood of a rainy night with melancholic melodies and uplifting rhythms. Whether it's the jazzy vibes of the title track, the funky bass of 'Sneaking Out', to the piano-driven 'Come Rain Or Shine' or the vocal-led 'Nothing To Lose' - this is a promising debut by the rising Kiwi.

Review: The mighty and unmovable Toolroom offers up a snapshot of where it is at right now with a fifth volume of its Sampler series. The boss himself Mark Knight kicks off with a collaborative tune with Crusy: 'Daddy Shhh' is loopy, tribal, full flavour tech with jumbled drums and lots of buffed metal. Huxley's 'All I Need' is one of the UK producers warm house sounds, a smart vocal brings a sense of pain over simple but effective beats. Essel's 'Lennon' then brings peak time energy with strobe-lit synth sequences and churning drums, and Leftwing: Kody, James Hurr & I Jah shut down with 'Music Is The Medication', a muscular bumper with dub-wise vocals.

Review: .Crown is the long-awaited reunion of Kyle Hall and Steven Julien (Funkineven), two soulful visionaries who bridge the gap between Detroit and London. The LP showcases their unique blend of raw and organic beats, cosmic synths, and expressive vocals. From the hypnotic opener 'Page 1' to the understated late night deepness of 'Page 4' and the evocative blunted beats of closer 'Page 5' (Reggie B SciFonk Mix), Crown is a journey through the diverse and dynamic realms of electronic music. Fans of Hall's previous work and Julien's Funkinevil project will not be disappointed by this masterful collaboration that celebrates the essence of soul.

Review: Burnski's Constant Black keeps on serving up the heat with a new one from Michael James, who is something of a label regular by now. He kicks off here with 'Remember' featuring a rather iconic vocal sample that cannot fail to get crowds going. It's well worked over an infectious house beat with warming bass. 'Tequila' is another kinetic cut, this time with skewed synth lines and prickly percussion that is raw and tech-edged. Closing out this classy but party-starting EP is 'Remember Me' (version 2) which is a real pumper with twisted acid lines and a killer groove that is catchy as Covid. Another vital drop from this label, as always.

Review: Z Lovecraft AKA Rhythm Section International's Mali Baden-Powell, offers up four originals on the Utopia Club Tracks label that showcase the disco/house end of his varied output. 'Exotic Passage' coasts along serenely with gently slapped bongos and warm electric piano, definitely a weapon to have in one's warm up arsenal. 'Release (The Tension)' ups the heat a little with a busier bassline, filters and disco licks, before B-side opener 'Lust In Denial' comes with more jazz-slanted piano riffs and 'People Get Too Deep' closes proceedings with the most spacious and dubby arrangement of the quartet. Musically refreshing and understated but lively enough to move feet onto dancefloors, this is the business.

Review: Soul Clap have always dealt in their own brand of funk no matter whether they are serving up house or disco. They of course call it e-funk - a nod to their heroes George Clinton's p-funk - and it also provides their label with its name. This second volume of Detroit leaning e-funk is a faultless four tracker. Rick Wilhite's signature lo-fi sounds define 'Cheetah', the vital Ladymonix then brings the party, Soul Clap themselves join up with funk master Amp Fiddler and Jon Dixon completes the quartet with '4ever Searchin.'

Review: Doug Gomez brings all new level of artistry to this new album on Nervous. It's a collection of tracks that not only move the dance floor, but also work in a wider context thanks to their carefully infusion of Latin flair, rich percussive patterns and innovative Afro-tinged rhythms. Right from the off you will have your behind wiggling with the excellent 'New York State Of Mind' full of sunshine and salsa. Elsewhere there's the steamy and percussive Latin-house and gorgeous vocals of 'A Vida E' Boa, A Vida E' Sol'. 'Que O Amanha Vai Trazer' brings all new Accordion melodies and busy arrangements that enrich the soul. A timeless album from New York innovator Gomez.

Review: There can't be many house records that are as instantly recognisable as Bucketheads' 'The Bomb', a killer, mid-'90s Kenny 'Dope' Gonzalez production that mixed his own sweaty, bombastic, loose-limbed house beats (chopped and edited to provide instant dancefloor satisfaction) with snippets from Chicago disco classic 'Street Player'. You'll find that epic original version tucked away on the flipside of these reissue, with two previously unheard 'Massivedrum' remixes on the A. The EP opening 'Remix' places the original Chicager a chunker bassline and contemporary house beats, while the accompanying 'Dub' concentrates on the beats, bassline and the producer's own sneaky samples. Both new versions are decent, but Gonzalez's original mix is still hard to beat.

Review: Rooting the productions of Frits Wentink in one specific style has always been tough, primarily because he makes quirky, oddball house and techno numbers that draw inspiration from the dust-encrusted, sample-rich haziness of MPC-driven instrumental hip-hop. His latest EP, which arrives on the popular Bobby Donny imprint, is another boundary-blurring affair that's closest in tone and style to deep house, but is as far from 'standard' deep house as you'd expect. It's a great collection of cuts all told, with our picks being the bassline driven, alien-sounding unorthodoxy of 'You Talk Funny', the warped, mind-mangling tech-house-jazz of 'Forestation' and the deliciously hazy, hypnotic dub-house of 'Shred Bread'.