DJS: MOST CHARTED - DEEP HOUSE - MOST CHARTED IN OCTOBER 2014

Review: Dropping their first 12" in a hot minute, Session Victim are back on their regular haunt of Delusions Of Grandeur with a fresh EP of grooves that lays down a marker for their upcoming LP. "Never Forget" revels in hooky piano riffs, Rhodes licks and slices of soulful vocal with that effervescent party energy, while "Stick Together" ploughs a deeper furrow into bass-led realms without losing the sampleadelic approach they have made their name on. "Hyuwee" provides something of a diversion into slow and lazy realms with a more modern kind of vocal turn and some lovely rattling percussion for those lazy, sun-filled days (however far away they might be).

Review: Chesus seems to be in a happy place right now. Certainly, there's a confident and outgoing feel about his second outing for 4Lux under the Earl Jeffers alias. All four tracks feel like the product of enjoyable studio sessions, and almost bristle with celebratory release. "Jump", which recalls the disco-inspired bump of early '90s New York house whilst adding sturdier bottom end, leads the way. Following close behind is "Elevation", a carnival-friendly fusion of pounding percussion, snaking synths and booming bass. "Intergalactic Jam" is a warm and rich exercise in stargazing deep house, while the curious "Bootsy's Nightmare" is hard to pin down. Listen carefully, and you can hear influences from UK funky, UKG, kuduro and ultra-deep house.

Review: Melbourne producer Andras Fox seems to be mellowing with age. While there's always been a breezy Balearic bent to much of his material, it used to come wrapped in the standard trappings of dancefloor-friendly deep house. This extended EP/mini-album for Mexican Summer sees him in full-on Balearic mode, layering delay-laden guitars, new age melodies and dreamy chords over a variety of shuffling, soft focus rhythms. It's an enjoyably fresh and melodious set, all told, with audible nods to the likes of Ron Trent and Larry Heard, as well as the new age ambient house sound of Cloudface, Confused House and DK. Highlights are naturally plentiful, from the chiming beauty of "So Glad", to the Vangelis-ish pulse of "Mystic Beach".

Review: The Moods & Grooves Classics series - in which vintage, long deleted gems from the back catalogue get another airing - continues with a strong quartet of tracks from Kenny Dixon Jnr and Rick Wade. The two untitled tracks from Dixon, under his occasional KDJ moniker, originally slipped out way back in 2000. Both are superb, with the goodtime shuffle of "Untitled 2" (all jangly house pianos and looped disco-influenced grooves) just losing out to the slower, African-inspired "Untitled 1" in the "EP highlight" stakes. Wade's two contributions - deep, spacious, blazed and deliciously melodious - are taken from his 1999 Quantum Expression EP. Of these, it's the enveloping, jazz-flecked warmth of "Forever Night" that stands out

Review: Under the name Life Recorder, Marseille-based producer and selector Kriss Kortz has steadily built his profile over the past few years, with some high profile appearances on Aesthetic Audio, Bokhari and Appian Sounds wedged in his discography. The latest Life Recorder transmission comes via Soul Print Recordings, and sees the two original A Side productions complemented by a clutch of Simoncino reworks. Both "Hope In The Soul" and "Night Moves" are redolent of the brand of deep house Kurtz has been developing across his output with the former particularly dreamy. It's "Hope In The Soul" that Simoncino devotes his attention to on the B Side with three differing reworks that climax with the sublime Morning mix.

Review: With a title like Annoying Mumbling Alkaholik, you'd expect this three-tracker from the mighty Alex "Omar" Smith to be full of pent-up anger and bitter frustration. Sure, there's a raging rawness about the third track - an undulating trip into spiraling acid territory - but for the most part the EP is a beacon of simple beauty. The opening track is particularly picturesque, with beautiful, new-age influenced melodies and immersive pads riding a cymbal-heavy Detroit deep house groove. There's more Mood Hut/Future Times style synth work on the Tangerine Dream influenced "Track 2", which contrasts deep, sun-kissed melodic loops with a fuzzy drum machine groove.

Review: London duo Nummer's 12" debut Beyond Time Interpretations offered a decidedly astronomical approach to techno. Here, they transfer this approach to deep house, delivering a quartet of pleasingly cosmic cuts that attractively flutter with melodious elements and distinct hints of Detroit style tech-jazz. "Scion" opens proceedings, sounding like a more jazz-inclined take on Space Dimension Controller. The ambient "Marvin" is pleasingly deep and woozy, while "Closed Time Loop" hisses and fizzes with Motor City soul. "Moon To Jupiter", meanwhile, has the melodic twinkle and dreamy sensibility of some of Telephones' recent output, albeit with the added allure of analogue deep house grooves.

Review: Having previously surfaced on Stripped & Chewed with the highly limited "We Don't Need No Music (Thank You Rahaan)" track back in 2012, The Black Madonna brings the sought after jam back to the Chicago based label backed by another two tracks to hold the greedy second hand sellers at bay. "Exodus" is a worthy accompaniment with its simmering disco tones worked into a thoroughly contemporary context, while the aforementioned re-release takes a more classical approach to disco editing in an essential and dreamy style. "What Do You Need?" too keeps the tone distant and enrapturing, holding the tension to breaking point before working some rough analogue elements into the mix.

Review: Chez Damier's Golden Child is back with 3 brand new slammin tracks straight out of the deep depths of dance music. This special limited edition release shelters some of Brawther's most innovative and forward thinking music, yet retaining that timeless and classic touch that the frenchman is known for. While the A side's "Come Inside" draws you into it's realm and pounds you harder and deeper, the B side's "VXVXVX" versions take you on a rotating journey inside brawther's mind. There will be no repress of this collector's edition so snap it while you can or cry like a baby.

Review: The world of underground dance music may seem to be fracturing into ever-smaller subdivisions, but it's fair to say that no matter what your disposition is, the arrival of a new record from Sam 'Floating Points' Shepherd is generally something to be celebrated by all, especially given his last release was the single-sided Wires record last year. Naturally arriving via his own Eglo Records, the two track King Bromeliad is vintage Floating Points and offers two distinct sides to the Sam Shepard production palette. The title track commences with what could feasibly be a field recording of people gathered outside Plastic People before a rousing rhythm of jazz infused house comes bumping in and has you hooked for the next eight minutes. It's more than matched by the epic "Montparnasse" which exudes a more electronic approach over 11 heavenly minutes. Yes Sam!

Review: Hot on the heels of Floating Points' excellent King Bromeliad EP - a belated return to his deep house roots smothered in tactile jazz - comes this one-sided 12" single. "Sparkling Controversy" is a previously unreleased dub of "ARP3" from 2011's expansive double-EP Shadows. While the original saw Sam Shepherd recalling Moodymann's greatest deep jazz-house moments, "Sparkling Controversy" has a little more of a garage-flecked bounce. The warm Rhodes chords, darting synths and dewy-eyed melodies that marked out the original track are still present, and perfectly compliment Shepherd's warm, tooled-up rhythm. Its every bit as immersive and touchy-feely as the 2011 original, just a little weightier, with added punch to the percussion.

Review: **Repress** Right now, pretty much everything Vancouver crew Mood Hut touches turns to audible gold. Here, they deliver another stunner, this time from Pender Street Steppers man Jack Jutson. The real killer here is 11- minute flipside "Something (On My Mind)", a delightfully loose and fuzzy chunk of analogue deep house built on jazz-house percussion, snaking saxophones, immersive chords and golden melodies. Honestly, it's superb. There's more stunning sweetness in the shape of "Looking Forward To You", with its sensual spoken vocal and eyes-wide-shut positivity, and "Take it 2 the Edge", an undulating chunk of hazy broken house replete with enveloping pads, razor-sharp cymbals and drifting vocal samples.

Review: Those who heard Harvey Sutherland's excellent debut EP for Echovolt, Edges EP, will be familiar with his trademark sound - a toasty, analogue style take on deep house marked out by jazz-funk chord progressions, warming synthesizer melodies and shuffling grooves. He changes the script a little on this EP for Voyage Recordings, though there's still plenty of seductive deep house to enjoy (most notably opener "Oscillate" and the Inskwel style, boogie-influenced loveliness of "Bamboo"). Where the EP really comes into its own, though, is when he tries a different tack. "Old Wars" sounds like Moon B's electrofunk explorations wrapped in a snuggly duvet, while "Close Quarters" successfully fixes Herbie Hancock style synth melodies to loose, cymbal heavy beats.

Review: Wolf Music White No. 4 arrives and it's another heavyweight line up with the masterful Ron Basejam and Chicago Damn sharing sides. Up top Mr Basejam is on fine form with "Dipping In" a near perfectly judged slice of dancefloor delight that will work as a perfect bridge between disco and house cuts. His Crazy P pardner Danielle Moore adds that extra element of delight with her soulful vocals atop. Down below Chicago Damn makes his second Wolf appearance with "High All Night", a killer house cut that applies a similar vocal sample to Marco Shuttle's "The Vox Attitude" to a booming rhythm made up of rolling drums and cut up disco loops. Typical Wolf quality through and through

Review: According to a recent interview he did with Resident Advisor, Gilles Aiken's second album - his debut dropped on White back in 2012 - was inspired by listening to 70's and '80s punk, new wave and new age music. While these influences aren't always that obvious on Into a Better Future, there are certainly glimpses of each within its pleasing mix of off-kilter deep house, bleep-heavy jams and ambient interludes. The dusty production style and moody atmosphere, prevalent throughout, does have a post-punk feel, though. Regardless, it's an impressive set, with highlights including the early Orbital style breakbeat shuffle of "Hecstatic" and the future voodoo density of "Let's Go".

Review: The man behind the End Of Level Boss label, Cyclonix, delivers 2 club tracks just the way we like them. Already tried and tested in the clubs by our man Cottam, who fell in love with the tracks on first listen. They demand to be played in the early hours of the morning in dark basements from Nottingham to Leyland and beyond.
Label boss Cottam takes over the B side with a leisurely walk back from the supermarket taking the scenic route for no apparent reason.

Review: DJ Qu - AKA New York-based producer Ramon LIsandro Quezada - has been doing his thing since the mid-2000s, delivering spacey deep house cuts that join the dots between the soulful warmth of Glenn Underground and the far-sighted futurism of Detroit techno. There's more stargazing fare to be found on his latest EP. "Raw 7" has a real sci-fi feel, with alien synths melodies and outer-space stabs riding a powerful, cymbal-driven rhythm. "Untitled (High Life)" is a little more relaxed, with picturesque electronic melodies complimenting a dense, afro-influenced house groove. It's floor-friendly enough, but positive enough for home listening, too. Finally, "Soma" is thrillingly deep, transporting listeners to the far reaches of the galaxy via endless chords and shuffling percussion.

Review: Minuendo presents "Between Earth and Space" MND28#331 new various artists, 12" limited edition, hand numbered, vinyl only & no repress.
Contains tracks by Joey Kay, artist from Chicago for second time he returns after previous work at "Keep The Face" now he presents two tracks "I Wonder" beautiful vocal deep house soulful and "In A Trance" techno tool for the dance floor.
Spanish producer Jesus Gonsev owner of Troubled Kids presents "Seppuku" a deep house groove made in Spain. Finally debuting on Minuendo representing Swiss artists, Allstar Motomusic feat Nicole B artist from DeepArt Sounds presents "Little Trinidadian Girl" 100% Chicago house sounds, real flute and vocal, a perfect track to play or listen.

Review: With a decent if erratic back story in roaming, explorative deep house, Darand Land resurfaces to inaugurate the Urban Imagery imprint with his dulcet tones, and it's not hard to tell he has released previously for the likes of Downbeat. There is a fulsome New York thump to the production, not least in the rounded drum sounds, but this is all about plush pad tones and soothing bass, not least on opening track "Of The Time". "Smoky Soul" has a jazzier feel without losing that soft focus appeal, and "Luv Rekindling" too has its own distinct character, but for fans of heavy-lidded deep house all three tracks are going to enchant and delight in equal measure.

Review: Anaxander is often at his best when exploring vintage inspirations, be they early deep house cuts, gnarled acid house or analogue box jams. This EP for Tasteful Nudes has a whiff of hardware about it, and is all the better for it. There are various moods on display, from the Mr Fingers bass and bittersweet chords of "An Orderly Life" to the Local Talk-ish locked-in grooves of "Love Crowd" - all mutant organs and sparse but tough rhythms. Arguably best of all, though, is the icy "An Unexpected Encounter", which laces drowsy, deep space chords and sparse bleep melodies over an early Chicago deep house style groove.

Review: Marcel Vogel and Intimate Friends seems to be an equation that always results in vinyl bliss - see last year's inaugural seven inch from the label which had input from Vogel along with Jordan Czamanski, Ruf Dug and other talented friends. Expanding matters to the 12" format for this third release only means there is more room to fill with sonic excellence and Vogel is clearly up to the task. It's a diverse affair with four takes on "Doin' It", with the predominant mood on the A Side soul heavy and dubby on both the original and refix from African Shakedown's Noema. The 12" is fairly ruled by the flipside refix from NY AK however, with the UK producer recasting the original as dusty Detroit influenced house!

Review: Asok's Scenery imprint continues to go from strength to strength, with the boss man following up Bantam Lions' recent Recollections EP with a single of his own. "Hunter" is undoubtedly the Liverpool-based producer's strongest track yet, with woozy, soft-focus chords and alien electronics riding a dusty, analogue-rich groove. As with much of the label's recent output, there are distinct hints of Mood Hut, Future Times and Mister Saturday Night. Experienced producer Versalife reworks the title track, turning it into a blissful chunk of Drexciya-style electro. Flip to the B-side for "Cabal", an ultra-deep and occasionally discordant concoction, and the fuzzy, Detroit-influenced bounce of "Millennium 2.2".

Review: Liverpool-based producer Bantam Lions has long been part of the Scenery Records family, helping label boss ASOK launch the imprint with 2012's One To One EP. Here he returns with his third 12" for the label. Lead cut "Recollections" is particularly good, delivering a deep and attractive fusion of fuzzy analogue warm, dreamy melodies and intoxicating chords. He ups the tempo further on "Many Years Later". Which layers dubbed-out chords and swirling textures over an energy-packed techno groove. The accompanying remixes are pretty tasty, too, with The Cyclist particularly impressing with his Detroit techno-goes-lo-fi interpretation of "Recollections". That said, the dreamy, new age-influenced downtempo take from Mood Hut regular Cloudface is pretty darn good, too.

Review: Having previously impressed on Argot and Home Taping Is Killing Music with her blends of evocative deep house and floor-friendly Chicago rhythms, The Black Madonna tries a different approach on this debut for the recently launched Night Owl Diner label. You could certainly describe both tracks as "Balearic", and there's a real air of wide-eyed positivity about the tumbling melodies, swirling synth-strings and mid-80s pop production of head-nodding deep house cut "Stay". It's pretty darn tasty, all told. Almost as good is "Requiem", which appears to be built around a loop lifted from Cherrelle and Alexander O'Neal's "Saturday Love" (with, of course, additional synths and tuneful electronics).