DJs: Most Charted - Deep House - July 2011

Review: Delusions Of Grandeur make a stylish entrance into the album game with a sumptuous triple vinyl edition of the 6th Borough Project long player. One Night In The Borough sees Graeme and Craig drop a heady thirteen track selection that covers the sort of warm, low slung, expertly executed multi tempo music which sits between house and disco that the duo have received so much praise for. Stand out tracks include "BURT (The Journey)", a lovely slice of mid-tempo niceness that bumps and shakes in all the right places - the vocal is a killer! Matching this is the twilight house jam "Changin" with Deep Burnt style percussion backed by a killer modulated loop.

Review: A welcome return for both Prime Numbers and Linkwood - with the latter presenting three variations on the house theme in the first of two EPs due out this year on Trus'me's excellent label. "Dirty Love" calls shotgun, bossing the A Side with the sort of rough around the edges house flex that demands movement of your feet. Filled with alien noises that flutter around the searing burn, it's the multiplicity of rhythmic shifts that elevate this track into the realms of special. From the euphoric heights of the A Side, the flip transposes you to the murky depths of house music potential with two untitled jams channelling Larry Heard. "Untitled 2" in particular unfurls into something quite bewitching!

Review: MK is now a global house star, but it wasn't that long ago that he couldn't even DJ. Instead, he'd pioneered the dub house sound in the 90s then gone off to become a hip-hop super producer. One of those early gems he crafted was his dub of 'Given' back in 93. It got put out by fellow Detroit great Omar S in 2011 and even today is a crowd-pleasing favourite with the muted horn stabs and garage-inflected, dubbed-out beats. Once you add in Omar S's own 'Sarah', a raw analogue deep house cut with plenty of FXHDE hallmarks like dusty hi-hats and wonky synths and you have a brilliant 12" that is now available once more.

Review: When one of our favourite labels (read here: Dekmantel) calls on one of our favourite producers (read here: Vakula), it really does put us in a good mood. The on-fire Ukrainian opens proceedings his debut for the boutique Amsterdam based label with "Picture Of You", which unfurls majestically from a warm deep house joint with aquatic melodies and cosy pads to a certified end of night anthem - just wait for those stuttering keys to come in towards the end! "Acid Release" serves as the perfect foil to the grandiose opener, doing exactly what it says on the tin with a dusty bump ridden throughout. Flip over for the vaguely (but accurately) titled "Music", which features a killer female vocal turn that sounds like it was recorded at the bottom of a well. "Smooth Sketch" features some off kilter Theo style mindf*ck weirdness while "Johnny" picks up where "Music" left off with that memorable vocal, this time adding some lovely jazzy keys and superbly crafted chords to the sonic equation.

Review: Sound Signature are at it again with their dark, driving and jackin' grooves. Every time Theo Parrish decides a tune is worth pressing up nice and loud on vinyl, it's wise to pay attention. And so it proves here, with Chicago native Spekter dropping one-sided 12" "Pipe Bomb", a deadly and pounding excursion into the murkier corners of house music. It's not one for the faint hearted either, as an overwhelming sense of moodiness pushes ever forward, dripping in twisted samples and heavy techno kicks.

Review: Never have the words "hotly anticipated" been so apt. Ever since Ghostly International announced that they'd signed Mark E's debut album the hype has been steadily building. So is Stone Breaker any good? On the whole, yes. For starters, it's a very Mark E album. All the Wolverhampton producer's trademarks are present throughout - think loopy grooves, dark atmospheres, vaguely Balearic slow-house, sly disco samples and cute nods to long-forgotten Chicago house tracks. But there are also signs of development - see the ragging acid of "Belvide Beat" or the epic deep-jack of "Got To Get Me There" - and enough subtle changes of mood, tempo and melody to please all but the most cynical of critics.

Review: After two successful releases on German label Yore Records, Orlando Britain has now produced a four track follow up in the shape of Future Resist. "Contemplate" and "Back to 95" share the A-Side, riding with smooth currents of melodic Rhodes and analogue synths. On the flip, "Motor City" basks in its thudding bassline and heavenly rhythmic groove; uplifting and joyous, Orlando B has created a truly sparkling piece. "It Ain't Over" is all about tight jacking grooves and syncopated keys wrapped with luscious synth chords.

Review: Having already impressed with outings on Foto, ARP and their own Use Of Weapons, Deep Space Orchestra add Delusions Of Grandeur to their CV and deliver perhaps their most refined work to date. "Lo Pan" glides across the A Side, weaving between flourishes of Rhodes and analogue arps with a confidence that fully demonstrates their progression as a production unit. Underpinning all this is the constant groove of 808 kicks and Detroit that provides the all important rawness and momentum. The accompanying remix from Berlin duo Trickski drags "Lo Pan" into the lower reaches of muscular house movements, stripping proceedings back to a dramatic synth lead and neck crunching beat before unfolding into a groove that really gets under your skin - thanks in no small part to the added vocals. Deep Space Orchestra end proceedings on the hazed out "Disarm" which accrues a delightfully ethereal quality as it floats towards the run out groove. Fine work all round!

Review: MK is now a global house star, but it wasn't that long ago that he couldn't even DJ. Instead, he'd pioneered the dub house sound in the 90s then gone off to become a hip-hop super producer. One of those early gems he crafted was his dub of 'Given' back in 93. It got put out by fellow Detroit great Omar S in 2011 and even today is a crowd-pleasing favourite with the muted horn stabs and garage-inflected, dubbed-out beats. Once you add in Omar S's own 'Sarah', a raw analogue deep house cut with plenty of FXHDE hallmarks like dusty hi-hats and wonky synths and you have a brilliant 12" that is now available once more.

Review: Sound Signature are at it again with their dark, driving and jackin' grooves. Every time Theo Parrish decides a tune is worth pressing up nice and loud on vinyl, it's wise to pay attention. And so it proves here, with Chicago native Spekter dropping one-sided 12" "Pipe Bomb", a deadly and pounding excursion into the murkier corners of house music. It's not one for the faint hearted either, as an overwhelming sense of moodiness pushes ever forward, dripping in twisted samples and heavy techno kicks.

Review: Delusions Of Grandeur make a stylish entrance into the album game with a sumptuous triple vinyl edition of the 6th Borough Project long player. One Night In The Borough sees Graeme and Craig drop a heady thirteen track selection that covers the sort of warm, low slung, expertly executed multi tempo music which sits between house and disco that the duo have received so much praise for. Stand out tracks include "BURT (The Journey)", a lovely slice of mid-tempo niceness that bumps and shakes in all the right places - the vocal is a killer! Matching this is the twilight house jam "Changin" with Deep Burnt style percussion backed by a killer modulated loop.

Review: A welcome return for both Prime Numbers and Linkwood - with the latter presenting three variations on the house theme in the first of two EPs due out this year on Trus'me's excellent label. "Dirty Love" calls shotgun, bossing the A Side with the sort of rough around the edges house flex that demands movement of your feet. Filled with alien noises that flutter around the searing burn, it's the multiplicity of rhythmic shifts that elevate this track into the realms of special. From the euphoric heights of the A Side, the flip transposes you to the murky depths of house music potential with two untitled jams channelling Larry Heard. "Untitled 2" in particular unfurls into something quite bewitching!

Review: Having launched in fine style with the crazed Moodymann meets Dance Mania genius of Bakey USTL, Firecracker's Unthank offshoot keeps the focus squarely on Eastern Europe with some equally fine productions from a more celebrated entity. If this year is going to be dedicated to anyone, Ukraine's favourite son must surely be on the list - treating our ears and your hips to a veritable bounty of expert releases on numerous labels of high repute - Dekmantel, 3rd Strike and Ethereal Sounds to name but three. Anyone who has indulged in just one of the aforementioned releases should need no prompting to check this ten inch - with Vakula drawing on a surfeit of influences such as AFX, Claro Intelecto and DBX across the three untitled tracks. The A Side is where the deepness lies whilst the flip contains an expansive deviation into subaqueous, stripped down, hypnotic minimalism. Don't be expecting "A Tender Place" Mk2 but do expect to be seriously impressed.

Review: The brilliantly monikered Big Strick - familial elder to Omar S and responsible for the odd killer release on his younger cousin's FXHE imprint - belatedly sates the appetite of record collectors keen to indulge in his recent album Detroit Heat with a six track selection of the choicest cuts spread across this twelve inch. Seemingly drawing influence from a myriad of Motor City influences, Detroit Heat impressively flits between murky deep house, tracky techno and hypnotic jack-tracks. Like many of his contemporaries, Strick is a sucker for 'cement mixer' production - that distinctly Detroitian sound where every beat, groove or bassline sounds like the master tapes have been marinated in grit. That trademark sound, alongside a solid selection of floor-friendly grooves, makes Detroit Heat an excellent addition to the Motor City house canon. The rubbery spinal atmospherics of "Under Tone" and the Tony Coates vocally assisted jack of "Maybe 1 Day" are particular highlights!