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

Review: Theo Parrish lays down a marker for a long overdue fifth album, apparently due out later this year, with the sublime Footwork 12". Named in reference to the dance as opposed to the breakneck offshoot of Ghetto House, "Footwork" is a sublime slab of Theo with many of his trademark production touches. Think lightly brushed percussion, meandering bassline that juts out with an odd funk, and subtle yet sumptuous musical touches, all topped off by a gruff "let me see your footwork baby" croon. Those Theo fans out there that like the man to get a bit rugged will be all over "Tympanic Warfare" too, where off the grid polyrhythms cannon around the channels, augmented by an ugly bassline and dexterous keys.

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: Amsterdam-based graphic designer turned producer Young Marco has previously shown hints of greatness, most notably with a pair of superb 12" singles on ESP Institute that layered picturesque melodies atop huggable analogue grooves. Here, he delivers his debut album, Biology, and it's every bit as warm, imaginative and luscious as his previous work. Each of the album's seven tracks is something of a gem, from the crystalline, new age house of "Sea World" and Vangelis Katsoulis-inspired ambience of "Out of Wind", to the Italo-influenced dancefloor pulse of "Suzaku" and rush-inducing, synth-heavy brightness of "Can You Really Feel It". It's one of those albums that will brighten up even the dreariest of days, and those sets are arguably few and far between.

Review: Genius Of Time and Running Back seems like such a perfect fit you wonder why the Swedish duo haven't graced Gerd Janson's label before now. It might be because Alexander Berg and Nils Krough aren't exactly the most prolific of duos when it comes to original material with only three EPs to their name since they inaugurated the Aniara project in such sublime fashion back in 2010. Fans of Genius of Time and John Talabot's DJ Kicks mix have added reason to engage in some vociferous rejoicing as the former's sublime offbeat number "Juno Jam" contribution to the latter release is centre stage on this 12". In addition to the A Side bliss of that Berg and Krough slip in two more percussive numbers on the flip which Running Back quite rightly point out would make "Joe Claussell proud".

Review: After several collaborative releases with Melchior Sultana, 12 Records boss Deep88 celebrates reaching the cat no 1210 by opening up some of these productions to some high profile remixes. To call getting a remix from Ben Cenac's Dream 2 Science project a coup is an understatement and anyone who enjoyed his genre defining self-titled release that was reissued by Rush Hour will certainly find much appeal in the New Yorker's sumptuous take on "Nightwave". Rising Australian producer Andras Fox remixes "Yo House" with the results pleasantly quirky and rather woozy, whilst Deep88 and Sultana close out proceedings with a new production in "100% Kamelwolle".

Review: Given the "contemporary classic" status of Danilo Plessow's Raw Cuts series - arguably a string of 12" singles that helped redefine deep house for a new generation - the announcement of a surprise remix 12" is enough to make even the most level-headed DJs go weak at the knees. Pleasingly, said remixers more than live up to the hype. Marcellus Pittman's version - smooth and deep, but with enough raw disco cut-ups and wonky Detroit swing to impress those who like it raw - is particularly good, though Mike Huckaby's locked-in deep house groover is not far behind. There's also a superb version from Recloose, whose crackly, shuffling beats, sweeping pads and soulful vocal samples recall his earliest productions for Planet E.

Review: Leipzig label Rose Records continue with their quest to offer up music that explores their shared passion for "disco, the cheese of the '80s, the warmth of house music and everything made with love" and offer a full debut to Martin Hayes. One of several contributors to the label's previous split releases, the Leipzigite definitely feels comfortable with having a full 12" to work with on the basis of the five tracks here. Like previous Rose releases, don't expect straight up house music as Hayes slips through moments of drum heavy funk, sample laden hip hop and glistening disco in amidst the two tracks that will please fans of MCDE's Raw Cuts transmissions.

Review: There's an embarrassment of contemporary house riches to be enjoyed on the second edition of Music Is Love's Lovebox series, with a sizable contingency from the UK stable of deep house troopers. There's soothing funky tones from Mr KS, nifty broken beat delights from Cassio Kohl and Tuccillo, and rough-shod party-starters from U Know The Drill and Jackson Ryland. The diversity across the four sides is pleasing to see, and there's no shortage of fresh ideas from the likes of Liam Geddes with his distinct shuffle on "Untitled" to Oli Furness' off-centre approach to rave tropes in house music.

Review: Big release here for the Kolour Limited series who've scooped up three feel good house cuts from NDATL Music boss Kai Alice. Based around a self explanatory vocal motif "Ahh!" is the sort of euphoric house track you can drop mid set and stand back and watch as a sea of arms are raised in response. The deft track titling continues apace on "Be-Bop" where skat vocals are the perfect accompaniment to the deep chord progressions and metallic percussion, whilst the B Side plays host to just the one track in "Spring (KZR main)" where Alce gets funkier than a mosquito's tweeter thanks to some psychedelic guitar licks, chiming pads and refined 909 sequencing.

Review: Having launched with a superb 12" from label boss Cottam, Ruff Draft deliver a swift second release which offers a platform for LK, seen earlier this year dropping heat for Untzz offshoot Big Doint. Lead cut "Valentino" is 12 minutes long but doesn't ever feel like a second is wasted, mixing old school Detroit styles with beatdown vibe and it's easy to see why Cottam would want this for his new label. Face down and LK demonstrates how to get the right crunch in your drums with the oh so deep "Mark It (Take 3)", whilst "Oolong" is the sort of old school DJ tool you need for mid section deployment. Big moves from Ruff Draft!

Review: It's never been revealed who is behind the Unknown Detroit label, but our sources suggest its A Drummer From Detroit who is offering something new for you... This third release on the UDR series continues Deetroit's purist pursuit with four more rock-solid floor jams. No messing, no unnecessary over-production, just raw grooves that sound as reassuringly analogue as they do heavy... Vibes range from the jazz-jack Chi-town motifs of the title track to the loopier, more direct techno bit of "Flow". The conspiracy thickens by the day: be sure to subscribe to it.

Review: A sixth release from Appian Sounds finds the London based label (with roots in Dublin) continue it's focus on the split artist offerings with the Ervallagh EP featuring contributions from Miltiades, Life Recorder and label regular Natan H. Echovolt boss Ilias Pitsios has gone on record to call Miltiades "probably the best producer from Greece as far as deep house / techno stuff is concerned" and the evidence so far for Nous and Echovolt has backed that up. Here Miltiades offers a further reason to think that with the sublimely deep and rhythmically playful "S48SN" and it's well balanced out by two raw jams from French producer Life Recorder and the sweeping analogue vista of "Giving" by Natan H.

Review: Given that his finest releases have all offered an authentic but pleasingly off-kilter take on '80s boogie and raw synth-soul, it's something of a surprise to see Australian producer Inkswel popping up on Wolf Music, a label that has - for the past couple of years at least - been firmly focused on capturing the house zeitgeist. The fact that it's a departure for both parties seems to have got the best out of Inkswel, who delivers another inspired - and varied - set of tracks. Highlights include the fuzzy, soul-flecked slo-mo house of "Get High", the deliciously saucer-eyed Balearic boogie of "Love Beat" (written with Dutch producer Tom Trago), and a thrillingly low-slung chunk of off-kilter boogie (the rubbery bass, woozy synths and MPC beats of Freekwency collaboration "Datsun Drive").

Review: Big release for both artist and label here as London-based Australian producer Francis Inferno Orchestra comes through with A New Way Of Living, a debut album on the Voyeurhythm operation which doubles up as their first full length project. Having first surfaced in 2010 and dropped numerous 12"s along the way, you feel now is the right time for Griffin James to show what he's capable of over the length of an album and this is a very confident set. The dusty, sample laden house sound Francis Inferno Orchestra is known for is very much in evidence here but there's plenty of diversity shown over the seven cuts to keep you coming back for more. The daisy age goes house vibes of "The More You Like" and the weighty beat down "Rap Beef" are immediate standouts.

Review: Ten years of Deep Explorer... The celebration started with "The Capsule remixes 10" that was released 2 months ago, now is closed with this "Far & Beyond", a double pack vinyl where the brothers and heads of the label (Dubbyman & Above Smoke) make their own selection of exclusive material into groove and dark deepest house tunes from artists worldwide.

Review: Foto Recordings goes all symbolic for their tenth release. Keeping the numbers in symmetry the 2-track single from label boss OOFT! is pressed on to 10" vinyl, and features one pitched-down & one pitched-up jam. Lead track "Here For You" summons some 70s soul vocals and layers new beats and synths underneath to create a pitch-down monster suitable for late nights and end-of-set moments. On the flip "Whistle Time" has more of a steady summer-house strut with disco samples rubbing up against some understated 303s to provide some terrace action over the warmer months ahead.

Review: Laurent Garnier turned many-an unsuspecting head by appearing on 50 Weapons earlier this year, and before they've had a chance to look back in the other direction the infamous and much-loved Frenchman turns up on MCDE. It swiftly follows a hailed back-to-back DJ set he and MCDE boss Danilo Plessow played at Lyon's Nuits Sonores festival this year, and like Garnier did for 50 Weapons, he's attuned his sound to fit the label. Across both "Psyche-Delia" and "Whistle For Frankie", Garnier's seemingly taken the elements he loved most from Plessow's Raw Cuts series - warm pads, loose drums, bangin' percussion - and given them the full buffered Garnier treatment. If you love Garnier you'll obviously love this, but even more so for listeners not so inclined to the sounds of the big room French legend, this may well change your mind.

Review: The seminal label from Solomon and Carter is back in business with this quintessential release that sports all the qualities that made the stable such a powerhouse for so long. Dungeon Meat's remix of Sundowners takes pride of place on the A1 with a perfectly swinging romp through house music of the funkiest kind, the drums tilting hard into the groove while the bass booms out in subby tones. Eats Everything brings a more streamlined big room groover with his remix, bucking and rolling in all the right places, but the original on the B side proves how much punch an early '90s production can bring, pounding hard in an early form of tribal house that wears its roughness with pride.

Review: *Limited 180g Orange Marble Vinyl Edition* The Mosaic split series is beginning to gather pace and is throwing together some interesting names of old and new vintage with truly compelling results. Volume three of the series draws for tracks from Ed Davenport and Ozka with the resultant tone most definitely one for fans of techno with a darker hue. Davenport needs no introduction these days and the Berghain regular's "Bloodchild" rides the fine line between house and techno perfectly with a dark twisted bass line driven groove and eerie vocal line that typifies his unique sound. Techno veteran Aubrey turns in a storming techno monster of a remix of Ed Davenport's unreleased "Islands" which represents a welcome return to Mosaic after his last appearance with the Contact Funk EP back in 1997! Representing the new school is rising Belgian techno talent David Nizet (aka Ozka) whose wonderful bass line driven dub-stab-fest "Thirteen Years" demonstrates why he's such a hot tip!

Review: Firecracker offshoot Unthank returns with a keenly awaited seventh release that introduces Texan producer Fur into the fold. It's the first credited release for the American producer (real name Bryce Isbell) since his Cocoon EP for the UNO label last year - this coming from a producer who according to his Facebook page has "released over 50 albums" on multiple formats. It's an impressive Unthank debut for Fur which sees weighty pianos and deep house rhythmics match the sounds of a harmonious DJ Sprinkles production. Firecracker's Linkwood bolsters the EP with his Stargazer remix, which replaces heavily struck keys with new age synths, while the loose swing of the original's drums have been tightened to create a linear, but laid back reinterpretation.

Review: This special one off collaboration sees young gun native Berliner prodigy Max Graef, coupled with globe trotter Fantastic Man aka Mic Newman. With Mic living in Max's broom cupboard for a few vodka soaked weeks in Berlin this autumn, there was a beautiful inevitability that some music would outcome. The lead track "Soothe Me" is no noodly shrinking violet, but a grade 10-cross-genre-dance-floor-destroyer which Andy snapped up for label on first listen. Clearly taking it's inspiration from the Rhodes and sample drenched Sound Signature Detroit label and adding in live instrumentation, tape effects, for a track rich in Steely Dan sensibility, coupled with a sub bass and twisted lead line dragging us into a new year. The B-Side Relaxin' At The Flip is a raw slab of analogue goodness, flying 606 high hats, a tough kick drum and simple elements driving the track forwards, best heard 8am in a dark corner of a club.

Review: Ornate resurface with their first release of 2014 and usher in a label debut for Rai Scott, the Edinburgh-based producer who has been making a name for herself as part of the 2DeepSoul project with Brad Peterson and the Inner Shift Music label they both run. This standalone appearance on Ornate Music provides the opportunity for Rai to explore the deepest facets of her sound. Machine soul runs throughout the three original tracks on this EP, marrying the warmth and punch of classic techno instrumentation with compositional skills and a sharp ear for production. Reaching out to Dubbyman for a remix, the Deep Explorer boss uses a crisp broken beat structure to inject a wholly different kind of energy into "Do We Really Know".

Review: Italian producer Ricardo "Riccio" Zanaroli made his debut on Bosconi Extra Virgin back in 2010, and has been an occasional contributor to the label ever since. Surprisingly, this is his first 12" for the imprint since 2012. It delivers more warm, fluid, organic deep house in his usual style. "Pretty Eyes" is baggy, loose and attractive, with warm keys and an attractive soulful vocal sample riding a head-nodding house groove. Detroit's Andres remixes, boosting the original's dancefloor credentials in his inimitable, soul-flecked deep style. The EP's final track, "Just Clips", takes Riccio's sound in an altogether different direction, delivering a curiously off-kilter take on instrumental hip-hop.

Review: The hand-stamped train just keeps on trucking with Italojohnson, who offers up another three righteous slabs of hardware goodness for the fist-shakers out there. "Track 1" spreads itself over the A side with a tight and punchy rhythm section that gets off set by a gloriously bubbling set of sound effects, managing to be both utterly useful and pleasantly unhinged in the same bar. On the flip side "Track 2" moves with a more neatly trimmed old-skool jack, sleek and refined without sounding over-polished. "Track 3" slows things down for a dirty ride through slimy basslines and heavy cowbell abuse.

Review: Yes The Godson is back doing his thing for Rush Hour! Detroit legend Rick Wilhite first put his compiling skills to play for the Amsterdam empire back in 2010 with the excellent Vibes New & Rare Music, an 11-track release that celebrated the role the esteemed selector and producer played in moulding local Detroit tastes as the head of the Vibes New & Rare Music record store. Theo Parrish, Glenn Underground and Marcellus Pittman all contributed, whilst the compilation also worked as a platform to introduce newer names such as Kyle Hall and Ricardo Miranda. A second volume is most welcome and expands Wilhite's remit to include music by producers from Detroit, Chicago and New York. The first of two double 12" editions kicks off with a sublime production from Blaze's Josh Milan and doesn't let up on the heat, with Jovonn, K Alexi and a collaborative cut from Wilhite and Norm Talley amongst the highlights.

Review: With founding fathers Sleep D at the helm, Melbourne operation Butter Sessions made an impressive first manoeuvre into the world of record label ownership with The Jackal EP issued last November. Sporting three cuts of raw, unprocessed sounds that wedged themselves in-between house and techno, Sleep D set the tone for what to expect from Butter Sessions and it's nice to see the label expand on this approach with their second release. Taking the form of a various artists split release, Butter Sessions Vol 2 looks and sounds great, with Sleep D themselves calling shotgun and laying down "The Magic Arpet Ride" whose synth based pun doesn't detract from what dovetails between moments of new age bliss and twisted rawness. Sometime Firecracker Booshank adds some tuffness with "Action Satisfaction" whilst "Acre Summit" is perhaps the most frenetic sounding production from Tuff Sherm yet. A deviation into deeper territory is afforded with the excellent "Base 60" from Dan White which closes proceedings.

Review: Having largely worked with a cast of close associates for releases on Off Minor so far, Jordan 'Jordash' Czamanski dips his toes into the unknown with the presentation of Stump Valley for the label's fifth release. Spend some time with your favourite search engine armed with the name Stump Valley and you'll probably be told this mysterious production unit hail from California (something that the name of this EP would reinforce) However we aren't so sure about that, but regardless of their location Stump Valley seem perfectly suited to the Off Minor cause on the basis of this four track 12". Expect free flowing rhythms built from rough drums, insouciant melodic touches and the occasional odd lyrical embellishment.

Review: Tomorrow Is Now, Kid! returns just in time for summer with a collection of tracks taken from a reel of tape. In My Ghetto is the debut EP of Anthony Brooklyn, who has crafted four jams in spirit of the roughness of New York City's famous borough, Brooklyn.