Deep House Recommendations October 2017

Review: Given the brilliantly simple concept behind this fine compilation - contemporary Detroit producers remix Funkadelic - we're rather surprised nobody's done it before. With 17 varied re-rubs stretched across three slabs of wax, there's naturally plenty to enjoy. Highlights come thick and fast, from the deep house/P-funk fusion of Alton Miller's take on "Get Your Ass Off and Jam" and Andres' loose, hip-hop influenced revision of "Music For My Mother", to the thrusting loops and heady late night hypnotism of Anthony Shake Shakir and T-Dancer's version of "Standing on the Verge". While many of the versions stay relatively faithful to the original, the more "out-there" interpretations - see BMG's outer-space ambient dub of "Maggot Brain" and Moodymann's epic revision of "Cosmic Slop" - are also consistently impressive.

Review: Frits Wentink's next release on his own Bobby Donny label finds him editing some tracks he has been playing on his radio show for a while. They are originally by Vertiqua, a German lo-fi hip hop producer that remains unknown. This is a perfectly aged combination of hip-hop and house that will get any floor bouncing. All four of these tracks have been edited to make them more suited to the dancefloor. On the A side we have the first track which features some hazy Money $ex style chill house with dope beats, that's also peppered with some on point rhyming from the original. On the flip, we were really feeling the B2 cut which is powered by Wentink's dusty four to the floor beat and some emotive Rhodes chords all coated in that lovely vinyl crackle and some scratched vocal samples. Comes in limited 12" hand numbered vinyl that is limited to only 500 copies, so good lord: do not sleep on this one!

Review: Since making his debut six years ago, Seb Zito has made quite an impression. Here, he christens new label Seven Dials following acclaimed outings on Fuse London, Rawax and, most recently, Hund Records. As the title suggests, much of the EP is inspired by dancefloor styles of the 1990s, though thankfully not the extensively mined hardcore and jungle sounds that have inspired rather a lot of producers of late. "95-96" is a swinging and bass-heavy affair, seemingly inspired by the darker end of U.S garage (think Tenaglia and David Morales' Red Zone dubs), while "Bubbling" offers a lighter and snappier take on the same core sound. Also worth a listen is Chris Greschwinder's re-make of "95-96", which adds a little two-step swing and suitably bombastic sub-bass.

Review: Firecracker boss and screen-printing don Lindsay Todd keeps looking far and wide for inspiration. Here, he's scratched beneath the surface to deliver a fine EP of skewed tropical synth-funk from Naples-raised, Mystic Tribe affiliate Fillipo Colonna Romano ALA Modula. Coming on like Prince jamming with Paul Simpson, Daniel Baldelli and fellow Italian synthesizer lovers Nu Guinea, the five tracks ripple with ricocheting, delay-laden drum hits, squeezable synth bass lines, humid electric guitars and the kind of kaleidoscopic synth solos that are capable of making grown men (and women, for that matter) go weak at the knees. It's a hugely vibrant, colourful and attractive affair that's undoubtedly amongst the best things Firecracker have released this year - and that's saying something.

Review: On paper, this looks like a match made in heaven. On one side of the studio, experienced Italian deep house don Deep88; on the other, soul-loving Detroit house sort Javonnte. In its original form, "Fly Away" offers a superb hybrid of both producers' styles, with Javonnte's impassioned vocal and rolling beats working well with Deep88's Larry Heard style chords and bassline. Deep88 gets a chance to explore this avenue further on his dreamy and on-point Adriatic Mix, while Javonnte weighs in with a slightly chunkier Dub. Arguably best of all, though, is the seductive jazziness and soul-flecked deep house positivity of Melchior Sultana's impeccable rework.

Review: Jules Etienne has been skirting around labels such as Apersonal Music for a few years, but here makes a strong statement with a new record for CockTail D'Amore. "Triangle Des Bermudas" is a swinging yet cosmically inclined jam powered by warm synth arpeggios, which regular collaborator Massimiliano Pagliara then nudges up into crafty deep house territory. "Cuban Omlette" is a delicate affair that interweaves pattering percussion and nagging synth lines to make a particularly heady brew before "John's Job" finishes the record off with a richly layered drum track that should have DJs across the board getting tricky in the mix.

Review: With previous form on Colors and Love Fever, Remi Mazet returns on relatively new label Social Joy with a deep and refined trip through house music as played by a true musician. There's a dusky, cinematic quality to the whole EP, from the captivating intro to the sweet Rhodes soul of "Safran" and on to the broken wheeze of "Jazz E". "Shrine" has a more forthright club-ready veneer, while "Jammin" brings furthermore machine-oriented grooves, but at all times the devil is in the details, and this record is most devilish indeed. One for all those craving a little more subtlety and flair in their house music.

Review: If you were judging Kieran Hebden's 11th Four Tet studio album merely on the way it's presented, you'd immediately think he'd spent the last two years immersed in early '90s ambient house albums. While it's unlikely he's done that, it's fair to say that New Energy does owe a debt to classic electronica sets from that period. For all the exotic instrumentation and subtle nods to post-dubstep "aquacrunk" experimentalism and chiming, head-in-the-clouds sunrise house, the album feels like a relic of a lost era. That's not meant as a criticism - New Energy is superb - but it is true that his choice of neo-classical strings, gentle new age melodies, sweeping synthesizer chords and disconnected vocal samples would not sound out of place on a Global Communication album.

Review: Given the brilliantly simple concept behind this fine compilation - contemporary Detroit producers remix Funkadelic - we're rather surprised nobody's done it before. With 17 varied re-rubs stretched across two hugely entertaining CDs, there's plenty to enjoy. Highlights come thick and fast, from the deep house/P-funk fusion of Alton Miller's take on "Get Your Ass Off and Jam" and Andres' loose, hip-hop influenced revision of "Music For My Mother", to the thrusting loops and heady late night hypnotism of Anthony Shake Shakir and T-Dancer's version of "Standing on the Verge". While many of the versions stay relatively faithful to the original, the more "out-there" interpretations - see BMG's outer-space ambient dub of "Maggot Brain" and Moodymann's epic revision of "Cosmic Slop" - are also consistently impressive.

Review:  A year after he helped launch the label via the brilliant "The Fatal Flaw In Disco" 12", Mark Seven returns to Ari Goldman's World Building label. As you might expect, he's once again in a retro-futurist frame of mind, laying down a series of house tracks inspired by the style's glory days of the late '80s and early '90s. He first doffs a cap towards bouncy New Jersey deep house from the turn of the '90s ("Chapter II: Enter This House"), before wrapping Chicago style analogue bass and fluid electronics around a sweaty, Kenny Dope inspired rhythm track. "Chapter VII: Salvation" is a smooth and loved-up tribute to the Burrell Brothers and Dream II Science, while closer "Helping Hand" is pleasingly deep and dreamy.

Review: Another week, another killer release from Kiwi deep house sorts Chaos in the CBD. This one, a two-tracker on the In Dust We Trust label that they set up with pal John Sable earlier this year, is undoubtedly one of their strongest EPs to date. On the A-side you'll find the typically drowsy and atmospheric "Zona Del Silencio", a tactile and humid chunk of early morning deep house built around languid synth-bass and rolling, carnival-friendly percussion. The rolling bongo hits return on creepier flipside "Unsound Mind", the musical equivalent of stumbling through a rainforest at 3am while high on herbal remedies. As with many of the duo's productions, it subtly builds throughout, offering movement despite the hypnotic, slow-build nature of the track's construction.

Review: French producer Okain has long been entrenched in the minimal house movement, from time spent on Four:Twenty and Tsuba through to Memoria, No Fit State and now shoring up on Dogmatik. "Babylon" is a sharply focused workout with playful organ trills darting in and out of the mix, while "Radio Therapy" gets into a light-headed, bubbly state of mind thanks to some shimmering synth work. "Permeable" drops a little dubby magic on the track and "R4r5r6" finishes the EP off with a more muscular groover for when you need to keep the energy up on the dancefloor.

Review: While they may have landed a fair while ago, it's great to see Emotional Response revisit Timothy J Fairplay's crucial early EPs with an absolutely on point remix package. Scientific Dreamz Of U brings his distinctive signal chain to "Stories Of Prison", using grinding synths and some snaking broken beats to create an early 90s trance mood to die for. Alessandro Parisi keeps things on a distinctly new wave tip for "Aim For The Yellow Sector", and Perseus Traxx brings a bold set of machine beats and technicolour synths to "Saco Bay". Antenna finishes the EP off by creating a winsome, wavey version of "Night Ferry" for sensitive souls to do the robot to.

Review: Since returning to action a couple of years back following a near two-decade hiatus, 1990s deep house survivor Ewan Jansen has barely put a foot wrong. With this in mind, it's perhaps unsurprising to find that this outing on IILE is packed full of evocative, melodious and floor-friendly gems. The Australia-based producer begins in confident mood via the darting synth bass, sun-kissed chords and melodious positivity of the wonderful "Reefing 101", before exploring slightly deeper pastures on the huggable warmth of Motor City influenced bumper "The Blackhawks". On the flip you'll find the Larry Heard style lusciousness of "Twinpole" and "Swarbourne", a jazzy and percussive workout smothered in deep space chord progressions. All killer and no filler: job done.

Review: Disco Fruit's sublabel continues to turn out smooth and slick deep, funky house, and this time around Tonbe is on hand with the goods to get the people grooving. "Broken Heart" features Rachel on vocals and some sweet saxophone, hitting the spot just right for universally appealing house music. "Street Groove" is a more forthright, clubby affair where the drums take the lead and the keys lock into a loopy late night roll. "Feel So Good" features some more choice vocal turns with urgent melodic hooks, and then "Something Jazzy" swoops in at the end with some proper New Jersey heat to get your body popping.

Review: Marcus Worgull and Danilo Plessow's Vermont project saw a couple of house music's most esteemed producers and selectors pursue an alternate musical avenue into ambient/balearic territory. The perfect musical accompaniment to Summertime road trips across the continent or for chilling with friends and loved ones at the beach house or by the campfire. Tracks from the II LP now get the remix treatment by some of the scene's biggest names here. Worgull's close associate and Innervisions boss Dixon is first up and remixes "Dschuna" into an evocative and life-affirming epic, in all its Afro and spiritually influenced glory that you could imagine him playing during one of his acclaimed DJ sets. "Skorbut" receives a shimmering disco-tinged remake by the one and only I:Cube of Versatile Records fame and also on the flip is Wassermann aka Wolfgang Voigt's totally epic Krautramatrik mix of "Paradigma" which takes the track deep into cosmic synth music territory.

Review: Hot Creations boss Jamie Jones manages to find time for another release, in between his Ibiza residency and travelling the globe as one of modern house music's most popular DJs. His latest offering brings everything you'd expect from the Welshman and nothing less. These four Summery and pop-inflected tech house cuts are hot material on their own and make a cohesive EP. Starting off with the anthemic "Sound Of Music" covering jungle legend Nookie's track of the same name and with pop sensation Katy B on vocals. The rolling peak time groove "Kooky Chords" is absolutely the sound of not only 'The Island' but Jones' label and will bang the party just as much as recent offerings by wAFF or Phil Kieran. On the flip, there's a bouncy and sleazy early evening jam in the form of "Positive Pressure" featuring American Kevin Knapp and the druggy/minimal afterhours DJ tool "Parallel Universe".

Review: Given his dedication to party-starting house and techno jams shot through with the warehouse-friendly sounds of the late '80s and early '90s, you'd expect this double-disc In The House mix from Unknown to the Unknown boss DJ Haus to be a riotous, energy-packed affair. It is, of course, with the experienced DJ/producer gleefully joining the dots between original rave-era fare and contemporary retro-futurist gems that pay tribute to piano house, early US garage, classic Italian house and Chicago jack. Both mixes bristle with ear-catching riffs, big builds and colossal drops, with highlights coming thick and fast. As a result, we'd argue that DJ Haus has delivered one of the best In The House mixes to date.

Review: After the excellent turns from Jay Ka, Vincent Inc, Danijel Kevic and Lola Allen, the latest artist to appear on the ever productive Spanish deep house machine Minuendo is Kevin Kendall. With little previous form, Kendall doesn't take long to impress on the Go Easy EP, with the title track seducing instantly with its woozy tones and deft drum programming. "Second Chance" is a punchier affair, while "Remembering You" seems to tap into that Fred P way of doing things. "I Hesitate" is a warbling beauty to round off a resoundingly strong first EP for Minuendo.