Funky House Recommendations February 2012

Review: Having provided dancefloors with a string of anthems "back in the day" - "Lazy", "Muzik Xpress", "Muzikizm" etc - X-Press 2 would be forgiven for putting their feet up following a 20-year career. Rocky, Diesel and Ashley Beedle have not lost the desire to create floor-friendly house (or "epic bangers", as the PR blurb puts it), so here present their first album of new material since 2006's Balearic-flavoured Makeshift Feelgood. For those with a love of accessible, floor-friendly house, it's a decent collection, variously touching on vintage tribal, darting 90s-isms, soulful grooves and straight-up club tracks. For those looking for more big room thrills, there's also a bonus CD of remixes featuring notable rubs from Darren Emerson and Kink.

Review: Given Kevin Saunderson's status as one of electronic music's all-round legends, it was probably inevitable that he would, at some point, be asked to mix an installment in Defected's long-running In The House series. Since Saunderson isn't a regular on the mix CD circuit, this is something of a rare treat. For the most part, it's a highly enjoyable journey, with Saunderson slickly moving between deeper, melodic fare, tougher, drum-laden percussion workouts, jaunty Latin and Afro-house and, of course, tracky, funk-infused techno, all the while retaining a strong element of soul. There's also a smattering of Saunderson's own productions, including a piano-laden 2011 version of "Good Life".