Back catalogue: Deep House

Review: Chicago label Future Rootz is a collective of mix media DJs who all play and rework global roots, tropical bass, world electronic and Latin house. Who better to do that than Detroit's Dez Andres, a deep-diving DJ, house head and producer with Cuban roots. He goes first here with 'El Trombone', which has a signature low-end thump with sunny Latin vocals, joyous horns and florid melodies. He then slows things down with one of his trademark remixes of AfroQbano's 'El Bucanero', which has noodling bass and poolside charm.

Review: Oooh! Angie Stone's "Wish I Didn't Miss You" definitely belongs in the canon of all time modern soul classics. Taken from her 2001 second album Mahogany Soul, the Swizz Beats produced track made optimum usage of an O' Jays sample and was instrumental in that LP going gold and propelling the former D'Angelo collaborator to stardom. It also inspired countless official and under the counter remixes with Blaze's perhaps the most recognisable. So yes this reissue on 7" from Outta Sight is worthy if you don't have the original in your collection and features a housed up remix from Hex Hector on the flip.

Review: Delivering two boundary-pushing deep house cuts that fuse Detroit influences with global rhythmic elements, this little 7" packs a punch. Side-1's '9 1391919 21' rolls in with deep bass and a laid-back yet funky groove. The Detroit foundation is undeniable, but the infusion of world-inspired instrumentation adds a rich, cultural texture, making it both smooth and dynamic. Flipping over, '17151425' shifts into high gear with an uptempo, warehouse-ready energy. Sci-fi atmospheres swirl around tribal drumming, creating a hypnotic, alien-like rhythm that feels raw yet futuristic. A forward-thinking release from a producer deeply connected to both underground traditions and global sounds.

Review: Much loved Michigan techno and ambient virtuoso John Beltran wraps up the so far so excellent Back to Bahia 7 series with the a final volume that proves to be the most dancefloor focussed offering yet. Leading with 'O Patio,' Beltran shows his class with a blend of jazz-funk and MPB that comes with a rather sunny Ibiza-inspired twist while echoing the vibes of Latin greats like Robson Jorge and Lincoln Olivetti. On the flip side, 'Belle Isle' is a perfect party anthem for those outdoor sessions - think beach gatherings or cookouts and you won't go wrong. This has been a brilliant series and while it's a shame it's over, this is a fitting way to end it.

Review: New York's Joe Claussell offers three blistering takes on 'So In Love' by Black Rascals, the early 90s project from Blaze. This red-label 7" is a pricey one, but the contents justify it: deep house from the source, reworked by one of its most spiritual selectors. 'Rough Mix 1' leans into swirling vocal loops and expansive FX, full of Claussell's signature dynamics, while 'Rough Mix 2' dials back the drama slightly for something more floor-focused. Flip it for 'Drums', a stripped-down tool that reimagines the track as raw percussive hypnosis. Essential NY house lineage, revived in style and pressed loud-just don't expect it to hang around.

Review: Key playing master Byron The Aquarius returns to Star Creature with 'Jamajama', a slick 7" dripping in synth-heavy funk and future-facing deep house of the sort that has made him a real standout in recent years. On the A-side, Byron delivers a left-field jazz-funk burner that's packed with squelchy, bass-rich, and weirdly elegant vibes that perfectly straddle the line between two-step and house grooves. Flip it over and you get a lush nu-boogie banger featuring Steven Klavier on vocals, and his disco-laced touch has lit up tracks from Soul Clap to Eli Escobar so you may well be familiar. It's a tight, genre-blurring gem from one for heads, dancers, and divas alike.

Review: A fresh transmission from the Co-op camp, this two-tracker reframes soulful source material through the prism of West London's broken beat tradition and deep, jazz-inflected house. On 'Smooth Co-Operator', the velvet of Sade's original is reworked with restraint and flairisyncopated drums, funk stabs and hip-hop atmospheres merge in a smoky, low-lit groove. It's classy and confident, a subtle floor-builder that wears its edits lightly. Flip it over and the tempo shifts up: 'Dream Alchemy' dials in from a different zone entirely. A cinematic tech-house excursion, it accelerates with a cold clarityihovering pads, delayed keys and submerged A$AP Rocky vocals moving in step with a bassline that rolls like fog over city streets. J Diggns' ethereal melodic work floats above the pulse, while Whiskey Drop's grounding in UK club DNA gives it teeth. It's the kind of record that finds a home in the middle of a setibridging moods without breaking flow. Both sides manage to feel nostalgic and future-bound. A deft, compelling fusion from start to finish.

Review: The spectroscope of Cool Million's soundworld doubles in width, as 'One Of A Kind' marks a new phase of innovation in their patented boogie funk sound. This latest single hears Danish soul singer Seest - a longtime collaborator with the Danish production duo - add her doubled, tripled, nigh quadrupled vocal overdubs to the already well collieried disco track. With the ensuing EP packed with allusive, fiery effrontery, bringing inspirations from Earth, Wind & Fire, Kool & The Gang and The Crusaders, we must warn you: this is a volatile disco 7", one that should really come with a fire hazard warning.

Review: American neo-soul pin-up D'Angelo has released a couple of the smoothest records of the last 30 years. He even made a welcome comeback in the mid 2010s and added some more magic to his cannon. Here Kero Uno remixes a couple of his tunes and ups their funky quotient to make them more suitable to dancefloors. First, he flips 'Spanish Joint' into a key-laced and funky workout with low-slung, hip-swinging grooves sure to seduce next to the zippy synth leads. On the flip is his hot take on 'Feel Like Makin' Love', another bona-fide gem full of heart and soul.

Review: DJ Koze teams up with Arnim and the Dusseldorf Dusterboys to craft an evocative tribute to East German soul icon Holger Biege. Building around the haunting line "Du hast erzahlt, gelacht / Mir gezeigt, wie schon du bist" from Biege's 1978 classic 'Bleib doch', Koze creates a track rich in both nostalgic warmth and forward-looking soundscapes. This release showcases Koze's unique ear for blending past and present, turning Biege's heartfelt lyrics into a fresh, emotional journey that pays homage to a timeless soul legacy with a truly modern twist.

Review: Tapping vocalist Latrell James on Bostonian vox duties, Live A Little dishes out a deep 12" and promises to deliver it straight to our doors, not unlike pizza delivery. Across a woodfired record, we're assured we've "got it good", with an initial "get it, get it, good" sample rounding out a ferrety lead beat, as "cribs" and "crooks" are further concept-checked by James. Caserta flips the A with a melodious meander on the B-side, lifting the record from its opening certis of loose-slung 4x4s and haggard textures for a reversion that brightens, smoothens and softens everything out, as if to say, "chop-chop!".

Review: Former Paper Recordings artist Sophie Lloyd apparently started working on "Calling Out" whilst gripped by the January blues. Her intention was simply to make "happy music". To that end, she turned to her gospel roots. The results, shared here on 7" single for the first time, are little less than spectacular. With collaborator Dames Brown in tow, Lloyd's vocals - accompanied by a gospel choir, of course - simply soar above a jaunty, piano-heavy track rich in live instrumentation. It sits somewhere between traditional gospel, house and disco, with a flipside instrumental brilliantly showcasing the quality of the instrumentation throughout. The piano solos, in particular, are breathlessly good.

Review: Tuff Cut / Late Nite Tuff Guy (Carmelo Bianchetti) has so far done well to dig out for himself a rather outre oeuvre, the Australian steadily supplying such head-turning edits as this since as far back as 2013. The seventh volume in this new iteration of the series comes in two parts, and brings two further soft disco inflammations: 'Fooled', a pre-coffee, rheumy Sister Sledge disco edit, and 'So Much Love', an unknown cut whose lyrics return plenty of red herrings on the 'ole search bar.

Review: Don't forget to put on your Anorax... A new retro-futuristic outing by veteran dance music exec Neil Rushton marks his latest configuration in techno, which has kept mutant ever since the DJ broke from his infamous, 1970s Northern soul label Inferno. If Inferno was a glittery bodysuit, Anorax is like blast-protective PPE. Here Rushton welcomes Mark Archer and Chris Peat aka Nexus 21 back to the fold. Emissaries of the Salford dance music circuit, Nexus 21 have always harked a frontier-scouring, centennial vibe in sound. Their latest release is reissued from 2008, though the Network Records original only cut it to B-side: 'Self-Hypnosis' is a semiconscious auto-state in sound, bringing jam-born orchestra-stabs and sprung synth toms to a strange brew. We're left spiral-eyed.

Review: Heavyweight sonic Afro-botics from Nikodemus, Barzo and Mr Doris on 7" wax. The trio team up here with Dinked Records for a double-bill 7" in veins of amapiano and broken beat, primed for crate sifters and floor ambulants alike. On the A, 'Want Some More' delivers Mr. Doris' signature blend of rhythmic muscle and Afro-Latin swang, while the flip flops Nickodemus with Barzo and Zongo Abongo for 'Show Your Power': a bold, percussive cut straddling broken beat, house, and ska. Somewhere between 126 and 128 BPM, both are utter floor finishers and could easily intro your next Afro-house set as they could provide it a sense of continuous, mid-set body.

Review: C&C Music Factory lynchpin Eric Kupper takes on 'BackStabbers' with a considered touch, reinforcing its groove while preserving the essence of its original 1982 recording. Captured at Virtue Studios by a powerhouse ensembleiincluding MFSB and Salsoul Orchestra greats like Earl Young, Ron Baker and Vince Montana, Jr.ithis session defined the lush, orchestrated soul of Philadelphia. Joe Freeman's lead vocal remains the focal point, its urgency cutting through Kupper's updated mix, which tightens the percussion and adds a refined low-end punch. Side A presents the vocal mix, where the track's layered instrumentation breathes with new clarity, while Side B strips it down to an instrumental, letting the intricate arrangements shine. US-based Kupper, a veteran of over 1,400 remixes, treats the material with the respect of a historian and the instincts of a modern dancefloor craftsman, balancing nostalgia with crisp, club-ready sonics.

Review: Chachi Romero's famously magic fingers are back in full force on the latest release from Open Air 72. This project dives into the nu-funk movement and do so by mixing up retro-funk vibes with futuristic synth sounds reminiscent of the likes of MoFunk, Zackery Funk Force and Dabeull. A-side jam 'Sunwave Space' rings endlessly nodding and funky basslines to withering sci-fi motifs and blissed-out vocal coos. It's a nice and catchy sound while 'Arm Candy' is a more deep and dusty house groove with libidinous vocals and rolling beats topped with some well-chosen vocal samples for an extra steamy allure.

Review: Windy City collective Future Rootz are all about mixing up worldly electronic sounds, Latin, tropical bass and global jazz. This second volume in their new series does just that with two expressive remixes of iconic Afro-Colombian tracks. On Side A, Sound Culture delivers a modern take on Son Palenque's legendary 'A Pila el Arroz,' which was originally composed by Justo Valdez for Palenque Records. He infuses it with fresh and bubbly bass and hypnotic vocal chants. On side-B, Afroqbano reimagines 'Tropical Scenes' by adding a vibrant, rhythm-heavy twist to the original that sympathetically blends traditional Afro-Colombian sounds with electronic influences into a wiggling bit of irresistible and sunny global fusion.

Review: Echo Chamber Recordings launches its new sub-label, Echo Labs, with a killer debut 7" from Southside Sound Surgeons, aka a coming together of label boss Si Cheeba and longtime DJ partner WeeG. After years behind the decks, the duo finally commits their sound to wax, and it has been well worth the wait. The A-side, 'Hi-Jakarta,' is a high-energy, Afro-Brazilian b-boy bomb aimed directly at the rump with stomping beats and wildly expressive synths. The B-side, 'Rockin' Roots,' flips golden era hip-hop vibes with classic vocal chops and chunky beats, and it builds to a dancefloor-smashing climax.

Review: JKriv's classic Bukom Mashie Rework gets a deluxe revival in a delectable 7-inch package having long been hard to find if not out of print entirely. And now what's more it also features a fresh acid dub. The original eight minute opus has been expertly trimmed for a streamlined A-side stomper, while the B-side showcases a brand-new version with a reimagined arrangement. This edition is embellished with vibrant 303 acid lines and live flute by the talented Domenica from Underground System all of which ensure that it is sure to become a big summer anthem once more in 2024.