Deep House

Review: Late last year Italian artist and self-proclaimed "black belt ninja" Black Tongue debuted with a two-tracker that genuinely set our pulses racing. Here the man or woman of mystery returns with an even more expansive EP, which we can happily report is full to bursting with tasty treats. A-side workout "Three" offers a fine balance between jazz-funk-fired musicality, quietly impressive musicianship and infectious grooves that make the most of some deliciously loose-limbed drumming. The producer's love of classic house is explored on "Four", where the action revolves around snappy, Chicago house style machine drums, warehouse-ready stabs and an undulating keyboard bassline, while "Five" is a colourful take on jazz-funk/electrofunk fusion that reminded us of the combined output of Dego and Kaidi Tatham.

Review: After five years of on-off collaborations and side projects, Aaron 'FIT' Siegel has finally got round to making a new solo record. It's rather good, with startling A-side "Exist On" delivering a brilliant blend of breakbeat-driven turn of the '90s grooves, chunky bass, ultra-dreamy chords and the kind of bleeping top-end melodies more readily associated with the early releases of Warp Records. Title track "Formula" moves even further towards bleep techno territory via deep space chords, thumping techno beats, Kraftwerkian lead lines and the kind of distorted analogue bass found on LIES releases, while "Wayne County Stomp" sounds like a mutated, mind-altering cover of Steve Poindexter's "Computer Madness".

Review: Much loved party crew Just Jack serve up mainstay Dan Wild in fine form here. "Late Night Traffic" is a soft acid opener with punchy drums making for a broken beat that really seduces. "Lost In The Fog" is another deep one, with silky pads and icy hi hats with dub master XDB then adding his own spin, with paddy drums and trippy synth details taking you late into the night. Last of all, "The Birds" is slick tech house with nice smooth drum loops and a far sighted sense of soul. These are contemporary house tracks that all exude excellent design and have their own sense of character.

Review: REPRESS ALERT: Derek Carr is a name known by few and far between, with only a handful of vinyl releases in the early 2000s, he built a worthy but unfortunately not widely-spread reputation for putting together stunning deep techno. Originally pressed in finite numbers, the records have recently found themselves in demand on Discogs, and rightly so, Derek's music is in a class of its own. Having been a big fan since his releases on then local (to label owner Ben) Leeds label Geek records, For Those That Knoe has dug deep into the archives to put together a sizeable selection of Derek's back catalogue, with some unreleased gems dotted amongst the classic must-haves, spread across three EPs

Part three in Derek's starts with Cuba, probably the most sought after track in his back catalogue. It's stunning simplicity and charming summer vibe puts it amongst Derek's greatest works and understandably so. Red then slots into the A2 position which was originally released under the radar on a Headspace compilation. As warm as Cuba but with an added touch of melancholy. Truly outstanding deep house.

Iceberg takes things back more into techno territory with a funked up bass line, stepping rhythms, Detroit strings and those trademark twinkly leads. Finally Penthouse Apartment 3AM a lush electro breakbeat track from the very hard to find Trident release, rounds off the EP with aplomb.

Review: Here we have a brand-new label and a previously unknown artist, though the word on the street is the D.A.B is a new alias of a well-regarded producer. "Night Of Tapes" is certainly an assured and quietly impressive debut, with our mystery man or woman offering up a mixture of acid-fired, retro-futurist sci-fi house ("Nats"), electro-inspired Chicago jack ("Flesh Time"), bustling rave-era techno rawness (the alien-sounding stabs, fuzzy bass and crunchy machine drums of "Corporal") and - most thrillingly of all - the kind of breakbeat-driven, riff-ready tackle that wouldn't have sounded out of place on Orbital's "Brown Album" (killer closing cut "Mooch Dance").

Review: Following a sterling first drop from Nick Holder, Selections return in fine style with this EP from Tobi Danton. This is proper deep house in the modern mode - crisp beats and silky smooth synth lines shot through with a spaced-out attitude. Just tune in to "That's Right" and find yourself transported to the dancefloor of your dreams. "1988" is equally light and limber, with a classy vocal sample heralding the Chicago roots of the music, while "Last Dance" takes on a more anthemic tone with its strong melodic core and uplifting bump. Kevin Over comes on board for a remix of "Last Dance" that treats the original with care, edging some 90s motifs, dubby flourishes and a tougher jack into the mix without losing that hazy mood.

Review: Russian label Moiss Music have spent the past couple of years building up a formidable catalogue of crucial disco house drops on digital, and now they're making their first move on wax with this slab of veritable party heaters. First up The Funk District bring the perfect blend of warm, organic funk and punchy club production for maximum impact. Munky Fike is brimming with positivity on "Oh Disco Baby", while C Da Afro rides the filters good and proper for the effervescent "Groove Definito". Alexny takes things deeper on "Take You Ther", but there's still plenty of space for classic disco licks in the mix.

Review: Aze's reissues continue with this latest one from Janeret which actually only came out in early 2018 but sounds effortlessly timeless. "Neptune" gets underway with a far sighted cosmic deep house groove. The keys are soft, the drums delicious. "Abyss" then ups the pace, but stays just as silky and fluid with its rolling final drums and "Atlas" then just things up with a more punchy drum line and busy groove. The trip is completed with the superb "Odyssey", with frictionless drum rotations and balmy, bendy pads all proving irresistible. House music doesn't come more seductive and smooth than this.

Review: Colin McGraw's MDA Analog project continues to enjoy a renaissance after more than 20 years of silence, serving up the third instalment of vintage techno with a house-spirited warmth. "Lost But Not Broken" capitalises on some particularly soaring synths to create a uniquely uplifting flavour, while "A Theory Of Everything" takes things deeper with dubby pulses underneath an ear-snagging set of keys. "Mimico Creek" has a particularly playful arrangement marked out by nimble arps and bleeps, and "Scavenger Hunt" completes the set with a punchy rhythm section and yet more plush layers of harmonic interplay.

Review: RT Factor is one of Ron Trent's less familiar aliases, but rest assured anything graced with the Chicago great's name is a buy on sight situation. So it goes on this latest release for his Electric Blue label, which is a single-sided 15-minute epic that will have fans grinning with satisfaction and newcomers wondering what they've been missing all this time. The extended run time gives Trent free reign to let his musical motifs unfurl in a relaxed manner - this is one of the all time greats of soulful deep house after all - but there's also power and presence in the electronic elements of the sound on "EBS 1". All the better to carry the airy keys and pattering hand drums - these trademark ingredients never sound better than in Trent's hands.