New releases last two weeks: 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: 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: A tribute to who, you may ask? "J Dilla" is the immediate answer on Kidzblock's latest fidgety A-side, and their first to manifest as a 7" on their very own Kay-Dee Records. The house production duo may be new kids on the block, but their handicraft betrays a much abler quad of ears than the "up-and-coming house production duo" might suggest to the undiscerned. 'The Tribute' riffles with gospel tremolos in the back and parping filter-saw bounces in the front, bringing a real heat that holds truly to the essence of the word "bounce".

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: Yet another early Masters At Work proto-jungle cut gets released on the inimitable Kay Dee recs. 'Blood Vibes' (Demo Version) is a desirous gemstone whose best facets reflect reggae, hip-hop and party breaks, though each side can only partially bend the unmissable light that is Kenny Dope" Gonzalez's production touch. Built around elements of Junior Reid's reggae classic 'One Blood', 'Blood Vibes' came about amid the pose-striking ballroom craze in New York in 1991, and even now we can hardly prepare ourselves for the riot that ensues on the following B-side, 'The Madd Cry'.

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: 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.