New releases last two weeks: Deep House

Review: Mike Mitchell is an American drummer from Dallas, Texas, who records as Blaque Dynamite. He plays across jazz, hip-hop and fusion and has worked with greats old and new like Erykah Badu, Herbie Hancock and Kamasi Washington. As a solo artist, he has dropped two albums in the last two years, and Stop Calling Me from 2023 is one that now makes it way to vinyl. It is a wild ride between intense jazz workouts that recall Sun Ra, smoky deep house that taps into Detroit and downbeat explorations like 'I'm Not Trippin'' that are densely layered, textural and infused with a new kind of soul.

Review: A key figure in Brazilian jazz-funk and a founding member of Azymuth, Conti merges deep house, samba and jazz-funk into a seamless experience. His signature percussive style is on full display, effortlessly blending electronic elements with organic instrumentation. His fourth solo album returns with a much-needed reissue, highlighting his ability to craft intricate rhythms and dynamic grooves. 'Bacurau' is a raw exploration of rhythm, built solely on Conti's percussion and electronic textures, bridging Brazilian dance music with African influences. The title track takes a deep dive into 1970s disco, its bassline and shimmering synths channeling both American and Eurodisco flavors. 'Jemburi' leans into late-night jazz, exuding a cool, laid-back vibe, while 'Ecos Da Mata' evokes the cosmic fusion of Sun Ra meeting a Brazilian dancefloor. With production assistance from Daniel Maunick and additional contributions from keyboardist Fernando Moraes and bassist Alex Maheiros, the album pulses with energy, balancing electronic experimentation with soulful, dance-driven grooves. A timeless work, it effortlessly connects the past and future of Brazilian jazz and dance music.

Review: Amsterdam-based duo Maarten Smeets and Lars Dales - Dam Swindle - offer us their album, Open, prying ajar our otic tract with 14 quixotic tracks. After years of introspection, Open marks a rupture, as the pair break from their preeminent deep house for an even-deeper-down embrace of the lower tempi, with them now incorporating synthwave, hip-house, and ambient elements. A first taster comes with the smoothly lavished 'Girl' with Faye Meana, while 'Bloom' with Joep Beving develops the theme of self-analysis through well-shovelled deep house chords. Still reining in some four-to-the-floor precepts, Dam Swindle have nonetheless presented their most heartfelt and least harried detour to date.

Review: It's been a long time coming that we should reach the point where German minimal house megamind DJ Koze gets to indulge his own "influences mix", for none other than resident who's-who mix aggregator, DJ-Kicks. Koze's long-loved, minimal house spirituals sound is unmistakable, serving to fill out in widescreen technicolour the best sound achievable across dance spectra; a palatial pan-European palate of crisp, soul-driven sound, crossing into downtempo, bedroom pop and lo-hi-fi crusts. This landmark 50th edition in the 'Kicks series hears Koze blear through said sounds with ease, disparately uniting laid-back hip-hop flips of Madlib through to the raw racecourse force of Berghain techno, then incorporating indie-pop and melancholic outliers further afield, then closing on a fully edited piece of 'Hyuwee' by fellow titan Session Victim. Koze's goal was never to show off his deep knowledge but to craft a mix that anyone could enjoy: in his own words, he sought to recreate a radio show-like experience, emphasisng harmony, not beatmatching.

Review: Drawing on influences from the global Cumbia scene that took root in Buenos Aires over a decade ago, El Buho presents a collection of tracks that blend entrancing traditional rhythms with modern electronic textures. The opener, 'La Cumbia Del Cafe Martinez,' sets a hypnotic tone, while 'Anglo-Colombian Expedition' merges lively tropical elements with intricate production. The darker 'La Cumbia De La Ansiedad' and earthy 'Porro Del Tucan' follow, offering variety while remaining grounded in Cumbia's roots. The remixes elevate the experience further. ARN4L2's atmospheric interpretation of 'La Cumbia Del Cafe Martinez' opens up the track into a spacious, reflective journey, while Auntie Flo's remix of 'Anglo-Colombian Expedition' adds a rhythmic intensity. La Jungla's energetic remix of 'La Cumbia De La Ansiedad' and Lagartijeando's hypnotic take on 'Porro Del Tucan' offer new perspectives on the original compositions too, making this a digital Cumbia milestone.

Review: Phil Evans' second album follows a series of standout EPs on Blankstate, Sensual, Twig, Vigenere and his own Pager Records; the Frankfurt DJ and producer doubles as the Freizeit Records co-founder of Pager, helping set in e-motion the evolution of his local underground electronic scene. With minimality at its core, we hear on E Motinos a reserved and calculated three tracks per vinyl side, preserving optimal, skipless groove quality: 'Eazin', '<3', 'Hm' and 'Deep' prefer a near nonverbal titular expressivity, resisting any reference to the record's tricky, body-jacking movements in any capacity except through body language.

Review: French artist Folamour is no stranger to dropping albums despite the format growing ever less important in the modern era of dance music. Movement Therapy is his seventh and a bright love letter to the world that blends house, disco, funk and soul into a euphoric, dreamy journey full of summery joyousness. Following his acclaimed 2024 single 'Pressure Makes Diamonds,' Folamour explores themes of light, connection, and freedom with a catchy pop sheen that captures the uplifting power of human connection and the dancefloor's unifying spirit. Highlights include 'Easy To Love,' a spiritual, ethereal house track featuring Kabusa Oriental Choir, and the hopeful anthem 'Ca Va Aller' with its effortlessly soulful swag.

Review: Yorkshire lad Franky Wah continues to have a large say in the sound of modern club culture with his emotionally charged, high-energy productions and infectious hooks, standout releases and endless touring. He also runs SHEN, of course, a label, events company and clothing brand showcasing his broad creative vision. His latest project, The Revival, Vol. 2, arrives there five years after the acclaimed Vol. 1 that featured the breakout track 'Come Together' and solidified his status among dance music's elite. With this sequel, Franky Wah reaffirms his credentials with a fresh bunch of emotive, vocal-laced and sunshine-rich, drop-filled house anthems for hands-in-the-air fun.

Review: Gerardo Frisina's unmistakable fusion of Latin jazz, funk and soul with contemporary electronics entered a new phase with the announcement of his 'In Sight' series, a two-part project for 2025 set to rescan the multi-genre terrain and project it, rocket-like, into new stratospheres. The Schema Records founder now delivers the second promised instalment in the series, complementing a delicious first volume added to a brilliant swathe of 7"s and LPs, centring on not just his own talents but those of others, mainly those artists of his local Milanese Afro-Cuban jazz, soul and dub ken. Yet seven more finger-pinchers come tethered to adjacent movements in bossa nova, soft-adult cinematics and downtempo here.

Review: Celebrating 25 years of two of the most influential house labels around, this joint double-pack from London's R2 and Osunlade's Yoruba Records is a heavyweight offering that bridges soulful roots and dancefloor depth. Karizma's long-awaited 'Spirit' appears in multiple formsihis original gospel-powered burner, a Josh Milan remix (as Honeycomb), and a dub version featuring Nicholas Ryan Gant, all radiating righteous, late-night warmth. The second R2 cut, 'W!thout !t' is stripped and punchy, full of Karizma's trademark percussive invention. Yoruba's side sees Osunlade light up the system with 'Electricity' and 'Sumpin' Like Dis', both steeped in rhythm and spiritual uplift. Afefe Iku's '823' dives deep into his signature twilight textures, while Karizma's Baltimore remix of Mr. Flip's 'Drippin'' closes the set on a loose and funky high. It's a snapshot of two defining voices in house musicirich in groove, spirit and intention.

Review: The latest Lindstrom album is so good that he appears to have dispensed with the spell-checker for the copy i but it's always such a terrific pleasure to hear new music from the Norse disco titan that even the most uptight proofreader will surely forgive him. Back in the noughties, he and compatriot Prins Thomas flipped the script with their immaculately crafted take on the meta-disco sound. And though the frequency of Lindstrom's output has slowed over time, the quality of his production retains its magnificent allure. Syrius Syntoms begins with a bang i glistening synths, snappy drums and pristine melodics on 'Crkl' i before taking acidic turns via 'Thousand Island Man' and drifting into dreamland on 'Moo)n'. 'These Are a Few of My Favorite Strings' adds a little NY house bump, with evocative keys and low-end groove, while the feel-good arps and bouncy bass of the title track are vintage Lindstrom i full of kitsch sparkle and joyous main room energy. Top marks.

Review:  Liv.e is an LA-based, Dallas-born artist who this summer has a reimagined version of her acclaimed sophomore album Girl In The Half Pearl served up after collaborating with Dallas-based producer Ben Hixon. Together, they transform the original tracks into an energised, feel-good experience that symbolises resilience and recovery after heartbreak. Hixon's innovative approach to each song adds a wholly different perspective on Liv.e's introspective lyrics with genre-blending production traversing, trap, broken beats, deep house and and blissed out grooves all with the vocals unifying the sounds with an otherworldly edge.

Review: Margaux Gazur has made her mark as a DJ with sets at places like Panorama Bar and Waking Life. Her debut album on Smallville is a deeply personal exploration of identity and sound that confirms she is just as good in the studio. The French-Vietnamese artist is now based in Berlin but draws from her time living in Vietnam and childhood recollections to craft nearly 70 minutes of immersive, organic electronica across Blurred Memories. Field recordings, traditional instruments and woozy textures blend with street rhythms from Hanoi to create rich, intimate soundscapes of the sort that are well suited to this label. Each track reveals delicate details such as mysterious voices and fragile glitches in the hypnotic grooves. Known for captivating sets at Panorama Bar, La Station, and Waking Life, Margaux offers a magical, emotionally resonant debut that invites listeners into her blurred sonic past.

Review: On his long-awaited debut, Osaka's Takuya Matsumoto draws a clear line between the tactile futurism of 90s IDM and the emotional depth of Detroit techno, finding beauty in grit and structure in chaos. There's a cinematic quality to the sequencing, from the shimmering opener 'Drifting On The Ocean' to the gnarled syncopations of 'Dril and Acid' and the broken funk of 'Fonseca'. But what makes this record truly sing is its refusal to sit still: 'Mini' dances with jazzy irreverence, while 'Triangles' feels like a dusted-off memory from a lost Rephlex archive. Matsumoto's palette is warm, spiky, and full of movementian album built not on pastiche but on devotion to groove and experimentation in equal measure. You hear shades of Underground Resistance's urgency, Mike Paradinas' off-grid detail, and Floating Points' melodic intricacy, but none of it feels borrowed. 'Traverse' and 'Mercy on the floor' close things with a spacious melancholy that lingers beyond the final fade. This is a conversation with dance music history, spoken fluently in rhythm and mood. A richly detailed, deeply personal statement from one of Japan's most quietly consistent producers.

Review: Italian DJ and Producer Jo Paciello proves that full length album do very much still have a place int he modern world wit his superb debut on Groove Culture. The title of this one gives you an idea of what to expect - jazzy melodies and sophisticated house beats. He does so with a modern viewpoint but also plenty of reverence for the glory days of jazzy house. Trumpets, saxophones and guitars all feature here and embellish the drums with quality, meaningful layers of melody adn mood. As he merges the past and present, this richly textured work shines with improvisation and timeless deep house warmth.

Review: It's a remarkable statistic that Payfone - the long-serving production partnership of Phil Passera and Jimmy Day - have not released an album before, despite building up a killer catalogue of singles over the last 12 years. The vinyl-only Lunch, then, is a genuinely significant release .- and, happily, a rather brilliant one too. Featuring an impressive roll-call of guest vocalists and musicians, it sees them deliver six excellent riffs on their analogue-rich, hybrid house/Balearic/nu-disco sound. The plentiful highlights include the dubbed-out, low-slung and atmospheric opener 'Movin' On', the infectious, spaced-out boogie of 'Joan of Arc' (whose chorus will be stuck in your head for days), sensual jazz-funk jam 'Spend The Night' and the warming, sun-soaked delight that is 'Pony Bar'.

Review: California producer Space Ghost teams up with South Carolina-based singer Teddy Bryant for a sun-soaked ode to late 80s and early 90s soul. The record opens with the silky swing of 'Some Things Last Forever', giving way to lush, G-Funk-laced grooves like 'Majestic Fantasies' and club-focused cuts such as 'Unconditional (Club Mix)'. Bryant's vocals glide over Space Ghost's plush instrumentation, with tracks like 'Cheer Me Up' and 'Ultimate Love' channelling UK street soul and the balladry of classic r&b. 'Shine' and 'Ultimate Love', both featuring Morgan, add extra emotional weight. The pair clearly draw from a shared love of Teddy Riley, Jam & Lewis and DeVante Swing, but there's a lightness here that feels rooted in the present too-music that remembers the past without ever getting stuck in it.

Review: Portuguese producer Trikk returns with a five-track suite that blurs the boundaries between emotional depth and dancefloor precision. It's a new release built for impact and flow, threading through tempo shifts, genre collisions and global voices while holding fast to a focused, tactile sound. 'Rigor' kicks things off with peak-time weight and carefully sculpted drama i chest-rattling bass and stabs of unexpected piano beauty. 'Raiva (feat MEUTE)' brings brassy propulsion into the fold, fusing live energy with Trikk's slick production touch. 'Fortuna', with Kenyan vocalist Sofiya Nzau, hits a lighter, warmer stride, evoking open-air euphoria. On the flip, 'Luxo' plays with friction i industrial textures balanced with bursts of melody i before closing track 'Sagrado' delivers a radiant, sunrise moment. It's the clearest summation of the release's intent: to move, to build, to glow. Rooted in club energy but alive with personality, this one shows Trikk at his most expansive and assured.

Review: Lee Burridge's All Day Dream has one of the most recognisable sounds in house music. It's deep, its; dreamy, it's organic. Within that framework, he has recruited plenty of fresh talents to find their own niche and now serves up some sounds from his current squad on this lovely summer sampler. Luca Saporito kicks off with the melancholic chords of "Next To Me Ft. Dalma Puska's, Marian (Ar) locks you into a state of hypnosis with 'Obsidian' and Pole Folder, Gmj & Matter bring subtle day time trance vibes to 'Voyage Austral' which is rich in prog energy. Lauren Ritter's 'Form Constant (Lost Desert RemiX)' is a gorgeous closer with magical xylophone style melodies bring a lightness of touch and deep emotional resonance.

Review: After 32 years promoting a distinctive blend of off-kilter Cologne techno, mind-altering minimalism, ambient pop and trippy tech-house, Kompakt Records has notched up 499 releases. It makes sense, then, that the long-serving German label would be keen to mark release number 500 with something suitably special. They've done just that, offering up a lovingly produced box set that does a fantastic job of celebrating the imprint's journey to date. There are five, differently coloured discs packed with (mostly edited) versions of lesser-known early gems and Kompakt classics, plus a bonus picture disc containing 50 locked grooves, and a 100-page, 10" hardback book telling the label's story to date. It's an incredible product all told, one blessed with a host of electronic household names - The Orb, Laurent Garnier, John Tejada, DJ Koze - and deeper cut, cementing the label's status as a gamechangers and pack leaders.

Review: Norm Talley has put together a second volume of his Unity series on his own label Upstairs Asylum. It features his nearest and dearest from Chicago and Detroit, all of whom of course serve up perfectly smoky and stripped back deep house and techno grooves to make you move. Delano Smith's characteristic loops lock you in from the off on 'Big City Nights,' Norm himself pairs dub techno chords with suggestive techno stabs that keep you on edge and Brian Kage's 'Poly-Phonic Phonk' is heady, dreamy, richly melodic house bets listened to in a cosy back room at 4am.

Review: Longplay II: 10 Years Anniversary Compilation is a monumental six-record box set that celebrates a decade of cutting-edge mininalist techno. From the hypnotic rhythms of Cezar's 'Nkv2' on Side-1 to the atmospheric 'Nochi' by Denis Korablev on Side 12, each side brings its unique flavour. Tracks like Vincentiulian's 'Owowow' and SIT's 'Internal Network' showcase intricate, minimal soundscapes that are both cerebral and dancefloor-ready. The compilation also includes standout moments like Alci's "Man Studer" with its deep, pulsating basslines, and Ben Neville's 'Good Techno Stops Time', a testament to the timeless nature of the genre.