New releases last four weeks: Funky/Club House

Review: Way back in 1993, when his career was still in its infancy, Chicago great Roy Davis Jr donned an alternative alias, The Believers, and delivered a 12" on Strictly Rhythm: 'Who Dares To Believe In Me?' It was something of a club smash, with Ministry of Sound issuing it in the UK a year later with a swathe of new mixes. This Groovin' Records reissue boasts a trio of mixes from the original U.S 12". On the A-side you'll find the original mix, a warm, spine-tingling slab of piano-rich New York style house topped off by snaking, delay-laden saxophone lines and an inspirational spoken word vocal courtesy of Davis. Over on the reverse, Davis' own 'Just Living High Mix' - a breezier, jazzier and more colourful affair - is followed by Mind Readers' tougher, chunkier and heavier revision, which is in effect a proper dancefloor dub.

Review: Something in the Eastern European house and dance music proclivity has always struck us as enduringly authentic, perhaps due to its interest in folk music fusions; the label Sad Fun have surely played a key part in doling out this impression. Now they offer their latest addition to the fantasy with a label-described "true Estonian lowkey gem" in the form of duo Ajukaja & Edith Karlson, aka. Vana, whose combined efforts frankly, dustily and ironically toy with the pop music cliches native to their homeland. A-and-B-siders 'Vimme Ratsu' and 'Kuu Maa' are said to rework an '80s Estonian coastal folk-pop favourite and perform a "pseudo-reggae" pastiche respectively. Both have that effortless murmured charm on the vocals, recalling a nostalgic time of European make-do, A10-mic-from-the-junk-store, bottle episodic, rickety recorded goodness.

Review: A collection of remixes that take the original Amy track and transform it into a dance-oriented experience. The Alix Alvarez Sol Channel mix on the A-side is a house remix that adds a driving beat and energetic synths. In contrast, the Al Usher remix on the B-side takes a more soulful approach, infusing the track with a 1970s vibe. Two remixes that showcase the versatility of the original song and offer a fresh take on Winehouse's iconic vocals.

Review: 'Stereo Love' marked the debut single of Romanian DJ Edward Maya and Moldovan-Romanian producer Vika Jigulina and it came back in 2009 on Maya's album, The Stereo Love Show. The catchy refrain is sampled from 'Bayatilar,' a 1989 track by Azerbaijani composer Eldar Mansurov and it helped the song swiftly gain global popularity and go on to rule nightclub playlists across Europe. It soared to the pinnacle of eleven national music charts and its success earned it certifications such as 8× Platinum in Norway, 7× Platinum in Sweden, and Gold or higher in ten other countries. Grab it now on vinyl and pump the party once more with this Euro-dance gem.

Review: Portuguese producer and Enchufada label owner Branko is back with his fourth full-length solo album and once again he pushes his own high standards even further. Soma was recorded in Lisbon over a three-day jam session that saw him asking plenty of top local Lisbon-based musicians to improvise over rhythmic frameworks. The resulting man-hours live recording was the blueprint for the album which Brano then worked into the compelling and worldly tunes you have here with vocals from the likes of London, Cape Verde, and Brazil, including Jay Prince, June Freedom, BIAB, and Tuyo.

Review: Matt and Lee join forces with Grammy Award-winning Terry Hunter to unleash a soulful house masterpiece here on Sonic Wax. Their superb collaboration results in a track that exudes pure musical bliss and captivates heart, body and mind with its irresistible grooves and smooth synths. Additionally, Matt and Lee showcase their prowess with a killer Masters At Work-inspired soulful house mix which adds their own unique touch to the genre. Jazz Apple contributes a remarkable Mario Biondi-style jazz mix, perfectly tailored for the jazz and Northern Soul market, and together, these artists deliver a diverse collection of mixes that will undoubtedly make their mark.

Review: House music and fresh modern funk are happy bedfellows on this new EP from Moniquea with the masterful production taken care of by XL Middleton who, if you ask us, cannot miss at the moment. With an unmistakable West Coast vibe characterised by punchy synth bass and leads, this A-side embraces the good times with pulsating beats and detuned chords. On the B-side, the '97 Remix pays homage to Moniquea's g-funk origins while the bonus Applejac remix of 'Hate To See It' seamlessly blends dance-oriented elements with lush synth strings reminiscent of peak-era Neptunes productions from the 2000s.

Review: Swiss producer and DJ Lea Lisa gathers together some of her favorite tracks to play out with in a double pack compilation for Favorite Recordings. As you might be able to tell from some of the artists and tracks on here, Lea likes her house music deep, tracky, sometimes soulful and verging on proper techno. Featured here are key tracks like 'Ekeyz' from Pure Science, the club mix of 'Be There' by Kerri Chandler and 'Blax Thanxs' by Abacus. One very desirable addition is the early 90s gem 'Emotional' by Think. This very strong gathering of deep house tracks may be one of the best this year. Act quick and grab a copy.

Review: The Take It Easy label returns with a red hot one and limited edition one-sided 12" that features a Bugsy 'ReDrum' of Wema's 'Kiherehere' cut. The original artists are a five-piece Tanzanian outfit founded on community and they have a global approach to sound that plays out here. In Bugsy's hands, it becomes a club-ready cut that fuses house and techno with the original's traditional Tanzanian instrumentals and Afro-Latin rhythms. Add in a fiery vocal and the sort of unrelenting drum funk that sends crowds mad and you have another standout from this fledgling label.

Review: Volume 2 from the Jackin' Disco crew promises to deliver something other than murder on the dancefloor despite the Sophie Ellis-Bextor flip; paring the disco pace back to a downer-tempo, albeit still delivering ample energy to fit on a single slice of 7" wax. The edit on the A-side is sourced from not from Bextor's breakout disco-dance hit but rather her equally-as-good, classic feature cut 'Groovejet' by producer Spiller. On the B comes an equally loopy, happy-to-be-jacked bootleg of Carol Williams' 'Love Is You'.

Review: It would be fair to say that post-disco outfit Unlimited Touch's 1980 single "I Hear Music In the Streets" is one of the greatest boogie/electrofunk records of all time. Louie Vega clearly agrees, because late last year he decided to gather together the remaining members of Unlimited Touch and record a fresh 2020 version. The A-side "Touch Mix" is the bomb. It features a more organic-sounding disco-boogie groove than the 1980 original, with delicious guitars, bass and electric piano/organ underpinning seriously good group vocals from the sometime Prelude-signed outfit. Over on the flip, Vega serves up an electric piano solo-laden dub mix, as well as a "Classic Boogie" take that naturally sounds very similar to the band's much-loved original version.

Review: Magic Number is Ross Hillard, a downtempo and orchestral composer whose engineering and bass playing can be heard on an array of releases, most notably for the likes of his own house favourites including Louie Vega, DJ Spen, Kerri Chandler, Lay-Far and Atjazz. Now debuting his first record on the latter artist's eponymous label, Badly Written Songs sounds like a slice of humble pie, but it's actually well-thought out title: in Hillard's own words, "(it's) a tongue-in-cheek reference to how transient electronic music can be." Thus, writing songs in this genre might not have been the most sensible and sustainable idea - but we all love house music, so we put everything into it, hoping that people don't discard it too soon. True to an engineer's tastes, the album is ultra-dynamic and bright throughout, serving up a consistent guest-vocal steeze reminiscent of Charles Webster or Herbert's gravitas.

Review: Alton Miller doesn't get spoken about as much as he should - he is a genuine Detroit pioneer who played the city's earliest house parties and decades later he is still turning out authentic and emotive deep house. Here he debuts on Mister Bear Records, a new imprint out of Berlin. First up is 'Am Forplay', a mid-tempo roller with heady chords slowly moving through the scales next to smoky vocal coos. 'For Me' is a more edgy and energetic sound with wispy pads darting about like fireflies over more percussive, tech-leaning drums. Last but not least is our standout - 'Sweet Love' (dub) with its delightful vocal and shuffling, cuddly deep house drums soon hypnotising you.