B2 Recordings Vinyl & CDs

Review: B2 Recordings keeps it classy with another new deep house offering from label head Bengoa. It comes hot on the heels of his last outing here in December but this time all three tracks are straight-up solo cuts with no featured guests. 'Hustler's Convention' is an emotionally intense humid, steamy cut even though the grooves are warm and hypnotic. 'Apollo' has more raw percussion and scratchy drum textures overlaid with trippy vocals and last of all is 'Fanatic,' which pairs leggy bass and drums with more swirling vocal samples and interesting broken beat patterns. Another fine outing from Bengoa then.

Review: B2 Recordings rolls out more of its quality-assured deep house here with Label head Bengoa stepping up next for a new three-tracker that comes with featured guests Kristina Berger and Brothers' Vibe. 'Idyot' kicks off with deep and pulsing synths and clacking hits that bring an early Chicago vibe next to the libidinous and erotic vocals which really tease. 'Meet Me Halfway' sinks into a super silky groove that is deep as you like and driven by stylish drum hits under a muttered vocal. 'Come On Now' then sinks into a more acid-laced atmosphere with sustained chords keeping you on edge next to loose and jumbled percussion. It's a stylistically diverse EP, this one.

Review: B2 Recordings is a label run by Greek talent Bengoa as a platform to offer up his own diverse sounds. Here he serves up a new single featuring Pan that is sublime, seductive and deep. The vocals you will recognise from a classic pop hit but here they get all resung in an even more libidinous fashion. The drums roll, and the percussion is loose, and bright but soft chord stabs heighten the mood. Flip it over for an instrumental version of 'Thelxis' that is all about the late-night grooves. Two stylish sounds for romantic moments.

Review: No prizes for guessing the motivation behind this new EP, 5 Years Of B2 Recordings. It is a tidy and tasteful celebration of half a decade of top quality deep house from a range of key players. This one opens with Frenchman Brawther getting dubbed out and deep as ever with some nice lounge chords and blissed-out pads. Bengoa's 'Neftina Dub' has a subtle US garage shuffle to it that harks back to the 90s and Lex & Locke then bring rich paint chords and withering synth motifs to 'Atenas Blues' before Zaq's 'Make A Wish' shuts down with some cosmic rays of positivity. A fantastic EP so here's to the next five years.

Review: B2 Recordings does house music deeper than most and for its 16th outing, it is Cabin Luv Affair that steps up with a fresh four-tracker. 'Behind Red Curtains' kicks off and is a nice percussive number that is loose and seductive. 'Palmeiras 93' brings some sunshine, as you might expect from a tune with such a name, and the grovers flow freely and with a happy spirit. 'Look I Told You' heads back indoors for some early evening shapeshifting with nice dusty drums and jazzy chords and 'Not Afraid About This' is a nice vocal number with some hooky pads and a classy sense of soul.

Review: B2 Recordings hits release number 13 with DJ Rocca and Lex combing on a trio of fresh house cuts that blend elements of disco, Latin and soul. Up first is the glorious 'Solid Street' which has loose and percussive disco-house grooves overlaid with big synth energy and steamy vocals. 'Solar System' is slower and deeper, with a more rugged bassline and low slung sense of funk that never lets up. 'Last of all, 'Rose Tree' is a ramshackle house arrangement with whistles, Rhodes keys, tin-pot percussion, florid flutes and plenty of sunny energy all making it a real standout. A timeless EP packed with musicality.

Review: B2 Recordings is back with a second release that is every bit as good as the first. This one comes from Reece Johnson and is a joyous mix of uplifting disco sounds with a timeless edge. 'Comin' In Hot' is a lose-limbed opener with percussive edgy and low-slung drums topped off with dazzling chords. 'Glass Heart' then brings the funk with more expert looseness and this time some hooky and soulful vocals. 'Sup America' keeps the party rolling with instrumental disco brilliance and a Spanish vocal to add real heat while 'Feelin' The Beat' and 'Got To Be Free' close out with higher tempos but no less class.

Review: Bengoa's Athens-based-label B2 Recordings has impressed over its first nine releases. The 10th is another fine one to mark the mini-milestone and it comes from Lex, who was last on the label a couple of years ago. His star has only continued to rise since then with fresh beats on the likes of Samosa and Leng and now his brilliant disco house fusions find more new heights with 'Fast Jags.' This is a cosmic workout that slowly builds on nice loose drums with astral pads circling around you and keys withering in sci-fi fashion. Bengoa offers up a raw edit that brings some deeper jazz keys and tumbling bongos and Felipe Gordon's Deep Funk remix ups the house vibes with a nice thumping groove.

Review: REPRESS ALERT!: B2 Recordings keeps it deep once more with a new 12" of cuddly and cosy house grooves from Those Guys From Athens. 'Be What You Wanna Be' is a perfectly humid and balmy opener for a summer's evening dance under a fading sun, then 'That's What I've Got To Do' picks up the pace with some floored melodies and disco swing. There is a familiar lazy funk bassline to 'Wish You Were Here With Me' as well as a well-treated classic vocal sample from Bill Withers to make this one a real heart melter. 'Feelin' is a more hefty and heavy house sound that will enliven any warm-up.