Black Key Vinyl & CDs

Review: Black Key recruit the consistently excellent Dan Piu for their nineteenth vinyl release, laying out three tracks of sophisticated deep house. Opener, "Venus Agenda" (which Piu claims is one of his all-time favourites), builds with reverb-soaked claps and the faintest hint of acid in the bass line, before skipping hi hats and lush pads move us in a deeper direction, soon making way for a haunting, yet beautiful lead - this one really is a thing of wonder. "Mother's Love" immediately heads in a different direction, with sublime keys and a subtle, yet highly effective bass line, and a sparsely used vocal sample heightening the mood when it appears. Finally, "Altarf" again takes us to new territory, with the opening, pacey 45 seconds quickly making way for dreamy pads and a perfectly crafted bassline, underpinned by a broken beat kick and expertly programmed hi hats. This package firmly shows why Piu is in such high demand with some of the best labels in the business.

Review: Black Key return from a four year hiatus in style, with 4 sublime tracks from Australian ultra deep house don, Planisphere, aka David Swatten. Following an incredibly well received LP on reissue label, For Those That Knoe, Swatten returns here with more expansive, smokey and utterly consuming deep house cuts, stamped with his unique sound but offering a different flavour from his Definitive Transmission LP - one which immediately stands out from the crowd. Being only his third release in 20 years, there's an understandable sense of anticipation around Swatten's output. This release undoubtedly puts Black Key firmly back on the map, picking up their deserved reputation for releasing only the very best deep house, aimed well and truly at the heads.