Circular Motion Vinyl & CDs

Review: It's a great one for fans of the more spiritual and profound strains of deep house this week, with underrated Chicago veteran Anthony Nicholson presenting his new BlakMuzic EP. He was compelled to release something that answers the need of powerful and thoughtful music that is relevant to the current times we are living through. This EP is a powerful statement of intention and speaks to those values. The Prescription Records staple and head of Clairaudience is in fine form as always, firstly on the hi-tech title track and its hypnotic, futurist groove aesthetic. Over on the flip, Nicholson gets ultra deep on the emotive late night journey of 'Transgressions'.

Review: Two of Chicago's most underappreciated producers pop up on this splendid record. The cowbell carnage of A-Side "Time Trekker" is offset by the string-laden, piano heavy house thump of "Pretty Noise Suite No. 1" - a guaranteed floor filler if ever we've heard one. Pressed up DIY style on Nicholson's Circular Motion Recordings, this is one for the purists.

Review: First released digitally last year, 'We Work Best' sees sometime Ron Trent protege Anthony Nicholson join forces with soul singer Jadeine Veda for some suitably grown-up, musically expansive deep house thrills. The two club-focused remixes come from Nicholson under his Miquifaye pseudonym - vocal and instrumental takes full of layered, Latin-influenced percussion, locked-in deep house beats, glassy-eyed chords, immersive pads and Spanish guitar flourishes. Of those two mixes, it's the A-side version that really impresses, thanks in no small part to Veda's fragile, emotive and intimate lead vocals. The EP's other mix, the 'Veda Vocal Reprise', is a largely beat-free affair marked out by chopped and layered vocal snippets, sparkling ambient chords and warming bass.

Review: While many US producers from the second house wave of the 90s are looked at like demigods, others have remained partly in the shadows, and considerably underrated given their achievements. Anthony Nicholson is one producer who belongs to the latter category, but one which we've been supporting since day one of Juno. The man came to prominence thanks to a fruitful relationship with Ron Trent, and also to a whole heap of quality releases for known imprints like Peacefrog, Prescription, and Nite Grooves. This week, however, he's up on his own highly underrated Circular Motion, spear-headed by the excellent "Miquifaye Studio Rewerk", a tribal house groove with a deep, wondrous backdrop of synth exploration. "Beat Pad Apella" is a jazzier piece of music, an enticing house chiller with plenty of musical nuances that bounce off its full, intricate groove. Excellent - don't overlook this one...