Delusions Of Grandeur Vinyl & CDs

Review: Now 18 years into his production career, Mark Evetts AKA Mark E is far less prolific than he once was, but his occasional releases are stronger than ever. That much is proved by his second EP for Delusions of Grandeur. Opener 'Enchantment Under The Sea' lives up to the promise of its title, with the Black Country-born producer wrapping fluid, ocean-deep chords and lapping electronic melodies around lo-fi drum machine beats and an undulating bassline. 'Zone Tonight' is similarly deep, melodious and tactile - all atmospheric synth strings, hypnotic drums, starry pads and bubbly bass - while 'Vertigo' is a jazzier and sunnier affair guaranteed to put smiles on faces. To finish off, the Merc main man blurs the boundary between lilting analogue synth-pop and wide-eyed deep house on the gorgeous 'Bodymap'.

Review: South London's Medlar returns to Delusions of Grandeur at the peak of his production powers, showing up with a distinctly refined sonic palette on the brilliantly expansive LP, Islands. Known for his deep-cut edits, genre-hopping productions and steady underground presence, he's pulled together a cast of collaborators including Dele Sosimi, Rebekah Reid, Arnau Obiols and more. The record builds on years spent engineering and producing for others, drawing on those skills to deliver something more personal than ever. Blending live instruments, 80s-inspired electronics and club-ready low end, it's less sample-based than past work but still rooted in the recognisable Medlar spirit. Highlights come thick and fast, including the blissed-out opener 'Take A Trip', the wigged-out exoticism of 'Yeah', the acid thrust of 'Luv Interlude' and the emotion-rich Balearica of 'Ibiza'. Top marks.

Review: Accomplished UK talent Medlar's Islands albums mark another leap forward for the always evolving producer. It finds him merging electronic textures with live instrumentation and some top-tier collaborations from Dele Sosimi, Rebekah Reid, Finn Peters and more. 80s fusion, jazz, deep house and amapiano influences all collide into summery sounds that work as well in the club as they do pumping out of the car stereo. From the lush, afro-laced opener 'Take a Trip' to acid-tinged house, freestyle rap and blissed-out Balearica, each track has its own charm and personality. With less reliance on samples and more organic improvisation, this record could well be Medlar's best yet and certainly a great soundtrack to summer.

Review: ***B-STOCK: Creasing to corner of outer sleeve but otherwise in excellent condition***


Shockingly, five years have now passed since perennial deep house/disco/Balearic fusionists Session Victim released their fine debut album, The Haunted House of House. To celebrate, the album has been given the reissue treatment on vibrant orange vinyl. It remains a terrific set all told - a contemporary classic that stretches 11 slabs of deep house gorgeousness across three slabs of wax. Throughout, the pair easily sidestep the genre's many pitfalls, flitting between comfy, melodic goodness ('Push Comes To Shove', 'Zoinks'), jazz-funk/deep house fusion ('AlpineGlow'), slick disco-house ('The Haunted House'), groovy slo-mo electronica ('Blison'), dewy-eyed Balearica ('The Light Scent of Decay') and Clyde-esque broken hip-hop ('Fine').

Review: Session Victim return to the Delusions Of Grandeur imprint with their third studio album. Listen To Your Heart is the result of a year of cross-continental scripting which started in their Hamburg studio and wrapped up stateside in San Francisco's Room G Studios where the duo had worked on their 2014 LP See You When You Get There. Here is the second of three LP samplers. "Shadows" gets things rolling with a classic Session Victim groove, looped up pads and hooky spoken vocal samples. Next up we have "Unchained" which drops the BPM for a widescreen, slo-mo jam clouded in a smoky haze with jazzy touches, recalling the halcyon days of Pork Recordings. Flipping over we have a brand new LP version of previous single "Up To Rise", another sublime slice of blissed-out house music with a wonderful organic and live sound palette. Echoing Rhodes licks join the lead guitar tune for a Balearic beauty which will be stuck in your head long after the sun sets. Closing this second sampler we have "Over And Over", which winds things down somewhat for an inspired, bass-led roller.

Review: German duo Session Victim have always been about much more than just club tracks - their music draws on their playing skills and formal backgrounds so comes alive with meaningful melodies and rich instrumentation that elevates each track above the norm. This new EP on their home label Delusions of Grandeur kicks off with 'Screen Off' (feat Ras Stimulant) which is disco house with bubbly basslines and a retro feel. It also comes as an a cappella and on the flip 'Light The Way' is a seductively smooth cut with Balearic synths and floating pads that will levitate you off the floor. An Iron Curtis Illuminati mix brings starry-eyed electro vibes and his reprise closes out a lush EP.

Review: It would be fair to say that Henry Maldonado, known more widely as Son Of Sound, has been one of the few revelations to come out of New York City since the early 2000's. For a city which gave us so much in the 80's and 90's, there have been relatively few new names to carry on the dynasty, but Maldonado's sleek and thoughtful style for imprints like Disrtrict 30 and Speak Recordings has provided a bit of life and love to the American Dream. Moreover, the man appears on Delusions Of Grandeur, one of our all time favourite labels when it comes to house, and one that we wish was more present again. The deal here is simple; Son Of House provides us with three sultry, laid-back house groovers with plenty of soul and homebred sensibility, rolling and pushing its solid grooves over bouncy, seductive melodies and feel-good charms.

Review: Delusions Of Grandeur, easily one of the most consistent deep house labels to come out of the post-minimal era, returns with that guy we all love, Thatmanmonkz. Himself and Chicago's Khalil Anthony are remixed by the equally consistent Jimpster, who delivers the goods by laying down some utter tech house quality on "Take U 2 My House", while Brooklyn-based Sound Signature man Ge-ology takes on "Jus Anutha Wunna Deez", and comes out the other end with a murky, beat-heavy house monster that bumps so perfectly along. The originals are sexier, chunkier in the mix, and backed by some killer vocals, particularly "Take U 2 My House" - what a beaut! Recommended and tipped...