Groovin Italy

Review: It was way back in 1994 when the Black Science Orchestra - AKA Ashley Beedle, Uschi Classen and Marc Woolford - first released the Altered States EP. As this timely reissue on Groovin' proves, it remains a benchmark of British deep house. The EP is arguably most famous for the Wood, Brass & Steel-sampling brilliance of "New Jersey Deep" - a track that should reside in any house-head's collection - though the similarly-minded laidback positivity of "Philadelphia" (whose swinging drums, toasty electric piano chords and rising synthesized horns pay hearty tribute to Philly Soul) pushes it close. The EP also includes a tasty "Drumadelphia" version of the latter track for DJs who like to play around with percussion, while "Vario (SOS)" is an organ-rich trip into hazy lounge music territory.

Review: The latest on-point reissue from Italy's Groovin' label takes us back to 1993, and the Peter Daou/Danny Tenaglia-produced debut single from vocalist Daphne Rubin-Vega. It's a far breezier, groovier and sweeter record than many of Tenaglia's later productions (which tended towards the muscular), with Rubin-Vega's quietly soulful vocal seemingly drifting across a backing track rich in warm chords and baggy, breakbeat-driven house grooves. All of the various mixes hit the spot, with the trippy, dub-style Reconstruction Mix, vibraphone-laden Groove Instrumental and low-slung Never Do Dub standing out. The Acapella Reprise, which features rich chords and vocal snippets, is also rather good.

Review: Hot on the heels of Clone Classic Cuts' reissue of Survival's "Midnight Dancin" (as part of a 12" compilation of Joe Lewis productions), Groovin has decided to re-release "I Can't Wait". Intriguingly, this edition appears to include two previously unreleased mixes. So, while some Chicago house diggers may already own the Vocal mix - where Daryl Goodlett's slick, soulful vocals rise above an early garage-influenced chunk of disco-tinged vocal deep house - they won't have heard the Instrumental or Dub versions. The latter, a traditional Dub in the mid-to-late-'80s New York style (think key vocal passages, delay-laden beats and judicious use of other key elements), is particularly good.

Review: Stone cold seminal. Originally released on King Street off-shoot 11:07 Presentations, this agenda-setting Kerri Chandler produced EP still hits home 20 years after its first outing. Classic garage house with all the room to swing and warm organ work, every track is a highlight from Dee Dee Brave's (AKA Holly Simpson) spine-melting spoken word on "Mookies Bio" to the untouchable "I Don't Care" featuring stern words from Kerri's very own grandfather. A genuinely timeless and soul-stirring artefact.

Review: Dunn Pearson Jr's 1978 single "Groove On Down" is widely regarded within disco circles as something of a must-have classic - a soaring trip into orchestrated disco territory rich in swirling strings, crunchy Clavinet lines, incessant instrumental solos and the kind of eyes-closed female group vocals capable of inducing ecstatic moments in even the most sober of dancers. Here, the hard-to-find 12" gets the reissue treatment via Italian stable Groovin. It replicates the original track listing (albeit in newly re-mastered form), pairing the well-known "Short Version" with the superior "Long Version" (this takes its time to build, boasts more solos, and in general provides a much more satisfying listening experience).

Review: For their latest deep dive into the world of hard-to-find house classics, Italy's Groove Records take us back to 1996. "House Music Will Never Die" marked Glenn Underground's first collaboration with vocalist Cei-Bei (AKA Curtis Harman) and has long been considered one of the Chicagoan producer's finest releases. Wisely, Groove has decided against tinkering with a classic, instead serving up all four mixes from the original Cajual Records 12". Choose between the classic deep house soul of the GU Cei-Bei Foot Mix, the wonderfully summery, jazz guitar-laden CVO Bismark Hotel Mix, Mark Grant's brilliantly evocative, stretched-out interpretation, and a killer Afro Dub that makes great use of a heavy analogue bassline. All four versions are top notch.