Groovin Italy

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: The latest Glenn Underground record to get the reissue treatment could hardly be described as one of his best known. Originally, this double A-side excursion slipped out as a white label, promo-only affair way back in 2010, and has since become sought after amongst deep house collectors. It's easy to see why the original is such an in demand record, though; the 11-minute A-side "Moog Vibrations", in which the Chicago veteran jams with his Moog over a typically warm and loose deep house groove, is little less than superb. Flipside "Urban Flight To Atiner 7", a cosmic deep house excursion peppered with guitar style solos, stretched-out organ chords and bustling acid lines, is almost as good.