Hard Times Vinyl & CDs

Review: Hard Times taps Alex Arnout's Black Logic for a release that feels like a natural extension of the label's deep house legacy. Having spent his formative years on Hard Times the club's dancefloor, Arnout channels that history into four tracks that blend jazz-flecked grooves with rich, soulful textures. The opener is a crisp, funk-laced roller, its bassline locked into a groove that nods to the genre's 90s heyday. 'Back 2 Where We Were' takes a more introspective turn, its warm melodies and fluid percussion creating a late-night haze. 'Blackman' sees Beckford deliver a stirring vocal, weaving conscious lyricism into intricate instrumentation, while 'Jazz Mess' closes the set with free-flowing drums and improvisational energy.

Review: It would seem every nominee DJ and producer - hopefuls of inclusion in one pantheon or another, regardless of which - must undergo a certain rite of passage: build up a backlog of "lost tapes", as proof of an excess of genius and industriousness later down the line. DJ Romain (Romain Gowe) is no exception to this rule, having served as a joint New York and New Jersey house musical earl since the early 1990s, in which time he has issued many a waxen decree under multiple aliases and regularly collaborated with scene peers Matt Echols and Matt Keyz. This second part of a two part series flings open the hardened steel vault door to the DATs with ease, unveiling such treasures as 'Find My Way', 'Release My Body' and 'Insane', the second of which is a specially frosty groundswell of stringy emotes, pitchy vocal reflections and watery synthesis.

Review: There's a special chemistry when seasoned producers unite for the sake of connection, not clout, and that's the spirit of MISINGO. Born during the Covid-era isolation, the project brings together UK producer and DJ Doorly, Destructo from the USA and Colour Castle from Australia. Their debut track 'Give You Love' out on the once legendary and recently revived Hard Times Records, is a slow-burning house cut built around a hypnotic acid line, moody synths and smoky vocals from DJ Rae, all countered by Gene Farris's gravelly warmth. Remixes come from legends old and new, including DJ Pierre, DJ Romain and Charles Lavine, each reworking the track with soul, swing and funk to make this a vital and global package.

Review: The recently revived Hard Times Records revisits Karen Pollard's 1996 house anthem 'Reach Out To Me' with local lad and Leeds legend Paul Woolford dropping two standout remixes. First up is his extended mix, an epic ten-minute trip that features the scoring vocals with signature drums and sun-soaked guitar solos that hark back to the classic house era but not cloyingly so. Under his Special Request alias, Woolford then gets wild and delivers a breakbeat-driven remix infused with UK garage vibes and bass-heavy low ends that again join the dots between the past, present and future. Both versions have been road-tested and are already tearing it up thanks to Woolford's versatile production prowess.

Review: Under his Sound Design alias, legendary US house producer Todd Terry dropped his seminal tune 'Bounce To The Beat' back in 1994. 30 years on it is out into the ether once more here courtesy of Hard Times, the newly relaunched label that played a key role in bringing Terry and his peers to UK shores back in the day. As well as the original it comes with two fresh remixes from modern-day tastemakers in Chris Stussy and Dan Shake, both of whom bring it right up to date in style.