Heist Recordings Netherlands Vinyl & CDs

Review: Atlanta-based Byron The Aquarius has that innately soulful touch to his music which never tires, and after his The New Beginning album on Shall Not Fade he's appearing on Dutch label Heist Recordings with some plush, funking and bumping house gear that's as classic as it is fresh. Just listen to the way he refines the garage house approach on 'Get Up', at once nailing the sound while giving it a sheen that all imitators fail to capture. There's even some uptempo broken beat which edges towards drum & bass on 'Love', but yet again this is Byron doing Byron - accept no imitations!

Review: As her releases for Aus and fantastic DJ Kicks mix have proved, Cinthie Christl knows a thing or two about classic-sounding, peak-time ready house music. It's little surprise, then, to discover that her Heist Recordings debut is full to bursting with nostalgic, retro-futurist treats. She begins by doffing a cap to the dreamy chords, jazzy synth-bass and rushing piano stabs of turn-of-the-90s Italo-house on 'Won't U Take Me', before reaching for more sparkling, life-affirming riffs on the marginally more driving (and accurately titled) 'Piano Heaven'. That track gets a chunkier, weightier and more energetic makeover by St David on the flip, while 'Masterplan' is a high-octane tribute to Dance Mania style ghetto-house with a timeless deep house twist.

Review: Heist Recordings' tenth anniversary celebrations are drawing to a close, but the Dutch label is not done with showcasing the dancefloor gold nestled in its bulging back catalogue. Here they offer up a second 'Heist Classics' EP featuring five more tried-and-tested treats originally released at different points over the last decade. On side A, Crackazat's rolling, summery and ultra-positive 'Alfa' is followed by the jazzy, musically detailed, disco-flecked and sun-splashed 'Espilon Girls' by Andy Hart and the re-born disco-funk shuffle of Makez's 'Different Planets'. Over on side B, Kassian's deep, gorgeous and lusciously loose-limbed '8th Movement' comes accompanied by Nachtbraker's highlife-sampling 'Hamdi', a blast of pure dancefloor joy.

Review: Dam Swindle are now back with part two of their 10-year anniversary series. 'Keep on Swindling Part 2' is an ironic name, as we feel the furthest thing from 'swindled' on hearing these five joyous new house cuts. A jumble sale of originals and remixes, 'Good Woman' is pure jubilant electro backed by Hammond organ and offbeat leg-slaps, while a remix of Guadaloupean troupe Gaoule Muzik's 'A Ka Titine' backs up the A. Three more snappy remixes by other artists of Dam Swindle's work adorn the B-side, including additions by Tom Misch, Arp Frique and Lorenz Rhode Ash Lauryn.

Review: The Dutch pair once known as Detroit Swindle and now going by the Dam Swindle alias (they hail from Amsterdam) return on their own Heist label with a trio of well-designed sounds. 'That's Right' is a 'copy, dusty, disco-tinged house cut for sunny climates and feel-good parties. 'Minor Fools' then taps into a 90s New York house vibe with bouncy drums and bass. Last of all is 'Soul's Lament' with its laidback grooves and swirling soulful pads. A trio of excellent genre studies from this pair.

Review: Now that Heist Recordings is 10 years old, label bosses Dam Swindle have decided the time is right to launch a new series of EPs featuring big tunes and sought-after classics from the imprint's archive. Fittingly, volume one begins with the track that opened the label's debut release - the classic US deep house style bounce of Dam Swindle's 'The Breakup' - before we're offered the chance to savour the organ-rich, hands-in-the-air positivity of Scan 7's brilliant 'The Best Is Yet To Come'. Over on the B-side, Fouk's 'Kill Frenzy' is a dusty, jazz-sampling deep house treat, Demuir's 'Werq Feel Gruv Vogue' is a twinkling, loop-based dancefloor delight, and Adriano's 'Me & You & Her' is a sun-splashed, disco-flecked peak-time treat.

Review: Some 30 years on from the release of his debut EP, DJ Sneak is still serving up indispensable dancefloor workouts marked out by chunky, swinging drums and energy-packed arrangements. Here the Chicago house legend pitches up on Dam Swindle's Heist Recordings label for the very first time. He begins in deep and dreamy mode via the punchy drums, wide-eyed vocal snippets and sumptuous string loops of 'Love Can Make It Happen', before slamming down some breathlessly brilliant 'bompty beats' and sleazy acid bass on the brilliant 'Going Back To It'. His ability to work short loops into a frenzy of heads-down and hands-aloft dancing comes to the fore on 'Full Cycle', while 'Pockets' is a breeze of brilliantly programmed, loose-limbed house beats, vocal stabs and wonderfully deep chords.

Review: Prolific and long-serving Dutchman Orlando Voorn made his belated Heist Recordings debut last year with a collection made up of previously unheard old and new cuts. For this sequel, he's decided to present entirely fresh material, all of which was recorded last year. He begins with the colourful, deep and dreamy dancefloor wooziness of 'Soundsystem', where his eyes-closed, subtly soulful vocals catch the ear, before getting a bit cheeky on the piano-sporting, disco-tinged house stomp of 'High' (a tribute to the joys of jazz cigarette smoking, fact fans). Over on side B, 'Day By Day' is a warming, loose-limbed chunk of classic-sounding, U.S style deep house, while '909 (feat Emil and Boo Williams - OV Remix)' is a sweat-soaked, energy-packed jack-track.