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Review: Ben Westbeech dons his deep house moniker, Breach, to mix the latest installment of the long-running DJ Kicks series. With a quietly soulful sheen, tactile chords, late night deepness and shuffling rhythms aplenty, it's an enjoyable listen; atmospheric without being dreary, with enough stand-out moments to require multiple listens to really enjoy its melodic intricacies. It's an impressive tracklist, too, with inspired contributions from Wire People, Fred P, Cassio Kohl, Dusky (whose booming remix of CLOSE and Joe Dukie's sinewy "My Way" is turning into one of the tunes of the year) and Dopplereffekt, as well as the obligatory exclusive track (Westbeech's touchy-feely "Beroving").

Review: On his edition of the long running DJ Mix series, Kerri Chandler has eschewed the dancefloor in favour of a set that showcases his "influences and inspirations". For the most part, that means a slick selection of soul, jazz-funk, disco and boogie gems from the '70s and '80s, with occasional deviations into electro (Fantasy Three's "It's Your Rock (Instrumental)"), Afro-dub (Chandler's own previously unheard "Stop Wasting My Time") and inspirational '90s fare (Innerzone Orchestra's sublime acoustic soul cover of "People Make The World Go Round"). Throw in a wealth of specially made interludes and you have a brilliantly programmed and mixed journey through Chandler's musical youth.

Review: Given their position as high-ranking, chart-bothering dancefloor party-starters, you'd expect Disclosure's contribution to the long-running DJ Kicks mix series to be energetic, enthusiastic and saucer-eyed. It is of course, with the Lawrence Brothers taking us a whirlwind, thrill-a-minute 55-minute trip through the kind of peak-time club cuts that get their creative juices flowing. After a surprisingly sanguine start (Pepe's shimmering ambient), the siblings gleefully skip between synth-laden lo-fi house positivity (Harry Wolfman), excitable nu-disco (Cleanfield) and melodious deep house (Simon Hinter), before opting for spacey synths, beefier beats, sleazier grooves and heavier basslines courtesy of the likes of &On&On, Slum Science and East End Dubs. Chuck in a couple of their own cuts and a dash of D&B at the end and you have a hugely entertaining, ear-pleasing mix-up.

Review: When interviewed around the release of the first Hercules & Love Affair album in 2008, main man Andy Butler did little to hide his house influences, despite that set's loose disco vibe. Since then, he's continued to pursue a retro-futurist house agenda, and here re-states his credentials with a DJ Kicks mix that happily joins the dots between vintage New York house and garage, acid, contemporary revivalist fare and the odd foray into dubwise electrofunk territory (see the thrilling opener from Mankind). It's an excellent representation of what you could expect from one his basement-bothering DJ sets and is jam-packed with largely overlooked fare from the '80s and '90s.

Review: Studio K7’s long running mix series, DJ-Kicks, continues with an instalment from NYC disco head Juan Maclean (former hosts include the likes of Hot Chip, Booka Shade and Henrik Schwarz). Sculpted with a combination of classic tracks and more recent cuts, the mix displays a diverse collection of songs that are more focused on the club than past mixes.




Although Maclean is mostly known for his productions and live performances, he is also a DJ of some repute and his inclusion in the series is no surprise. What is somewhat intriguing, however, is his decision to make a straight up house mix. Over the running time of seventy-two minutes, Maclean keeps the energy levels high as his unleashes his collection of records meant for the club. Selecting from a rich tradition of house music with a disco twist, he includes a combination of classic tracks like Rick Wilhite’s "Get On Up" (remixed by fellow house don Theo Parrish) and recent disco cuts from the likes of Shit Robot, Still Going and 6th Borough Project.




The mix has a free flowing feel throughout due to Maclean’s raw method of producing: the whole compilation was mixed live using only two turntables, a couple of filters and a tape delay, placing the emphasis squarely on the sprit and excitement of the mix as opposed to its sound.

Review: Given his length of service, it's rather surprising that Michael Mayer hasn't previously been asked to deliver a DJ Kicks mix. His contribution to the long running series is predictably impressive, moving from the warm and woozy downtempo vibes of Peter Zumo, to the loose-but-driving bliss of Modarat's remix of John Hopkins's "Abandon Windon". Along the way, Mayer doffs a cap to some of his early inspirations (Chris and Cosey, Throbbing Gristle), highlights the work of some of his favourite contemporary producers (I:Cube, Justus Kohncke, Alter Ego, Prins Thomas) and showcases a string of his greatest remixes. The vibe is woozy, melancholic and occasionally dark, with Mayer successfully blurring the boundaries between techno, new wave, krautrock, synth-pop and off-kilter ambient.

Review: New York disco man Juan Maclean compiles the latest DJ-Kicks compilation, following the likes of Hot Chip, Booka Shade and Henrik Schwarz. Selecting from a rich tradition of house music, Maclean includes a combination of classic tracks like Rick Wilhite's "Get On Up" (remixed by fellow house don Theo Parrish) and recent disco cuts from DFA buddies Shit Robot and Still Going. There's some European tech house from Florian Meindl, Alex Niggemann and Andre Crom & Luca Doobie, and an exclusive new track from Juan Maclean to top things off.

Review: There's going to be plenty of heat surrounding this mix-up from hot US DJ crews Wolf + Lamb and Soul Clap, and it's easy to see why. As commercially released DJ mixes go, it's exceptional. Packed with fresh material and refreshingly eclectic, it sprints between tracksboth upbeat and downtempo at a breathless pace. From sparse nocturnal house and Arp-heavy noughties boogie to dubbed-out grooves, space-age electro and sweeping cinematic instrumentals, this installment of "DJ Kicks" has it all. Hell, there's even a spot of pedal steel skank from Slow Hands. With a cultured, considered feel and all manner of unreleased audio delights from the Wolf + Lamb family, it's an outstanding hour of entertainment.