Review: Scottish producer Milton Jackson returns to Freerange with four club-rooted collaborations that bridge Glasgow's punch with Detroit's finesse. It's a new release that brings Brian Kage on co-production and mastering, HazMat Live on synth duties, and Jon Dixon supplying characteristically sharp keys i and the results are as warm and robust as you'd expect. 'Fire Emoji' opens with a stripped-down, pressure-cooked club tool: all booming low-end, echoing vocal wisps and crisp arrangement. 'The Sunsetters' is the emotional peak, built around a fluid synth solo from HazMat Live and buoyed by plush pads and 909 accents. On the flip, 'Wanna C U' nods to both sides of the Atlantic, fusing US house depth with the swing and snap of UKG. 'The Shine', featuring Jon Dixon, is the most musically rich of the lot i gliding chords, broken grooves and cosmic jazz touches make it a standout closer. Rooted in deep house but flexible in feel, these tracks feel fully lived-in: tactile, soulful and beautifully engineered. Four cuts that do damage without shouting i a smooth burner from a seasoned crew.
Review: Since being snapped up by Defected a few years ago, the reinvigorated Nu Groove label - originally home to some of the earliest NYC deep house recordings ever released - has done a good job in balancing essential reissues with new EPs from artists whose music neatly fits their ethos. Jimpster, a man who has been serving up impeccable deep house for decades, is their latest recruit. Fittingly, he's delivered an EP of nostalgic, colourful deep house of the kind that could have been produced by Nu Groove stalwarts The Burrell Brothers in 1990 or 91. For proof, check the tactile, analogue-rich retro-futurism of 'The Phoenix', the warming deep NY garage-house bump of 'Lightening In Me' (featuring vocalist Oliver Right) and the synth-rich sonic sunshine of 'Beat Of An Era'.
Review: Italian producer J.P Energy resurfaces with a reissue of two rare late-90s works-deep, percussive hybrids from a fertile moment in underground Italian club culture. Originally released in 1997, 'Prima Dell'Alba' and 'Forbidden Planet' blur the lines between early trance and stripped-back techno, brimming with cinematic tension and pulsing groove. 'Prima Dell'Alba' is the more mysterious of the pair: tribal rhythms, eerie pads and a gradual rise in intensity evoke a kind of sunrise ritual for the dancefloor. The original mix of 'Forbidden Planet' delivers a leaner, more mechanical energy-icy and forceful but with a meditative undertow. A 2025 revisited mix by J.P Energy himself kicks things off on the A-side, reimagining the track with updated production and added spatial depth, without losing the spirit of the original. As part of the Sound Migration series, this reissue pays tribute to a singular voice in Italian electronic music-subtle, rhythmic, and visionary.
Review: Montreal's Jump Source makes it six with four tracks engineered for maximum impact on the dancefloor. Side A features 'Bleach' and 'Condenser,' which are all about building and sustaining tension through bold, cyclical progressions. 'Condenser' was co-produced with Sabola and leans heavily on the Roland SH-05, which anchors the track with analogue grit. The mood shifts of the flip with vocal-driven cuts from Martyn Bootyspoon and Frankie Teardrop adding a hint of introspective flair to the club ready grooves. 'On' takes a confrontational edge, while 'Get It Done' rides a cooler groove.
Review: Razor-N-Tape's white label series serves up its first-ever various artists collection here, and it opens with Windy City master Glenn Underground. His 'Happy House' is a joyous disco stomper with florid strings and lung-busting vocals. Rahaan adds his own edit to 'Be Cool', which is a jazzy dancer with magnificent guitar work and brassy horns. 'Hot Damn' (JKriv edit) keeps the love flowing with funky disco house energy and an air of hands in the air celebration and The Patchouli Brothers flip 'Love Explosion' into a strident, front foot wafered and pumping disco funker with gorgeous vocals. There I so much sunshine and joy in these tunes that they melt even the stoniest of hearts.
Review: Somewhere between a rolling terrace session and a very well-behaved afters, Aloque's second 12" offers a quietly confident take on modern club gear. The Valencia-based label launched with a bang last year i their debut sold out quickly i and now they return with four new tracks from co-founders Vsan & Jose Marti. If the first record introduced the label's sound, this one deepens it. 'Creilla' opens the A-side with a stripped, percussive groove that unfolds patiently, stitched together with dubby effects and subtle movement. It's restrained but functional i the sort of track you'll play more often than you think. 'You Will (Remaster)' leans into darker territory: heads-down and system-facing, with a weighty low end and just enough melodic tension to hold your focus. Over on the flip, 'Stabito' takes things into smokier, slower territory. Airy stabs drift in and out over a skeleton of drums, soft-edged but purposeful. 'Calibre (feat Badano)' closes with more urgency i a focused, dry pulse driving the most direct track on the record. With two sharp 12"s under their belt and a clear sonic identity forming, Aloque sit right at the centre of Valencia's shifting dance landscape i these records already feel built to move well beyond it.
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