ROBERTA レコード& CD

Review: Roberta is a producer inspired by the late great Motor City don that is Mike Huckaby. That is clear to hear in this new EP for the small but well-formed Sole Aspect label across a quartet of sublime deep house gems. Opener 'Excursions' is as smoky as they come with gorgeous but muted chords that bring warmth and diffuse light to the cuddly-deep drums and delicate percussive sprinkles. 'Forever Love' has a jazzy flute bursting out the mix next to more prominent drums while 'Love Mosaic' is a delightfully smooth and sultry late-night charmer with gorgeous soulful vocals and steamy sax lines. A classy EP all round.

Review: ***B-STOCK: Sleeve damaged but otherwise in excellent condition***


Roberta is a bonafide queen of the deep. She is back now with the first People of Earth release of 2022 and it is another must cop 12". It opens with organ drenched, lo-fi deep house sounds, The drums shuffle, the vocal is aching and the whole thing is littered with whimsical jazz keys. 'Feel The Funk' layers gospel samples with more stripped back and grainy-edged drum work and 'Shakalaka' then cuts loose on well swing drums with diving bass and a sprinting of toms up top. 'Dem Drums' is the closer and the most intimate of the lot, with dreamy pads and deeply varied bass. A fantastic EP.

Review: Roberta is a bonafide queen of the deep. She is back now with the first People of Earth release of 2022 and it is another must cop 12". It opens with organ drenched, lo-fi deep house sounds, The drums shuffle, the vocal is aching and the whole thing is littered with whimsical jazz keys. 'Feel The Funk' layers gospel samples with more stripped back and grainy-edged drum work and 'Shakalaka' then cuts loose on well swing drums with diving bass and a sprinting of toms up top. 'Dem Drums' is the closer and the most intimate of the lot, with dreamy pads and deeply varied bass. A fantastic EP.

Review: Hot on the heels of her first appearance on Kai Alce's NDATL imprint, Roberta returns home to Night Moves. It's another quietly impressive collection of warming, immersive deep house cuts from the Brooklyn-based producer all told. It sees her cannily combine organic and electronic instrumentation on a quartet of groovy, sumptuously produced workouts. Check first the bongo-rich, Rhodes-laden vibe of deliciously hazy opener 'Nothing More', before bathing in the chunky, locked-in grooves, spacey synths and raw Clavinet stabs of tidy loop jam 'I Want Cha'. Over on side B, 'You Don't Say' sounds like a classic Soundstream disco-house number with added percussion and electric piano stabs, while 'Because I Can' is another languid, Ron Trent influenced number that sports some seriously good freestyle vocals.

Review: NDTAL is the label Kai Alce runs out of Atlanta and is one of the finest deep house imprints out there. Roebrta keeps the reputation in tact with a rich six track journey into deep and smoky late night moods and grooves. 'Reachin Out' has a gospel sounding vocal that is made more driving on version 2, while 'Dat Thang' layers up lush Rhodes chords with real jazz fluidity. 'Gotta Have Love' is a more danceable party tune and a final version of 'Reaching Out' brings the dub. Most of these 12"s sell out quick sharp, so don't sleep.

Review: An ultra-depthy broken house production from fellows Roberta and Fawziyya Heart, 'Take Our Time' is a seeming exercise in how many top frequencies one can lop off, yet still use in service a sense of excitement in stasis. The simple tessellation of soul-fed voice, subdued kick, murmurative Rhodes and mono sub make for a fantastic combo, as we're unconsciously fed lyrics and style signifying tarrying and patience, not to mention the Molokos and Smith & Mighties of the 1990s.