Deep House Recommendations July 2013

Review: Sheffield has long been a hub for electronic music in the UK, spawning acts like 'The Human League' & 'Heaven 17' and labels such as the mighty 'Warp Records'. It is no surprise that a new generation of electronic music producers are now bubbling to the surface of the UK scene. At the forefront of the Steel City's musical rejuvenation is Oliver Ledger, who is more commonly known as 'Squarehead'.

Ledger's 4 track EP on Manucci's Mistress entitled 'Harlem Ache' sits at the cross roads of Bass, House and UK Garage. The title track is an 808 bass laden monster, constantly rolling and growing.

Up next is 'Fell For It', chopped and filtered vocals ride the waves of a chugging bass line, whilst glassy keys punctuate the beat.

'Murdercedes' kicks off the b-side in style. Probably the most 'Housey' track on the EP.

The last track on the EP, 'Curve Appeal' is dark a foreboding number. Delayed keys and minor bass notes finish the EP off with menace.

Review: Straight A's is pretty much what it says on the tin - the A-Sides from Metro Area's seminal first four singles, from 1999 to 2011, reissued and analogue remastered on four sides of wax. The inclusion of the masterpiece that is "Miura" should be enough to entice those who have been coveting the track on vinyl for some time, but "Atmosphrique", "The Art Of Hot" and "Caught Up" are equally as timeless jams that remind you of the days before "nu-disco" became such a dirty word. Essential!

Review: Rhythm Plate's re-emergence through their Pressed For Time label continues apace on this second release, a split 12" that pairs a new cut from Matlock's finest with solo productions from Ant Plate as YSE and YSE Saint Laurent. Hissy warehouse beats, simple chord vamps and Rapturous oh-vocals characterise YSE's dryish yet muscular "99% Invisible", whilst Plate's YSE Saint Laurent contribution "When You Love Me" pairs some R&B vocal sampling with drawn out synths and wispy percussion placed on top of a grooving bassline similar to Bernard Badie's '09 Mojuba hit "Move To The Beat". Rhythm Plate's submission, "I Think I've Dreamed This Before" adds a warming calmness to the EP, allowing a spirited synth line to traverse its arrangement like a geisha float-walking through an Japanese garden of snowy arpeggios and moss covered basslines.

Review: Semi mysterious crew Italojohnson return for a seventh round of limited vinyl only action and it's hard not to get immediately caught up in the tough Kenny Dope style DJ tool of the A Side hugger. There's just something about the drums that come kicking in that grabs your attention amidst the current deluge of cookie cutter deepness, and the eventual drop into the bassline is sublime. Switch down to 33 on the flip and the first of two more untitled cuts is equally unabashed in its intentions as a DJ tool, pairing crisp hi hats with thick bass drums and fidgeting stabs whilst the second cut begins in a swampier place and highlights Italojohnson's capacity to tease out a vocal sample.

Review: Making for a logical pairing, SMD and Bicep lock arms in an uplifting and bouncy jaunt through acidic basslines and emotive pads. Knowing how to cut the airy-fairy-ness and rip into a rock solid groove is a trait both parties are only too familiar with, and as such "Sacrifice" should be heard rocking out large-scale raves all over the shop with a considerable hit rate. Interestingly, the collaboration has given rise to not one but two separate ambient versions on the flipside that make for a nice counterpoint to the main-room-baiting original mix, letting those fluffy elements waft out in blissful abandon.

Review: Four up-and-coming artists appear on SHAG Edits Volume 2 which is kick-started by Rebel's "You Somebodies", a bassy piece of looping filter house meant for peak time play. Newcomer Riri throws down jazzy horns, marching snares and acoustic rimshots in a slow moving "Get It On", while Chocky's "I Like" features cut vocals caught between interchanging melodies of pulsating rhythms. Jamie Trench, responsible for the labels first EP, delivers sexy vocals in "Locks, Frocks & 2 Floating Sparrows", a laid back disco joint with the same summery vibe as barmy Miami night.

Review: Two prime slabs of Boo Williams house fonk get a timely re-issue here by Ricardo Miranda's Noble Square label. Originally released in 1999, both "Crying Black Man" and "Changes" featured on the rare as hens teeth Fruits Of The Spirit EP and still sound as timeless nearly fifteen years on. Lead cut is one of those iconic Boo groovers, pairing a skipping Chi-town beat with some powerful spoken word samples. Complementing this, "Changes" is built from the same deep, eminently soulful and melody filled place as the Strictly Jaz Unit project Williams was involved in.

Review: The speed at which Bicep have risen through the ranks is staggering. Two years ago they were bedroom bloggers; now, they're among the most hyped producers around. Here, they pop up on Kevin Saunderson's KMS label with "Vision of Love", the typically tough and wide-eyed chunk of US house revivalism that originally surfaced on their eponymous label last year. It's devilishly simple, with a few key ingredients - big piano riffage, subtle strings and booming beats - being whisked together to produce a peak time delight whilst the cheeky usage Inner City vocal samples is what has lead to it being reissued through KMS. Carl Craig edits, delivering a version that expertly teases out the piano and vocal, via a few well-placed drops and effects. It's this version that hits home hardest, but we wouldn't expect anything less.

Review: Lifted from his impending collection of remixes on Mule Musiq, DJ Sprinkles turns the spotlight on his two contrasting versions of June's "Lost" for a perfectly balanced 12". On the A-side you get to enjoy Sprinkles in righteous party mode, dropping a classic funk break vibe over a fulsome bass before working in romantic sweeps of strings and vocal. Meanwhile on the flipside the beat is dropped in favour of blissful piano ringing out over wistful pads while the vocal hangs suspended in mid-air, for one of those all-time spiritual eyes-closed adrift-at-sea moments. Depending on which side you need at what time, you won't be able to go far wrong with this beauty.

Review: REPRESS ALERT!!! Coming correct from deep within the London scene, Jonno & Tommo consummate their production partnership with a return to Ornate to delve further into the hypnotic, soulful end of the house spectrum. "Close The Door" stretches across the A-side of their new release, the tough demeanour of the drum-heavy intro giving way to a serene pad arrangement, setting the tone for a starlit workout bolstered by an infectious hook of dusty vocal and subtle sonic decoration that accentuates the groove. "Small Stone" represents a more reflective mood on the flip, steadily feeding in reams of rhythm and melody before fully blossoming into an equally seductive, bumping jam laced with a perfectly pitched acid line that nestles into the cosy confines of the track.Secret weapon of the capital's underground house fraternity, Miles Sagnia steps up with a simmering remix of "Small Stone" that keeps the tension high and the textures roaming through a decidedly futuristic soundscape, while still retaining the ethereal tone of the original.

Review: Apparently Four's A Crowd for FOTO on their second various artists release, though it feels just right to us as label boss OOFT shares record space with Aussie duo Andy Hart & Max Graef, UK newcomer MermaidS and the amusingly monikered Riff Clichard. It's the reliable hand of OOFT that steers proceedings forward, turning in the pitched down 110 BPM boogie roller "Jareth's Revenge" whilst Melbourne Deepcasters Andy Hart & Max Graef crank up the tempo for the crisp disco house warmth of "Dem Young Jabronis". Ease the plate over and Glaswegian MermaidS shows his talent at crafting outright euphoria from nothing as "Run with the Night" shifts through the gears for 5 minutes before exploding. After this the mysterious Riff Clichard demonstrates his chopping skills on the 80s rework "Through With Love".

Review: A bunch of bubbling UK Deep House players line up on Introducing Newington, a new label of the same name that is clearly fond of the N16 postcode with vocal house on the menu. Ejeca, the Irishman earmarked as the 'next Bicep', keeps up his relentless form this year with the opening track "Robodrum" which is a playful shuffling little house number that rotates between stabbing vocal samples and piercing chords. Moving south of the Irish border, Dublin based Frank B kills it with "Trieste" a wonderfully warp cut that sounds like it's been recovered from a dust filled DAT tape. London types Jack Fell Down take a cleaner, but no less infectious approach on "For You" whilst Midlands type Tom Flynn rounds it out with the deep and bouncy "Going On".

Review: Danish label Vibes LTD continue their manifesto to showcase the finest in contemporary slants on the classic French house sound - namely a constant groove and vibe gleaned from the chords, melodies and crunching 909 drum patterns - with a third limited vinyl only release. As with the previous two, artist names and track titles are of no concern here, leaving you to focus on the music which begins in hazy, soft hued fashion with the first track (replete with "deeper" vocal samples in case you didn't know) before heading in a more rugged direction -it's a toss up between "Track 2" and the glowering, jazzy "Track 3" for best track here.

Review: Following up his Groovin EP, French house producer Kool Vibes releases his second EP, Time & Chances, for his own KV label. Stepped rhythms, phased hats and soul-grunting vocals in "Get U Down" make for a lush and playful take on four-four French-tipped house, while "High Up" features short sustained rhode stabs and '90s vocal shouts. "Time & Chances" is a little rougher in its musicality and drum processing, adding some jazz elements, whereas traditional house combos come to the fore in "Something I'm Feelin", as chords and crashing hats lock in and out of each other with electric flow.

Review: Session Victim deliver their first EP of 2013 via Jimpster's Delusions Of Grandeur imprint, cutting and pasting vocal samples and disco strings over house beats and shortened chords; see "Yes I Know". New Tartelet act Max Graef adds some extra streetwalkin' funk to his remix, keeping Session Victims effective quick fire loops, while the EP's title track proudly walks down a road of high and happy disco-infused filter house.

Review: REPRESS ALERT: The debut release from US label Perpetual Rhythms comes in the shape of an EP of collaborations and single drops entitled Secret Elements. Firecracker boss Linkwood provides some extra Chi-Town edge to the sombre melodies and science fiction synths of Specter & Chicagodeep's "Sonic Pulse" on his opening edit, whilst Chicagodeep's "Restless Nights" generates a mix of spacey, laid back vibes. The bleepy pulses of Taelue's "Social Anxiety" sounds close to what an Aphex Twin and Jerome Sydenham & Kerri Chandler house collaboration would result in, while the single rimshots and wallowing pads of "Rough Access Point" give the track a distinctly lonesome ambience.