DJS: MOST CHARTED - DEEP HOUSE - MOST CHARTED IN MAY 2015

Review: Well, here's something to raise the spirits: a first new 12" from Frank Timm's Sound Stream alias for three years. Those familiar with the German producer's work will know exactly what to expect, namely delicious disco house cut-ups that turn selected loops from largely forgotten gems into insatiable dancefloor gold. A-side "Bass Affairs" is particularly good, delivering a perfect blend of sun-kissed Brazilian guitars, rubbery slap bass loops and lilting Rhodes chords (all accompanied, of course, by thunderous kick drums). There's a more traditional disco-house feel about the filter-heavy "Sweep Magic", while "Starstrike" is a throbbing, stripped back affair that makes great use of looped-up bass guitars.

Review: Somewhat surprisingly, this is veteran Detroiter Patrice Scott's debut album. He's been releasing admirably melodic blends of deep house and techno since 2006, but this is the first time he's attempted to fill a full-length release. Euphonium is predictably enjoyable, with audible nods to pioneers of both genres - Ron Hardy, Ron Trent, Derrick May, Juan Atkins and Larry Heard in particular - and a range of tracks that ripple with far-sighted chords, sci-fi tinged rhythms, and an almost tactile feel. While mostly focused on dancefloor material, there are occasional downtempo excursions (see "A Detroit State of Mind" and "Sync Deeper"). These help give the album balance, while emphasizing Scott's love of mood and melody.

Review: YES! We hadn't heard anything from Detroit's Kai Alce in a while so it's an absolute joy to see him back on our shelves and doing what he does best. This, of course, is a reissue of the "Dirty South Dirt" anthem that came out as a 7" on Omar S' FXHE label a while back but it hasn't been around for a while and some of us still hadn't picked up this absolute gem! Slow-building percussion and funky yet minimal melodies make up the track, and you also get a string-heavy version, too! On the flip, you have "Late Night Theme" and the bumpy "Work The Dub" to swing you from side to side. Highly recommended and downright essential.

Review: Following an acclaimed appearance on People's Potential Unlimited, Pender Street Steppers return home to Mood Hut with two chunks of willfully loose, dusty and picturesque analogue deep house gems. "Glass City" is superb, with fluttering synthesized horns and becalmed horns gracefully stretching out over a typically sparse but jazzy rhythm and a warm-to-touch bassline. They go even deeper and slower on the flip, with "Golden Garden" delivering pitched-down beats, unfeasibly dreamy, stretched-out chords, and oodles of well-placed dub delay. It's not so much new age house, as the most blazed deep house track you'll hear all year. And, yes, it's also superb.

Review: Dego and Kaidi on Sound Signature whut???? Here's a partnership that makes perfect sense! The West London legends bring their signature blend of soul and brukked up grit to Theo Parrish's label across three stellar cuts resulting in a 12" that will remain long in the box. Lead track "Adam Rock Dissed" sets the tone, gliding out of the grooves with impeccably placed drums snapping away loosely as Kaidi lets loose with his magical fingers on keys. Next up, "Moths In Wallets" rolls forward and fat on a lazy breakbeat with the vibe enhanced by the low bass rumble and rich, rich keys. This might be our favourite cut on the 12" though B-side production "Backchat for Toprock" runs it close. Live drums get ripped up hard, rocking to their own broken step as Dego and Kaidi slowly tease out some heart wrenching chords amidst a flurry of heavy piano. The masters are in session, pay attention!

Review: REPRESS ALERT: Following a recent outing under the Mandar alias alongside studio pals Samuel Andre Masden and Charlie Naffah, Nick Putman presents his first solo single under the Malin Genie guise for two years. Predictably, he explores a range of deep house styles over the course of a four-track EP that's both quietly confident and largely impressive. There's a real bump to "Sense of Swing", despite the presnce of warm, fluid keys, while "Propter" successfully joins the dots between loopy tech-house and shimmering deepness. The techno influence is more obvious on the flip, where "Redskap" and "Ulux" both derive potency from the hypnotic nature of Putman's immaculately produced groove.

Review: Gnork is by far our favourite Hungarian DJ and producer with a deliciously facetious name and no strangers to the mysterious Yorkshire trio responsible for the Blind Jacks Journey and Crow Castle Cuts labels. Having appeared on several 12"s by the former, Gnork now brings his glistening command of deep house to the latter for this superb fourth edition of the latter's Raw series. This is one of those records where the soundclips speak for themselves really, the six tracks the sort of deep house productions DJs want to play and club goers want to hear. All of them hit the spot but the rush-inducing madness of "Transylvanian Night Drive" is particularly special. Satisfaction guaranteed.

Review: Having started the year with a mix CD and two samplers celebrating their roots as an acclaimed New York party, Mister Saturday Night returns to the business of building up the label's already impressive catalogue. This time, former Rush Hour associate Nebraska is at the controls. Stand Your Ground is unwaveringly positive throughout, delivering a range of cheery, dancefloor-focused cuts. There's some deliciously summery deep house in the shape of "Little Chan" (check out the superb pianos and acid tweaks), while "The Stoop" is a low-slung chugger built around killer jazz samples. The slower "Stand Your Ground" is nothing less than a slow-motion rush - all positive electronics and twittering melodies - while closer "Emotional Rescue" is a horn-toting romp through peaktime disco house.

Review: Daniel Leseman and Hans 'Junktion' Peeman first joined forces under the Fouk moniker late last year, delivering an impressive debut EP, First Things First, that skillfully combined the former's jazz-tinged rhythms with the latter's smooth deep house nous. There are plenty more reasons to be cheerful on this debut for Detroit Swindle's Heist Recordings imprint, not least the driving bass, jaunty jazz samples and warm chords of "Kill Frenzy". There's even more soul present on the loose house beats, glassy-eyed vocal samples and rich textures of "Leftys Bar", while "Ken Sent Me Release" is as woozy, wavy and dreamy as you'd expect. Soothing stuff, all told.

Review: Junktion, Daniel Leseman and Kristoffer Ljunberg's Outplay imprint has been going strong for a couple of years now and the label heads have started branching out to new talent after each one of them put in an appearance early on. The dudes have picked up the up and coming Loz Goddard who comes through correct with four discofied floor cuts on the deep house side of things. Luscious basslines, gorgeous keys and intricate vocal chops make for an effective collection of tracks. Our pick is certainly "Monkey Tears" thanks to its jazzed-out vibes and rattling mass of kick drums...check "Move It On" for that French filter house sound, too!

Review: Paul Cottam's Ruff Draft label enjoyed a great first year in 2014, delivering white-hot material from the man himself, LK and Romansoff, amongst others. For the imprint's first missive of 2015, Cottam has recruited Cardiff-based rising star Chesus, who previously impressed via releases on Local Talk, 4 Lux and Catapult. There's naturally much to admire, from the acid-era electronics, delicate synth strings and shimmering chords of opener "Orbicular", to the DJ Gregory-ish stabs, wonky electronics and dense, organic-sounding percussion of "WYW". Bristol-based producer Owain K - best known for his hook-ups with Jamie Anderson on Dessous - lends a hand on "Let It Happen", a rather fine slice of warm, immersive, Balearic deep house goodness seemingly inspired by the Vangelis classic of the same name.

Review: Well, it's safe to say that Delusions Of Grandeur has become something of a house institution by now. The imprint has put out a vast amount of material since the late noughties, all by an impressive collection of talents including Session Victim, Tornado Wallace, 6th Borough Project, Recloose and many others. Benjamin 'Ben Sun' returns to the label for his third appearance with "Tricks On Wax", an utterly funky and bass-heavy sample-house number reminiscent of the Moodymann school of sound. "Seven Sisters" is more spacey and futuristic in its melodic structure, while "Special 4U" winds things down to near hip-hop levels...chuggy beats, subtle breaks and smoked-out swirls of electronics.

Review: Last year, Melbourne's Harvey Sutherland signaled his arrival in emphatic fashion with the acclaimed Brothers EP for Voyage Recordings - a sumptuous, soul-flecked EP of boogie-influenced deep house. Here, he continues to impress with a superb double A-side for Dani Plessow's MCDE imprint. "Bermuda" is deliciously warm and summery, with jaunty boogie synths and cascading chords riding a smooth, shuffling deep house groove. "New Paradise" works the same formula hard, with dreamy, held-note chords and bubbly synthesizer melodies wrapping themselves around loose, analogue-sounding percussion and a rich bassline. If there were any doubts about his talents moving forward, this should dispel them. Clearly, Sutherland is here to stay.

Review: Amsterdam's Detroit Swindle duo pair up and land back on Jimpster's Freerange imprint...and you know that means swinging, dusty house grooves for all! The title track "Figure Of Speech" is a pleasant, beautifully Detroitified house swayer featuring some heavy chord action, and "Victoria's Secret" adds a further layer of beat-swing around cheery melodies for the summer haze. Flip the disc and you got "Live At The Cosmic Carnival", a disco-fuelled house anthem and another floor-filler to fill Swindle's ever-impressive catalogue.

Review: Quickly becoming one to watch in the techno circles, John Shima is making waves with his fresh approach to that classic Detroit sound. His contribution for boe is nothing short of a stunning representation of underground electronic music.
Prototype is a sonic ode to industry: blueprinted in the motor city and forged in Sheffield. It's heads down for the dance floor with shimmering metallic overtones and a side order of robot jack.
Ancient Skies points more towards Chicago stylings capturing the melancholy party vibe of early Cajual records with crystal clear production skills and neat arrangements.
Transducer is groovy experimental techno that could have easily sat on the much-revered Objet D'Art. It's electronic music that will stand the test of time.
Rounding off the EP in fine style is True Distance. A stunning ambient piece with deep pads and swirling melodies that complement and round of the EP perfectly.

Review: Ever a tease with their releases, Italojohnson makes his first appearance in a year with this three tracker, as ever appearing on their own self-titled imprint. There is always a pleasing consistency to the Italojohnson sound, where neatly shaped drum machine pressure meets with playful synth tones to make for some forthright party-starting material. On this occasion, "Track 1" brings the light and airy vibes with swooning strings sitting comfortably over a steady house groove, while "Track 2" delves into a more edgy construction complete with nasty bass and distorted vocal snippets. "Track 3" edges into more electro-inspired territory with its cheeky synth lines and wobbly low end trickery, but it's no less built for the floor.

Review: Mic Newman, or otherwise known as the one and only Fantastic Man, returns to Fine Choice Records with yet more of his very own organic house music. With previous outings on Wolf Music and Let's Play House, among others, Fantastic Man has now weaved his way into dance music's epicentre and his tunes have been coveted by the likes of London's Tief and Feel My Bicep crews. "Snake Charmer" is a tropical house lick complete with monkey sounds and all, whereas "Donkey Punch" is somewhat of a hybrid thanks to its broken beat pattern and oddball bassline - what a peach! Over on the B-side, "El Tropo" is an uber deep cut with a rather lovely set of Balearic melodies, but the real treat is "Birds Of Paradise" thanks to its utter neglect of a 4/4 beat pattern. Instead, Newman creates a tight, functional groove out of sparse and airy flurries of sound. Recommended.

Review: Henry Wu's capacity for funked up productions wedged in the BPMs between beatdown and house was on full display with the fine release for Alex Nut's Ho Tep label earlier this year. It's an approach that clearly seduced the cats over at Berlin label Odd Socks! The four cuts on Motions of Wu Vol 1 sound every bit as vital as the previous Wu transmission and make the Juno review team want to seek out the nearest park with a portable turntable and some BBQ tackle. This is the sort of 12" DJs adore such is the variety of mood and tempo explored across both sides. Up top, the chunky shine of "Midtour" is complemented by the sweeter, deeper bump of "Sumner Road" whilst Wu veers off into house mode on the excellent "117 Careplan". Best of all is the supple broken vibes of "Back To Brukka" which would not look out of place on a 2000 Black record.

Review: We're so used to Omar-S pursuing a very particular form of Detroit deep house, that when the legendary producer tries something different, it takes us by surprise. Sidetrakx Volume #3 is full of surprises. Take "Uluu", for example; while still a deep house track, its' undulating dub bassline, spaced-out soul vocal and sparse beats are pleasingly different to his traditionally rolling fare. It's mighty impressive, all told, while flipside "Another One 2 Love" almost eschews deep house completely. Instead, Alex Smith delivers a sweet, almost cute soul song built around head-nodding post hip-hop beats and sweet melodies. It, too, is hugely enjoyable, and once again proves his mastery of multiple genres.

Review: Glenn Astro drops his debut album on Denmark's Tartelet Records - home to the likes of Brandt Brauer Frick and Kenton Slash Demon - and it's a certified winner from start to finish, incorporating many different styles and influences. The opener "Goneville" features Max Graef and sounds like a J Dilla track being played by jazz instrumentalists, while "Shit Iz Real" reminds us more of the early 90's NY sound a-la KRS1. There's also more experimentally-edged numbers such as "You Can't Groove", tracks which allow this LP to not be categorised under one genre and sound very special, indeed...

Review: Having previously only appeared on WotNot Music in the past couple of years, K15 now slides over to Wild Oats to deliver a wholly appropriate slab of fluttering house romanticism rich in Detroit dreams and Chicago cheekiness, wherever the music might have been conceived. The cheekiness is no doubt most noticeable on "GWRH" with its homage to "Gypsy Woman", turning it into a fluttering Latino house jam, but before that comes the plush bump n rub of "The Story Of Her Life". "Insecurities" gets into a sexier kind of deep house funk, which "Gratitude" dutifully carries on until "Yellow" can round the record out with some largely beatless piano business.

Review: Four Walls, or otherwise known as Mihail Shvaikovski is an up and coming house producer who has appeared on Traxx Underground and a number of other labels thus far. This time around he lands on Eat More House with a seductive and laid-back house four-tracker for the deep moments. From "Constellations" to "African People", there's a distinctly jazzy sound around his beats and basslines, our favourite of the lot being "Techride", an acid-leaning late night beast with a driving groove and one mean mass hook. Let's eat more house!

Review: The last Rhythm Section release came from Vancouver man Local Artist, but number 6 sees Peckham man Bradley Zero actually looking to local artists in the shape of FYI Chris. The production handle of Chris Watson and his namesake Coupe, this Peckham duo have already impressed with the No Hurry stealth drop on Church late last year, but it's clear they've learnt a few new tricks since then. Nestling snugly into the SE London beatdown sound Bradley has been cultivating through the label, Back In The Millenium is pleasantly hard to pin down with bits of house, hip hop and acid thrown into the mixer. We are quite impressed by "Jeru" which desiccates a famed '90s Primo sample with some dextrous MPC work, whilst MCDE fans will be all over "Need I Say More". A big 12" Nik!

Review: As Burek correctly note on their press release for this latest 12", we have become accustomed to expecting the unexpected from Deepblak man Aybee but still this collection of productions as The Bazile Republic is something special. Strange Visitor is the first of several planned releases themed around the story of a strange island, a celestial visitor, and mysterious doctor, and it will be interesting to see how Aybee develops this narrative. With just the three tracks to focus on for now, it's best to judge The Bazile Republic on it's musical merits and Aybee is on inspired form as ever. Few can match him when it comes to bending house music into compelling new shapes and "The Sacred Smoke" is a quite wonderful highlight.

Review: Having made his name with a series of cult releases on Dixon Avenue Basement Jams, Marquis Hawkes now finds himself a fully-fledged member of the Houndstooth roster with Raw Materials the Berlin-based DJ and producer's second 12" for Fabric's In house label. Proceedings commence on a noticeably spartan tone with the title track, the crisp 909 groove offering forward momentum amidst a backdrop of ghostly vocals, dense bass and sad faced chords. "Ave That" is equally thick set and finds Hawkes in a more playful mood, toying around with a vocal loop as the drums rain down chaotically. "Jerk U Later" finishes off in fine Dancemania riffing fashion. More please Marquis!

Review: This debut album from The Very Polish Cut-Outs stalwarts PTaki has been a long time coming, having originally been mooted for release back in 2013. It's clearly undergone many changes since then, but the Warsaw-based act's formula - samples of obscure Polish music, plus analogue beats and old-fashioned studio trickery - remains in tact. Przelot is an impressive set, all told, with sinewy, organic-sounding Balearic gems (see the classical guitars of blissful closer "Jelitkowo" and sun-kissed "Girlcandy") being joined by more adventurous, drum machine-based cuts that variously doff a cap to out-there dub (the brilliant "Nie Zabijaj"), slow acid (the equally inspired "Ostani Kurs"), and impossibly intoxicating downtempo jazz ("Juz Kocham Cie Tyle").