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

Review: Chaos In The CBD have quietly been building an impressive reputation for some time, with releases on Hot Haus, Amadeus and Needwant all hitting the spot. Here they transfer to Bradley Zero's Rhythm Section International with what's arguably their most mature and musically expansive EP to date. There's a decidedly dusty, eyes-closed deep house feel throughout, with hypnotic grooves laden with all manner of neat, often jazz inspired touches. This is perhaps most obvious on the St Germain style jazz-house goodness of "Observe" - all skipping cymbals, bouncy grooves and killer pianos - but can also be found on the deeper "Observe". It's there, too, on the lilting brilliance of "Midnight In Peckham" - think yearning trumpets and twinkling piano motifs - and the blissful "Luxury Motivation".

Review: 2015 is fast turning into Henry Wu's year. Having already delivered killer 12s of baked deep house/instrumental hip-hop fusion for Ho-Tep and Odd Socks, he now pops up on Rhythm Section International with another brilliant EP. While as deep and blazed as previous excursions, there's a sun-bright freshness to the pleasingly varied selections on offer. Contrast, for example, the deep space, boogie-house slickness of "Yellow Brick", the bruk revivalism of "Neezy (Wok)" - think I.G Culture after a few too many bongs) - and the brilliant deep house/jazz-funk fusion of "Dubplate Special". Arguably best of all, though, is the Latin jazz-goes-deep house warmth of "Croydon Depot". Everyone will have a different personal favourite, though; it's that kind of EP.

Review: Following recent impressive outings on Above Machine and, surprisingly, Whiskey Disco, Mathieu Cle once again dons the Closed Paradise guise, this time for Kolour Ltd. Opener "Planets" sets the tone, delivering a warm and dreamy blend of fluttering chords, stretched-out build-ups and rolling grooves. Brame and Hamo deliver a sunnier, more obviously soulful take on the same track - complete with what sound like a few live instrumental flourishes - before Cle drops the locked-in, bass-heavy chug of "Tunnels". Finally, he joins forces with Journey Reverse on "Moelleuz", a loose, soulful and woozy jam that benefits greatly from an ultra-dreamy breakdown and some choice vocal samples.

Review: When it comes to producing deep, sophisticated, musically rich deep house, few are quite as capable as Kai Alce. Even so, there's still something extra-special about "Take A Chance", a thoroughly deep, soulful and lilting excursion full of rolling, African-influenced percussion, eyes-closed trumpet solos and warm, evocative vocals. Alce's hero Larry Heard provides the remixes, firstly under his given name (a typically deep, soulful and dreamy interpretation) and secondly as Mr Fingers. It's these "Ambient Acid" versions - built around restless, lopped electronics and the original's sublime trumpet - that really stand out. Brilliant from start to finish.

Review: Not content with providing us with the tune of summer 14 - the Mood Hut released "Something (On My Mind)" - Jack Jutson has only gone and done it again on his Future Times debut. "Thirstin" is every bit as likeable as its' esteemed predecessor, delivering a subtly sun-kissed blend of loose, delay-laden deep house percussion, rich Rhodes chords and yearning vocals. Truly, it's magical - the kind of warm, evocative fare that will still be getting rotations decades from now. Flipside "Atmosphere", an instrumental cut built around jazzy drums, live disco bass and brilliant eyes-closed piano solos, is almost as good. Clearly, the Pender Street Steppers man is one serious talent.

Review: There's something wonderfully hazy and fluid about this debut album from German producer Hodini. Built around a combination of unapologetically blazed instrumental hip-hop, Moodymann influences, and the sort tumbling, swinging, sample heavy deep house promoted by Andres, Seven Davis Jr and others, M$03 sound tailor made for humid, lazy summer afternoons. There are collaborations with Glenn Astro and Max Graef, amongst others, and an overriding sense that Hodini is a producer on the rise. Grab a beer, slouch against the nearest tree, light up a jazz cigarette and get lost in the groove.

Review: Aside from a couple of EP's for Shadeleaf Music and Delusions Of Grandeur, respectively, the enigmatic ThatmanMonkz prefers to ride undercover. However, his latest record comes courtesy of Derrick Carter and Luke Solomon's infamous Classic imprint - which is run out of the Defected HQ these days - so it's clear that he's talking business. This four-tracker is all house vibes and no messing around: "In Bed With You" features the charismatic and soulful vocals of Pete Simpson over a deep but driving groove, and "Miss You So Badly" ups both the tempo and the hypnotics. On the B-side, "Kickin's It" is a Detroit house kinda' number, boasting ingenious little sample shots and anthemic melodies, something which can also be said for "Vainglorious Style" - another slice of Detroit-fueled soul.

Review: Deep house prankster DJ Koze is clearly on a bit of a roll at the moment; the Pampa boss served up the best DJ Kicks in quite some time and has released one of the singles of the year in XTC. Now he's welcoming peculiar deep house auteur Axel Boman back into the Pampa fold with a fine two track 12" 1979. The title track's simple conga beat, hypnotising strings and rising pads build the suspense until that awesome bassline drops. On the flip we have "Nokturn (Grand Finale)" an epic bongo and hi-hat workout reminiscent of The Hayden Andre Brown Project's "Tribal Life" on Strobe from back in 1991. Tip!

Review: There was something rather fitting about Seven Davis Jr appearing on Classic last year. Here, the two thrillingly eccentric, low-slung, Prince-influenced boompty house cuts that made up that 12" get the remix treatment. Detroit Swindle handle the A-side, turning "Friends" into the kind of acid-laced, Derrick Carter-influenced, bumpin' house monster that would once have appeared on Classic offshoot Music For Freaks. On the flip, Dubliner Krystal Klear continues his journey into the world of clap-happy, peak-time house, with a version of "Beautiful" whose power is derived from a colossal sub-bass line, fizzing synthensizer flourishes and some kicking drum machine percussion.

Review: Yanneck "Quarion" Salvo has been relatively quiet of late, with his last 12" dropping midway through 2014. This, then, is a welcome return. The four cuts gently pull in subtly different directions, with the blissfully spacey synth melodies and long builds of "Lost Coordinates" being followed by the bass-heavy, deep house basement funk of "A Thousand Questions". Flip for the relentless organ stabs, shaker-heavy grooves, twisted synth lines and bumpin' bassline of "Burnin", and the fantastically broken P-funk workout that is "You Were The Only". If you enjoyed 2000 Black's "Make It Hard" on Rush Hour, you'll love "You Were The Only".

Review: Joseph Caserta, or simply known as Caserta, is an Italian house producer whose funky touch has stood out as of late. After a series of disconnected EP's over the last three years, Caserta is back and this time he's on Shadeleaf, a young imprint dealing in soulful house and moody dubs. "Ricky" receives four mixes: there's the "deep mix", a chord-driven, vocal-led charger; the "jeep mix" is slow, funky and boogied-out; Kon remixes the track into an uplifting floor-filler; Thatmanmonkz reappears on the label with the final remix, a straight-ahead tool-jacker with the original's sultry vocals.

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: Here's something guaranteed to ensure a rush of excitement in deep house heads everywhere: a brand new album from much-loved U.S producer Fred P. It's the first under the previously unused F.P-Oner alias, and his first studio outing since 2013's Black Jazz Chronicles set, Codes & Metaphors. Unsurprisingly, the simply titled 5 is as inspired, sumptuous and melodious as you'd expect, with gentle dub house, jazz and - in the case of the wonderful "Infinite Love" - Detroit techno influences. While much of the album is slinky, sensual and ultra-deep (see the fabulous "Visions of You" and "Sleepless in Shibuku"), there are a couple of thrillingly percussive moments to get the pulse racing, including the African-influenced tribal workout "The Realm of Possibility".

Review: Chicago's Ike Release, one half of Innerspace Halflife alongside Hakim Murphy, inaugurates Northside 82', a new label from Chicago's Smart Bar venue and named after one of its more influential parties. This tight three-tracker is classic Ike doing what he does best...making some killer house funk and kicking some ass! On the A side you got the title track "Dance Equations", a bumpy club bomb with a hard-hitting bassline straight from the belly of an analogue synth, while the B side features the jacking drum machine patters of "Bijou", and the deeper, more ethereal melodic patterns of "Dance Current". Three killer trax from the city that started it all. Recommended.

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: It's been some six years since Hun Choi made his debut on William Burnett's WT Records imprint. In that time, he's proved incredibly hard to pin down. This debut album for Rush Hour seems designed to continue that trend, offering a series of warm, melodious and curiously Balearic cuts that defy easy categorization. Sure, there are dancefloor-focused moments - see the cacophonous, Detroit-influenced hustle of "Error of the Average", the deep acid madness of "Silent Sensations" and the classic deep house bounce of "Desire" - but also a range of downtempo and ambient jams that arguably impress more. Of these, it's "The World" - a humid exercise in tropical drums, twittering flutes and looped vocal samples - and the sublime, string-laden "Bruises" that really stand out.

Review: Black Jazz Consortium, or Fred P as you might usually come across him as, launches the first instalment of the Reshapes and Outtakes series, a division of Soul People Music dedicated to surfacing alternate versions and mixes of tracks from 2014's Codes & Metaphors LP. "Be And Not Know" features Christina Wheeler on the vocals and a classic BJC deep house beat with a techno sensitivity, while "Thin Air" goes deeper down the rabbit hole thanks to its driving kick and furious percussion swings, and "Only You" strips things down again to deep house levels. Finally, "You Take Me Higher" features the lovely voice of Minako over a spacey, chunky Fred P groove, with his trademark bass crunch riding beneath.

Review: Jose Marquez has long been a member of the Basic Fingers family. Since making his first contribution to the acclaimed re-edit imprint back in 2011, he's regularly delivered tasty reworks of Latin jams and African gems. Here he returns with two more killer Latin cuts piled high with South American percussion. "Quinto Y Bongo" smartly combines killer drums and vocals from an unknown, stripped-back salsa record with the sort of subtle, spacey synths and thickset bassline you'd normally find on a high calibre deep house record. "Canto Del Caribe" is, if anything, even heavier, with the combination of sturdy house kicks, dense Latin percussion and chanted vocals creating an intoxicating mood.

Review: It's two years since Nick 'Mr Beatnick' Wilson released the final part of his brilliant Synthetes Trilogy on Don't Be Afraid, and a year since his similarly impressive Marshmallows 12" on Tief. As usual, he's in fine form, kicking things off with the spacey but melancholic synthesizer chords, sun-kissed electronic melodies and rolling, Italo-influenced bottom end of "Stutter". His renowned beat programming skills come to the fore on the Detroit futurism-goes-broken beat brilliance of "Jellyfish", before "Formed In The Stance" offers up a deeper, marginally darker and certainly moodier take on broken techno. Finally, he's back to his sunny, melodious best with the sparkling brilliance of "Obsidian Morning". Stellar stuff, as always.

Review: London's irrepressible Lobster Theremin label launches its new offshoot, Distant Hawaii, with Moods & Grooves signee Hidden Spheres. The mood is summery and the vibes are housey; "Waiting" kicks things into motion with a pseudo tribal beat and some lovely deep house action, while "Upsn Downs" goes a little off-kilter thanks to its rattling percussion samples and sporadic beat. On the flip, "Be A Man" enters the Detroit house territories thanks to its gorgeous pads and lo-fi vocal samples, and "Bill Loves You" chuck groovy jazz instrumentation over a slick groove. Noice!

Review: After a rare sighting on the esteemed Kolour LTD with the much lauded 'From the Woods EP', the secretive and elusive Goshawk is now taking flight on Pressed For Time with 'The Hunt EP' - a four tracker of warm, garage swung grooves.

Taking influence from mid 90s US house, late 90s French house and the free party sound much loved by DiY, this second solo EP should go some way to establishing the signature Goshawk 'sound': Warm yet heavy. Happy yet sad. The music of a boat party drifting out to sea.

As one half of Rhythm Plate he has been involved in the house scene for over 15 years, releasing seminal EPs on Mantis, Winding Road, Hudd Traxx, DiY and Lost my Dog to name a few.

With remixes for Kiko Navarro, Joshua IZ, and Situation all in the bag, 2015 really is the year of the Goshawk.

Review: Given the hype surrounding HNNY over the last few years - fuelled, primarily, by a string of celebrated singles on Puss, Local Talk, Let's Play House and YUMMY - it's somewhat surprising that Sunday marks his first foray into the album market. Wisely, the Swedish artist embraced the opportunity for eclecticism that the format provides, filling his debut full-length with a mix of tracks variously designed for sofa-bound listening and dancing in clubs. There's a jazz-flecked beauty to the crackly downtempo grooves offered up by the title track, while the dreamy, guitar-laced head-nodder "Sylvia" recalls the best of his Balearic-influenced work. It's these luscious moments, such as the twinkling ambience of closer "My Baby", that really resonate.

Review: A fifth edition of the Mosaic Split Series arrives, pairing up productions from Anne Errez and Clandestine, the production duo consisting of UK house/techno mainstays, Neville Watson and Justin 'Peace Division' Drake. Errez, of course, featured on the previous edition of this series and it's clear the Leeds-based artist has made an impression on Steve O'Sullivan with her tough stabs and dub flecked groove of "Discovery Inn" a perfect fit for Mosaic. Complementing this, the Clandestine project looks to be a most promising endeavour for Watson and Drake on the basis of their two searing contributions with the urgent machine funk flex of "Slave To The System" a proper highlight.

Review: Never one to rest on his laurels, Colin McBean has been as busy this year as any other, continually flying out the highest grade house and techno reductions for those who like their grooves pure and punchy. Most of that material surfaces on his Phoenix G label, but he has plenty of time (and music) for other labels too. This release on Dungeon Meat previously came out back in 2015 and has since been hailed as one of McBean's finest, so here it is in all its repressed glory. The beats are unrelenting, the feeling tripped out and alluring, just like all the best Mr G material.

Review: The Chicago based Perpetual Rhythms label welcomes long time Chicago artist Brian Harden for the its 5th release; "The Essence of Chicago". This EP offers 3 solid tracks, including a remix by Dj Quad; all of which represent the many facettes of Chicago House & Techno...Deep, Soulful, & Banging.

Review: A third release for the year from Deep Explorer extends the invitation to Allstarr Motomusic, aka Zurich based producer and DeepArtSounds founder Daniel Piu. Under his given name, Piu has form for house productions dating back to the late '90s but seems newly reinvigorated following the decision to start working as Allstarr Motomusic, with Beauty & Simplicity following a fine contribution to the Minuendo label. The three original Allstarr Motomusic exude an old school feeling no doubt developed by years of record collecting and are augmented by a fine remix from Anthony Nicholson.

Review: What a 12"! Given their stature, International Feel could probably pull in a DJ Harvey or a Theo Parrish to remix cuts from the Jose Padilla LP (maybe they will ooh!) but they've indulged their more esoteric urges here. Chicago house originator Ben Cenac comes through with a truly rare Dream 2 Science remix, turning "Lollipop" into a brisk, star gazing production rich in the musicality that characterised his (now) cult 1990 album. Complementing this are two fine remixes from Versatile's genius I:Cube with his marauding Balearic rave remix a real pearler of a production! International Feel include Padilla's OG version too!