Deep House Recommendations - Best Of 2009

Review: Bless the Firecracker gods for their ongoing series of essential represses! The latest is their tremendous Firecracker 4 EP, originally released in 2009 and perhaps one of the Edinburgh label's definitive records - just look at all those DJs that have charted it above! Present is the absolutely epic, Dennis Parker-sampling "Barely Eagle" by Linkwood & House Of Traps on the A side plus Linkwood appearing again on the B side with his crafty edit of Tabou Combo Superstars 1979 classic "Ooh La La". Not forgetting Fudge Fingas "Situation Diminished" either; a nice, deep and smoky excursion through soulful blues territory. Not to be missed the second time around!

Review: If house music was part of your life five years ago there's every chance the dusky sounds of Pepe Bradock's "Path Of Most Resistance" lit up your dancefloor. It's a track that's as much a profound A-side on this EP as was "Deep Burnt" from his seminal Burning 12" (invertly that record's B-side). Swimsuit Issue 1789 was the last record Bradock released on Atavisme before issuing four Imbroglios 12"s during 2012 and 2013, and its B-side tracks, as you'd expect from Bradock, provide more top shelf quality. When it comes to basslines in house music "CU @ Minna & Lafayette" is a production that's up there with what Kevin Saunderson (aka Master Reese) can produce, while "Unapologetic Weightlessness" is a confused, ping ponging jumble of zany electronics lightened by the smooth cascade of a floating synth.