DJs: Most Charted - Deep House - Most Charted September 2012

Review: Bicep's ascent from a blog collective with obvious taste and passion for all forms of dance music into a fully fledged brand continues apace with the foundation of Feel My Bicep, a new label named in honour of their blog which promises to showcase their own growing production nous. Vision Of Love will probably go down as one of this year's most ubiquitous releases, given the advance clamour for its release and it's not hard to see why. Yes the three tracks here contain an obvious nod to the 90s New Jersey sound Bicep clearly adore, but there's a clear craft to their execution and the title track is massively infectious.

Review: Andres' return with the second La Vida 12" reaffirmed our belief that there's no-one out there doing it quite like the former Slum Village DJ. Second Time Around has the same insouciant, dusty charm that characterised New For U, the first drop on the Detroit deity's La Vida imprint, with the title track instantly entering the canon of house classics that change the shape of a party as soon as the needle hits the groove. The shimmying beats and cooing vocal snippets on "Skate This Way" work alongside captivating string samples. Flip over for some eloquent beatdown ("Second Time Around") and shuffling deep house exotica ("Hart Plaza").

Review: At first glance, the pairing of Forest Hill resident Andrew Ashong and Sound Signature boss Theo Parrish would seem strange. But the duo have worked together previously with the Ghanaian born vocalist (and supposed owner of a vinyl collection that would make most record shops look like a car boot sale) lending his soulful tones to Parrish's excellent nine minute plus translation of the Hot Chip and Spiritualised affiliated About Group. Whereas that collaboration was more about Ashong's voice being just one element of a production that was undoubtedly Parrish, the three tracks present on the Flowers EP look to showcase what a talent the Londoner is. Those trademark dust filled stacatto rhythms are present in the opening title track, but they never swamp Ashong's killer vocal delivery, while "Take It Slow" is bonafide D funk of the highest order. After the brutal, divisive nature of Theo's kung fu experimentalism on the Any Other Styles EP, these three tracks show him in a wholly new light and hopefully Parrish and Ashong will be making much more music together.

Review: It's rare that a Theo Parrish release arrives on a label based outside the US, but when that happens it always tends to be a bit special, see the Peacefrog released LP First Floor or that humongous Carl Craig remix of Falling Up on Third Ear for evidence. Running Back seems like a perfect European outlet for Theo to grace; indeed the Sound Signature boss has already contributed two stunning revisions for Gerd Janson's label and this oh so aptly titled Hand Made EP is pretty special. Firstly it features a special extended take on "Black Mist", a track that originally formed part of Parrish's highly prized Sketches triple vinyl set from 2010 which is listed with some ambitious prices on Discogs. Cut loud at gut punching 45rpm by Dubplates and Mastering, this prime slab of Theo fonk is worth the admission alone, but you get spoilt with two new cuts from Mr Parrish in "Pop Off" and "Wild Out" that are as wilded out as his recent "Any Other Styles" cut. Running Back quite superbly describe the latter track as "a Theo Parrish demo for Dance Mania after he came back from listening to Lil Louis at the Bismark Pavilion".

Review: Recloose on Delusions of Grandeur? Yes please! "Don't Get Me Wrong" is classic Matt Cicioine, packed full of his usual musicality and dense, melodic production. It sounds like an unlikely fusion of distant, long-forgotten disco and spine-tingling deep house, with more atmospheric vocal samples and live instruments than you can shake a smelly stick at. It's heady and intoxicating, coming on like a classic house production made somewhere between Detroit and New York. The driving "Shimmy" continues the murky, retro-futurist trend and is just as engaging. As if that wasn't enough, there's also a lovingly fluid, decidedly Balearic rework of the title track from Melbournite Tornado Wallace that's quite possibly the best thing he's done to date. Splendid!

Review: The Wilson imprint deliver the goods once again with their third release, the first in a series of "Split Grooves" that brandishes a pair of classicist house productions from label boss Fabio Monesi and Spanish producer Kastil. Monesi was ever-present on Wilson this year, impressing with his obvious passion and understanding of the key elements that make 90s era deep house so seminal and demonstrated he's got the production talent to implement it within his own tracks. The status quo is retained here, with the relentlessly joyous and uplifting pump of "Jampad One" complemented by the thicker, gut punching groove and tight key play of "Let's Go Back". Previously Kastil has dabbled in both disco flecked and muscle flexing house productions, and his two bumping efforts here sit resolutely in the latter camp, demonstrating a craft for utilising vocal samples and classic melodic motifs which fit perfectly within the Wilson ethos.

Review: Greymatter can probably be considered a Wolf Music stalwart, appearing on a couple of the London-based label's various artist 12?s, most memorably with the "Give It To Me Slow" cut that featured on WOLF 09. For the next release on Stu Clark and Matt Neale's label, Greymatter holds court for a solo EP, with the shimmering arpeggiated exotica of "Tisno" sharing space with basement house jam "Sweat" on the A-Side. On the flip you'll find the revving synths of "Pick & Roll" alongside a shuffling US garagey remix of "Sweat" from James Welsh.

Review: Jacques Renault and Co's Brooklyn imprint, Let's Play House, has been busy ensuring that the classic house and disco sound of New York stays alive for a hot minute now. This new release couldn't be more Big Apple if it tried: "Tonight", with its thumping kick, campy claps and looped Gypsy Woman organs, positively screams Limelight circa 1991. Ooft! keeps a lot of the early 90s sentiment in his own remix, even bringing Bjork's "Violently Happy" to mind. B-Side, "Not Enough", again keeps with the retro organs, but adds harder modern loops. Finally, KRL's mix steers away from tradition, offering a more contemporary leftfield approach.

Review: Hypercolour offshoot Hype Ltd reach release number seven and get a round of applause from the Juno office for reaching out to one of Chicago's most venerated vanguards of underground house music in Amir Alexander. His Hype Ltd debut Everybody's Beautiful EP follows noted outings on highly respected Atlantic hubs such as Hakim Murphy's Machining Dreams, Deep Vibes and Plan B and continues to display Alexander's finely crafted brand of body music that's in truth indebted as much to Detroit as it is Chicago. "Dazed & Amazed" sets the tone, greedily occupying the A Side to send out sumptuous swirls of smeared textures that intertwine with the rough and tough kicking groove as distant voices get lost deep in the mix, yet still retain their crucial rhythmic poise. On the flip "Everybody's Beautiful" proves to be as inviting and intoxicating, with relentless and precise drum programming swamped in ethereal harmonies that subtly increase in intensity as Alexander's own vocal musings usher forth. The accompanying 303 laden acid dub version of the same track only proves how adept an operator Alexander is. Big release!

Review: Strength Music finally returns to action with label boss, DJ Qu. Releases on the label are few and far between these days, so we're super psyched for this latest instalment. On the A Side, "Out" is Qu at his finest, giving us his usual fill of mesmerizing percussion and sophisticated use of deranged effects. Over on the flip, "Swayzee" goes deeper into the synth chords and takes a more meditative approach. Finally, "In This Society" takes a turn for the unexpected, as Qu places a weighty beat beneath what seems to be his own voice commanding the entire duration of the track. Great stuff as always from the NYC don.

Review: This split EP offers a number of attractions, not least a luscious sound that fixes classic, Detroit style futurism to vintage deep house grooves. There's something particularly galactic about the undulating synths and tight grooves of Hakim Murphy's "Hazey Plains In Time", while the same producer's "Chill" delivers a bubbling journey through warm electronics and tasty melodies. More obviously floor-friendly is Amir Alexander's borderline anthemic "Eyes Open Mouth Shut" - all touchy-feely chords, booming grooves and cascading synth melodies - while the quicker "Bittersweet Memories" evokes images of classic Motor City productions. Impressive stuff, all told.

Review: Since launching at the tail end of 2011, the Black Key label has proved itself to be a solid destination for those seeking high-grade deep house. Here, they showcase the work of a trio of 'friends of the family'. BLM opens proceedings with "My Sound Tool", a fluid chunk of eyes-wide-shut deepness containing just the right amount of bump. James Johnston's "Lights Off" is typical of his recent atmospheric outings, and matches the loose fluidity of BLM's opener. Best of all, though, is Flori's "Red Rectangle", a Larry Heard-ish chunk of classic Chicago deepness with just a hint of classic analogue shuffle.

Review: The newly established London Housing Trust label inaugurate proceedings with a various artists 12" featuring contributions from Cynic artist Jamie Blanco alongside the previously unheralded Alphonse, Fx Mchn and Facade. It's unclear who the latter are but inside info suggests it's three well known artists operating incognito, but don't let this wilful obscurism put you off as each track here is optimum analogue house at its finest. The Fx Mchn contribution "Jackie" is particularly beguiling, touching on jagged punk funk as much as late 80s house with echo laden vocals smudged deep beneath a delightfully rubbery bass line and buccaneering, malfunctioning drums for six minutes. A promising debut from the label!

Review: Firecracker offshoot Shevchenko has put out some of the finest house records of the last two years thanks to the inspiring work of Vakula. This time, however, the A Side - "No Music" - favours a more techno-leaning approach than usual. Swarms of industrial scratches are engulfed into a psychedelic arrangement packed with enough crunches to make your jaw wobble! On the flip, the aptly named "Vermona" pays a clear homage to the power of analogue beat arrangement and we're back into more familiar territories as smooth chords and effect-driven rhythms glide over the track. "Hand Made Beat" sees Vakula excel his capabilities and creates an intricate network of sloppy beats and ghostly melodies which grow and then dissolve with ease. A great addition to an already scintillating catalogue. Tip!

Review: Leonard "Big Strick" Strickland is perhaps best known for his family ties with Omar-S (they're cousins), though his productions are well worthy of praise in their own right. Here, he offers up a sampler 12" featuring cuts from his recent (and excellent) Reservoir Dogs LP. Perhaps the most noteworthy cut is "Family Affair", a lovingly constructed chunk of hypnotic, melodic deepness written with Omar-S. That said, Strick's solo effort "Armed & Dangerous" - a winding chunk of voodoo techno - is arguably better. The mazy techno-funk of Reckless Ron Cook's "Night Moves" is also outstanding.