Juno Recommends Funky House: July 2024

Review: It's been a long time coming, but finally Defected's producer and remixer-focused House Masters series has turned its attention to the undisputed Godfather of House himself, the late, great Frankie Knuckles. This first part (of two) fittingly opens with the track that originally set out his melodious, warm, colourful and loved-up trademark sound, the Jamie Principle collaboration 'Your Love', before flitting between genuine anthems (legendary remixes of Loose Ends' 'Hangin' On a String' and 'Blind' by Hercules and Love Affair, the sleazy, acid house-era 'Baby Wants To Ride', the exceptional 'Hallucinogenic Mix' of Chaka Khan's 'Ain't Nobody') and arguably more overlooked gems (the garage-house wonders that are his remixes of Adeva and Sounds of Blackness).

Review: Defected's House Masters series tribute to Frankie Knuckles is being released as two double LPs, but it could have easily been four or five, such is the quality of the tracks and remixes that the 'Godfather of House' produced during his lifetime. Naturally this second and final part is full to bursting with colourful, tactile and wonderfully saucer-eyed classics - many familiar, some slightly less so - which deserve a place in your collection. Picking highlights is naturally tough, but for proof of Knuckles' unassailable musical majesty and dancefloor magic it's hard to beat the Sound Factory mix of 'The Whistle Song', the low-tempo house bliss of his remix of Inner City's 'Whatcha Do With My Lovin', the Satoshi Tomiie/Robert Owens hook-up 'Tears' and his incredible revision of Electribe 101's 'Talking With Myself'.

Review: Shadow Pressings returns to their own self-titled label with more joyous disco, house, acid and funk fusions on their Mid Level Boss: Bonus Round EP. 'Find A Friend' is a lively opener with funky basslines and big claps, scurrying disco grooves and call and response vocals that brim with character. 'Holding One Shoe' flips the script to bring some slow motion acid house undulations while 'Train Of Fools' is a deep cut with raw percussion and sensuous vocals adding soul. Superb chords bring late night charm to the prickly beats of closer 'More Music In The Night'.

Review: Bogdan Ra's excellent 'What Is A DJ?' EP takes its inspiration from the late 80s acid house and Italo, displaying a real mix of vintage charm and contemporary relevance that will strike all the right notes on the dancefloor. From the snappy title cut to the electro rhythms of 'Arroios' via the funky disco rhythms of 'Tonic Glue' and feel good factor of closer 'That's All', this is quality production that will more than stand the test of time.

Review: Two tracks from the Modfather's current 66 album get the remix treatment, with the A-side seeing Alexis Taylor of Hot Chip joining unlikely forces with Parisian DJ and producer Cedric Marszewski aka Pilooski for an overhaul of 'Flying Fish', before the flip hosts 'Flying Fish' Richie Stevens of virtual band Spacemonkeyz works his magic on 'Nothing'. Weller's remixes have been well chosen and generally top drawer ever since Brendan Lynch reworked 'Wild Wood' back in the mid 90s, a rich tradition that continues unabated here.

Review: Back in 2006, Jason Herd and Jon Fitz scored a colossal club hit with 'Just Can't Get Enough', a funky and chunky house number featuring impassioned lead vocals by Abigail Bailey and a prominent sample from Kariya's late-80s dancefloor classic 'Let Me Love You For Tonight'. 18 years on, the track has been given a makeover. Hannah Wants steps up first, retaining the vocals and Kariya synth samples while combining it with a beefy, tooled-up house groove, before Jakob reaches for mid-90s organ bass, a grandiose breakdown and even bigger builds. Flip for two reworks by Herd and Fitz - a rushing, peak-time friendly, radio-ready big room house re-wire, and a bouncier, piano-sporting 'Sunrise' revision.

Review: Honey Boy is a superb new single by the one and only Purple Disco Machine alongside the super star bass player and Chic band member Nile Rogers as well as Shenseea and Benjamin Ingrosso. With all these talents on one tune you know it is going to be a big one full of rich bass and killer hooks and so it proves, with funky beats, lithe bass playing and dazzling disco pads that are all topped with an irresistibly sunny vocal.

Review: DJ Mes brings the funk on this new outing on Guesthouse. It draws on samples from some of soulful house's most notable big tunes starting with 'Out of Order' which rolls on deep drums with nice smooth pads and summery vocals adding the charm. 'LGMH' rides on deeper, bigger bass and is a nice loopy and hypnotic jam with classic house vibes and a superb falsetto hooking you in. 'No Memory' is another fat-bottomed and feel-good house groove that rolls deep 'Werkin' Gurl' flips the script with more attitude in the vocals and header drums for some peak time fun but with no less emotion.

Review: Gorgon City are masters of big room, feelgood and summer-ready house music. And that is exactly what they serve up here and then some with the new album Reverie on EMI. This record has already been proceeded by lead single 'Biggest Regret (with Bbyafricka)' and the club-ready 'You Know It' last month while 'All That You Need' has also become a ubiquitous anthem this season. Now we get the full thing complete with filthy basslines, bouncing synth top lines and distorted vocal melodies that are catchy and sure to bring the good times to the largest of festival crowds.

Review: Austrian-born but now UK-based salute has made an art of crafting the perfect house banger. His deceptively simple tracks often are built around a couple of simple ideas that just roll and roll, tweaked only slightly, brought in and out at the right time, and topped with a great melodic or vocal hook. Now after several hit tunes, he debuts with a full-length on Ninja Tune that finds him serving up his most complete body of work yet. It is full of effective, emotive, heartfelt house cuts that bring style and class as well as plenty of good times.

Review: Since launching late last year, Italian imprint My Cup of Tea has treated us to a killer collaborative EP by Vithz and Emanuele Barilli, and a solid solo outing from Piero. On release number three, they've turned to Love Ensemble member Dimitri Ambrosetti AKA Dimsum, who recently delivered a great 12" on House Puff alongside ICTV. There's a great collaborative cut on this EP, too, with rising star Retromigration lending a hand on epic B-side 'Everyday in Your Mind', where spacey P-funk solos, rubbery bass guitar and bouncy synth stabs wrap around a chunky, loose-limbed house beat. Side A is all about Ambrosetti's solo workouts, with the attractive, musically detailed, bass-heavy and r&b-sampling 'Cutie' being followed by the jazzy, sunny and chunky deep house brilliance of 'Stars In Your Eyes'.

Review: DJ Bagdhad debuts on Boyanza Records with some straight up dancefloor fire. The excellent 'Get Paid' has jacked up 808 beats run through with raw percussion and a sleazy ghetto edge. Some rapid-fire vocals add further attitude to this sure fire weapon. After the Acid Dub comes Gome's interpretation which brings a more elegant touch and plenty of deep house drums with slowed down vocals and fresh bass. Last of all is Hype Club edit from DJ Bagdhad that layers in some epic piano stabs.

Review: Shall Not Fade's annual birthday compilations have a history of being exceptionally strong, with founder Kieran Williams choosing to showcase previously unreleased tracks from both label regulars and new family members. Their latest, marking the Bristol-based imprint's eight birthday, is another action-packed treat, with 16 tracks stretched across two slabs of marbled wax. Starting with the tactile, loved-up dreaminess of Koko's 'About Our Amore', the collection flits between breakbeat-driven dreaminess (SOBSTORY), muscular house pumpers (Adelphi Music Factory), speed garage revivalism (Absolute and HRSN, Paul Rudder), trance-fired techno (Pagan), morning-fresh electro (Holo), happy hardcore flashbacks (Testpress) and sweat-soaked jungle madness (Toby Ross).

Review: Demon's 'You Are My High' ignited a frenzy upon its release in 1999, becoming an iconic track synonymous with the French Touch movement. Now, 25 years later, the timeless allure of 'You' remains as captivating as ever. This summer, fans can rejoice as the track celebrates its anniversary with a special collector's edition vinyl release. With 150 million streams and a platinum disc to its name, 'You Are My High' soared to success, fuelled by its unforgettable music video featuring a three-minute French kiss. Despite initial attempts at censorship by the CSA, the track ultimately found its place on television screens 24/7, leaving an indelible mark on French pop culture. Demon's masterpiece not only defined an era but also influenced a new generation of artists, from Agar Agar to DJ Snake and beyond. As a quintessential symbol of the French Touch legacy, 'You Are My High' continues to enchant listeners with its irresistible charm and infectious groove.

Review: Harmonics, the new album from Hot Chip founding member Joe Goddard, is a warm, instinctive, and empathetic journey across 14 tracks of left-of-centre dance music. The album explores UK garage, house, hip-hop, pop, and disco, featuring a diverse array of collaborators. Eno Williams of Ibibio Sound Machine shines on the afro-house groove of 'Progress,' while UK rapper Oranje delivers on the starry-eyed boom-bap track 'When Love's Out of Fashion.' Former Wild Beasts frontman Hayden Thorpe brings his unique vocal to the low-slung house track 'Summon,' and Goddard's Hot Chip bandmates Alexis Taylor and Al Doyle appear on the gleaming half-step ballad 'Heal Your Mind.' Additional guests include Tom McFarland of Jungle, Bronx-raised singer Fiorious on 'New World (Flow),' Guinean vocalist Falle Nioke, and UK jazz musician Alabaster DePlume. Available with a mini gatefold, a 16-page booklet, and a signed Polaroid, 'Harmonics' neatly captures Goddard's inclusive and collaborative spirit.

Review: Vienna by way of Manchester talent Salute has very much mastered the art of crafting high impact and emotive house bangers. They are never throwaway though, but instead distill the purest elements of musical joy, melancholy and beauty into snappy groves and effective melodic hooks. Some are harder than others, some come with garage swing, all of them get you on your toes and ready to go. Now he is back with another album full of such sounds on his home label Ninja Tune. It is another triumphant record full of irresistible sounds and great collabs with the likes of Disclosure, Empress Of, Karma Kid, Sam Gellaitry, piri, Lea Sen, LEILAH and Nakamura Minami.

Review: ***B-STOCK: Creasing to corner of outer sleeve but otherwise in excellent condition***


fabric's prestigious presents series is back with another superb entry, this time from Shygirl whose mix marks the start of the legendary London club's 25th birthday celebrations. She is one of five artists seeing up mixes this year and includes some fine and extended versions of some of her recent club favourites as well as forthcoming music from the likes of Danny Daze & Jonny From Space, plus some well-known modern classic cuts from Eliza Rose, Florentino, Jacques Greene and Hudson Mohawke. It's a wild ride through Shygirl's unique sonic landscape that comes on bright acid yellow vinyl.