Wan Poku Moro (One Tune More) (Riva Starr remix) (6:12)
Review: 2000 And One is one of many artistic alter-egos of Dylan Hermelyn, the Netherlands producer whose credits stretch as far back as 1990. A staple of the Amsterdam techno scene and a prominent fixture of Dutch House generators 100% Pure and later Delsin, Hermelyn's contributions at the very least verge on timeless and closing track 'Wan Poku Moro' from 2009's full-length album, Heritage, is among the top contenders for this crown. The track is a bongo-laden bustler full of the lively implied sounds of city life and clocks in at eight minutes in its attempt to reach the awesome heights of the house music sublime; here, however, comes Radio Slave and Riva Starr on this Rekids reinterpretation, both of whom pare the track back to its bassiest and pulsiest constituent parts, albeit to their own ends.
Review: The reissue of Night Passage by 49th Floor on Vibraphone Records is a testament to the label's commitment to quality deep house music. Originally released in 1992 as an Italian ambient house track, 'Night Passage' has been resurrected with identical tracklist as the original, which should delight fans.The Underground Radio Mix kicks off the release with its deep house rhythm and nostalgic piano melodies, capturing the essence of the original while infusing it with a contemporary groove. 'Fast City' adds a nice touch of Balearic flair to the EP, offering a deeper and more atmospheric vibe. On the flip side, the Magic Club Mix of 'Night Passage' elevates the track to peak-time dancefloor status with its infectious energy and pulsating beats. Finally, the Bongo Mix brings a percussive twist to the proceedings, injecting an extra layer of groove into the mix. Overall, 'Night Passage', is a great example at the ideal style of music that blossoming on the underground that perfectly fit the scenery in the Mediterranean.
Review: Alkemy's Come On EP, released on Mondo Groove from Italy, delivers a captivating blend of deep house with influences of Balearic and Italo house. Side-1 features the original version boasting a mid-tempo groove with a nostalgic 90s vibe and rich melodies. In contrast, the DJ Ralf remix injects a more upbeat and techno-infused energy, offering a futuristic twist to the original track. On Side-2, 'Cloud' presents a melodic and deeper journey into the realms of deep house, maintaining a danceable rhythm while delving into more introspective sonic territories. Meanwhile the GNMR Reworked version takes a leap into the future with its proto-techno sound and deep synth vibes, offering a refreshing and unique perspective .Alkemy's Come On EP demonstrates the artist's versatility and innovation within the deep house genre, providing listeners with four examples of quality dance music.
Review: 'Follow Me' is the name of a stone cold house classic from Aly-us that you will likely know, but it is also the title of this superb cut from Alchemy. A sure 90s gem that has been wrongly slept on, it now gets a reissue from the MBG International Records archives and sounds superb. The drums are smooth and soft around the edges, the pads ripple through the mix to soulful effect and some subtle vocals coos provide the perfect finish. On the flipside is 'The Trap' which is a breezy, blissed out house gem with nice analogue drums that again take you right back to the 90s.
Let Me Be Your Fantasy (Dimitri From Paris club mix) (6:14)
Let Me Be Your Fantasy (Dimitri From Paris dub) (7:16)
Let Me Be Your Fantasy (Masters At Work Clap Yo Hands dub) (7:25)
Let Me Be Your Fantasy (Moplen remix) (5:03)
Let Me Be Your Fantasy (Mousse T Fantastic Shizzle mix) (6:00)
Let Me Be Your Fantasy (Blackchild remix) (6:00)
Let Me Be Your Fantasy (Two Soul Fusion remix) (12:05)
Review: Anane's soulful vocal delivery takes centre stage on her reimagining of this evergreen disco cut - originally crafted by Love Symphony Orchestra in 1978 - rebooted here through a series of new mixes from some massive house names. Dimitri From Paris delivers two irresistible cuts, his club mix a vibrant and energetic journey through classic house sounds, while his dub strips things back to a hypnotic groove. Masters At Work's 'Clap Yo Hands Dub' injects a dose of infectious energy, while Moplen's remix takes a more atmospheric approach, its swirling synths and hypnotic rhythms creating a mesmerising soundscape. Mousse T's 'Fantastic Shizzle Mix' adds a touch of soulful bounce, while Blackchild's remix delves into deeper, more tribal-infused territories. Two Soul Fusion's remix closes out the collection with a smooth and uplifting vibe, its soulful melodies and infectious groove leaving a lasting impression. A true classic reimagined through the lens of a host of diverse, talented producers.
Song Of The Siren (The Gospel Of Thomas remix) (4:50)
Song Of The Siren (Mediterranean mix) (5:43)
Review: First released way back in 1990, 'Song Of The Siren' remains one of Ronald Burrell's most magical productions as Aphrodisiac - an atmospheric, poetic and genuinely tactile New York deep house classic that sounds as good in late 2024 as it did at the turn of the 90s. Nu Groove thinks so, because they've paired the track's most popular original mix - the gorgeous, lapping waves-sampling 'Mediterranean Mix' - with a trio of edits and reworks. Bushwacka focuses on the groove, chords and twinkling piano motifs, delivering a more DJ-friendly take smothered in echoing drum hits and delay-laden vocalisations, while Dazzle Drums opts for a jazzier and more trippy interpretation. As for the 'Gospel of Thomas' remix, it's warm, groovy, trippy and evocative, with fine use of echoing, marimba-style melodies and vintage garage-house drums.
Review: Those with even a basic knowledge of Italian dance music will have come across Alex Neri productions before; during the 1990s, he recorded loads of house (and less frequently, techno), under a wide variety of aliases. In 1991, he donned the Axe Corner alias (alongside studio buddies Adriana Dodici, Marco Baroni and Pietro Peretti) and delivered Tortuga, an EP of moody blends of house and techno that now sound surprisingly far-sighted. A-sides 'OUT-SLD' and 'IN-SLD' are both forthright but funky techno outings whose bleeping lead lines and thickset grooves pay tribute to the then-massive bleep & bass sound (albeit without the colossal sub-bass and dub reggae influences that style was famous for), while flip-side cuts 'BAD-SLD' and 'SLD-Effects' deliver tougher, late-night takes on the organ-rich Italo-house sound.
Review: "One swallow doesn't make a summer" isn't just a famous aphorism by the philosopher Aristotle. It's also the name of this stalwart Running Back V/A compilation, which aims to live by the mantle of the famous Ancient Greek thinker's passion for gestalt consistency via a stunning series of house musical forward-movers. This time bringing five tracks across the spectrum of technicolour dance music, we kick off on the trance-dance pscyho-efflorescences of Ricardo Baez' 'The Age Of Energy' and end on the twinklingly ovular world-as-will that is Jonus Eric's 'Ribbon'. All tracks here burst with the energy of a flowerbed on steroidal growth serum, yeahsome yellers and puce petunias flourishing with lady-lucky eudaimonia.
Review: Nu Groove's ongoing edits series turns its attention to one of the legendary NYC's most iconic early release, Bas Noir's 1988 garage-house classic 'My Love Is Magic' - a piano-powered vocal number fronted by two female singers from New Jersey and produced by the Burrell Brothers. Their original club mix is featured (A2), alongside a trio of fresh re-edits. Bushwacka kicks things off with a deeper, more sonically detailed and marginally punchier rework that makes much of the Burrell brothers' percussion and piano stabs, before Mark Broom takes over on side two. His 'dub retouch' fittingly sounds like a piano solo-sporting NYC house dub of the late 1980s - no bad thing in our book - while his more revolutionary 'A12 mix' re-casts the track as a harder, heavier peak-time loop jam.
Who Dares To Believe In Me? (Just Living High mix) (5:45)
Who Dares To Believe In Me? (Mind Readers mix) (7:11)
Review: Way back in 1993, when his career was still in its infancy, Chicago great Roy Davis Jr donned an alternative alias, The Believers, and delivered a 12" on Strictly Rhythm: 'Who Dares To Believe In Me?' It was something of a club smash, with Ministry of Sound issuing it in the UK a year later with a swathe of new mixes. This Groovin' Records reissue boasts a trio of mixes from the original U.S 12". On the A-side you'll find the original mix, a warm, spine-tingling slab of piano-rich New York style house topped off by snaking, delay-laden saxophone lines and an inspirational spoken word vocal courtesy of Davis. Over on the reverse, Davis' own 'Just Living High Mix' - a breezier, jazzier and more colourful affair - is followed by Mind Readers' tougher, chunkier and heavier revision, which is in effect a proper dancefloor dub.
Review: There is a great combination of the classic and the contemporary on this new Disco Disco 12". 'Paradise' is both deep yet moving, a warm tune with cuddly drums but retro chords that bring the energy. 'Latino' has shimmering hand claps and sensuous vocals with hulking great kicks that are full of promise. 'It Was Just A Dream' pairs vocoder vocals with glistening synth details and another enthralling and heavyweight house groove and 'RUFF Menace' then taps into 80s synth sounds with its stomping beats and deadpan vocals brought to life with celebratory synth chords.
Mood II Swing - "Closer" (feat Carole Sylvan - King Street Moody club mix) (6:17)
Ananda Project - "Cascades Of Colour" (feat Gaelle - Wamdue Black extended mix) (6:46)
Review: Earlier this year, legendary NY house label King Street Sounds was acquired by Armada Music. The Dutch imprint plans to reissue many of the well-known - and lesser-celebrated - gems from the King Street vaults in the months and years ahead. To kick things off, they've delivered this vinyl sampler featuring some of the stable's most admired cuts of all time. So, we get Dennis Ferrer's iconic remix of Blaze and Barbara Tucker's gospel-powered soulful house anthem, 'Most Precious Love', the 'King Street Mix' of Jovonn's legendary deep, bumpin' tribute to New Jersey's Club Zanzibar, 'Back To Zanzibar', Mood II Swing's hot and heavy 'moody club mix' of their own Carole Sylvan collaboration 'Closer' and the all-time deep house classic that is the Wamdue Black extended rework of 'Cascades of Colour' by Ananda Project. Simply essential!
Review: German-Turkish producer Butch is a machine. He has put out hundreds of tunes over the last decade-plus, most of them more than useful club fare that gets played far and wide. Every so often he also serves up a real classic - and that was the case with 'No Worries' which brings brilliantly loopy drums, classic disco vocal samples and just feel-good grooves that inject a bit of vitality into any set. It now gets a subtle 2022 update and reissue on the original label Cecile with a Toman remix on the flip.
Review: Red Laser Records continue their stellar form with another knockout release, blending Manctalo fire from old hands and fresh faces alike. Frank Butters opens the EP with The Call Of The Wild, a dazzling blast of crystalline synths, thunderous bass, and cosmic effects that showcase his forward-thinking production skills. Bob Swans delivers 'Bodyform4U', a dreamy arpeggiated groove that builds an uplifting, futuristic atmosphere, perfect for igniting the dancefloor. Lone Saxon switches things up with 'Hypersleep' a breakbeat-infused piano gem that oozes nostalgic charm, before Franz Scala and Il Bosco finish strong with Webo, a late-night, tension-filled Manctalo banger.
Review: Anorax has got a vital 10" here featuring a stone cold classic Balearic house tune from Don Carlos in two different mixes. First is the Paradise mix which is as Ibiza as house music gets - the swirling pads, the subtly joyous feeling in the piano chords, the blistered bassline. It all immediately transports you to the White Isle and gazing out to see as the sun sets and the party ratchets up a gear. On the flip is a Lute Mix which brings some more mellifluous melodies and makes the drums a little more bouncy. Both are brilliant.
Review: Don Carlos should by now be known to most house music crate-ologists as Carlo Troja from Verase, Italy -not Euvin Spencer from Kingston town. Alas, confusion still runs rampant over the ambiguity surrounding the Don Carlos name; if only they'd heard just how great this new EP from the former North Italian nuff-sayer truly was, they'd never forget the difference, of course! 'Italian Paradise' is a fresh, still dripping-wet house EP out via Groove Culture; its lightweight organ triplets, electric piano smears, and lens-fogged sunglass strings are what makes it *it*: a more than suitable release for hammock skygazing and/or wooly garment shedding.
Review: In 1992, a trio of Italian house music producers brought to light one of house music's inherent contradictions: that a genre can be both ex-centric, and hold a stylistic centre. So far, house's haecceity, it's hearty essence, has held firm for nearly 50 odd years. And some records nail the inner sound of a sound, as though experiments need not only take place on the outskirts, beyond the walls, but also using the building blocks kept enclosed within the fortress. On this Groovin reissue, Davide Ruberto, Patrick Duvoisin and Ricky Montanari triply unveil the piano as one of the coremost ingredients of house music, with staccato chords standing right out on the titular 'Alright, Alright', of which there are four mixes here. Here's an unusual kind of rawness, blending as-do building blocks with a minimal but perfectible soul.
Centric House - "Alright Alright" (Micky More & Andy Tee remix) (6:20)
Micky More & Andy Tee, Don Carlos - "The Music Of Your Mind" (feat Taka Boom) (7:36)
Review: Groove Culture taps into an effortlessly timeless house sound with this new remix 12". It sees the in house production team step up on the B-side to remix Micky More & Andy Tee, Don Carlos, Taka Boom's 'The Music Of Your Mind' and the result is a super smooth, soulful roller with passionate vocals and disco sprinkled percussion. Ahead of that, Centric House's 'Alright Alright" (Micky More & Andy Tee remix) is a piano-laced and joyous house bumper with elastic bass and hands in the air energy.
Review: Evergreen house master Kerri Chandler digs back into the vault for 'Lost & Found Vol. 4', the latest instalment in his archive series on Kaoz Theory. A genuine house pioneer, he continues to shape the genre while staying mighty true to the scene's roots. And it's fair to say there aren't many out there making more authentic house music than this veteran US producer. Vol. 4 unearths more hidden gems, including 'Since I Met You' featuring the late Michael Watford, the piano-laced joyride of 'Grandiose Garden' by Alopeke, and the brooding soul of 'Circles' featuring Natalia. Closing things out is 'The Dark One', a deep and driving cut built for the floor, with its dramatic string stabs and searing synths.
Review: Kerri Chandler's 'Bar A Thym' is one of those tracks that seems to contain everything great house music aspires to beia groove so undeniable it feels perpetual, melodies that loop and evolve as though they've always existed. This reissue, spanning Chandler's original extended mix, Foremost Poets' vocal edit, and THEMBA's reimagined version, charts not only the track's history but its continuing relevance. The Foremost Poets edit imbues the already hypnotic motif with an enigmatic narrative, its vocal fragments both anchoring and reframing the mood. THEMBA's remix, on the other hand, nudges the groove toward Afro house, subtly opening up the track's spatial dynamics while preserving its magnetic pull. Chandler's work never feels datediit shifts and reshapes to meet each new moment, and 'Bar A Thym' remains as arresting today as it was when it first found its way onto the dancefloor.
Review: As her releases for Aus and fantastic DJ Kicks mix have proved, Cinthie Christl knows a thing or two about classic-sounding, peak-time ready house music. It's little surprise, then, to discover that her Heist Recordings debut is full to bursting with nostalgic, retro-futurist treats. She begins by doffing a cap to the dreamy chords, jazzy synth-bass and rushing piano stabs of turn-of-the-90s Italo-house on 'Won't U Take Me', before reaching for more sparkling, life-affirming riffs on the marginally more driving (and accurately titled) 'Piano Heaven'. That track gets a chunkier, weightier and more energetic makeover by St David on the flip, while 'Masterplan' is a high-octane tribute to Dance Mania style ghetto-house with a timeless deep house twist.
Review: The mighty Skylax label always does things right. It has never bowed to trends or chased fans. Instead it deals in timeless and effective house and techno. Alessio Collina is next up to continue that mission with Pieces of Life, a no frills EP that gets you jacked. 'All Of That' kicks off with the sort of scintillating, dusty drum work that defines early Chicago house. 'Humble Groove' paris more raw hi hats and thudding kicks with charged-up synth stabs. On the flip side, the tension continues with 'Lost World' which is another percussive, layered up cut with glistening drums and smeared pads. 'Mid-season' is the final hurrah and one that has more pace to it, but also some lovely retro-future melodies.
Review: Record Store Day 2020 has seemingly gone on forever this year, but that is no bad thing. The latest treasure it is seeing up is this reissue of Corporation Of One's 'So Where Are You' from all the way back in 1989. 'The Real Life' is a seamless fusion of electro, house and something else entirely with its iconic Queen sample smudged and smeared over a tripped out club beat and mad melodic phrases. The title track is a perfect deep, lo-fi and early deep house classic with spine tinging vocals then a Hashish dub gets all new age and nimble on its feet. These are old school sounds but they are still brilliant.
Review: Get ready to groove hard to the re-release of the '88 rave house anthem 'The Real Life,' featuring a perfectly crafted Oppy Mix sampling Queen, Simple Minds, Prince, and Scarface. Previously, used copies fetched up to L50, with scarcity on the market. This official remastered edition is a much-anticipated treat for fans that won't bust the bank. Paired with it is the collectable house-garage crossover gem 'So Where Are You,' showcasing Kevin Williams' raw vocal talent over a robust house beat. This release includes both the Hashish Dub and Vocal Mix, so offers a diverse slab of wax for the real heads.
Review: Mule Musiq continues to refine its reputation for sophisticated electronic music with a release that radiates warmth, groove and effortless elegance. The opening track, 'Midnight Piano', with its addictive groove and shimmering melodies, delivers a soothing yet danceable experience. It sets the tone for 'Slow Ride', a Balearic-infused journey with laid-back rhythms and breezy horns, evoking images of sun-drenched coastlines and late-afternoon lounging. On the flip side, 'No Flamingos In Salinas' embraces an ambient house aesthetic, channeling a vintage '90s feel with dreamy synth work while maintaining a subtle techy edge that keeps it dancefloor-ready. The closer, 'Dream On', is a smooth, melodic builder that gradually unfolds, carrying the listener into a hypnotic state with its rich textures and serene energy. These two Italian producers join forces to produce one fantastic EP, a record which embodies the aura of summer with its lush soundscapes and masterful deep house craftsmanship.
Review: Dan Piu is a master of minimal sounds whether leaning more towards house or techno. For this latest one on Birds out of Chile, he opens up with some nice balmy pads and hip-swinging claps under tiny 80s keyboards. It's whimsical and dreamy then 'Late Night Beef' picks up things a little with some more driven drums but plenty of celestial synths and 'Ganas De Verte (feat Natalia)' is another balmy and spaced-out minimal house sound for hi-fidelity systems. 'Kammgarn' shuts down with the most direct sound of the lot and some nice dub undercurrents.
When You Love Someone (Groove instrumental) (7:55)
When You Love Someone (The Reconstruction mix) (8:18)
Review: The latest on-point reissue from Italy's Groovin' label takes us back to 1993, and the Peter Daou/Danny Tenaglia-produced debut single from vocalist Daphne Rubin-Vega. It's a far breezier, groovier and sweeter record than many of Tenaglia's later productions (which tended towards the muscular), with Rubin-Vega's quietly soulful vocal seemingly drifting across a backing track rich in warm chords and baggy, breakbeat-driven house grooves. All of the various mixes hit the spot, with the trippy, dub-style Reconstruction Mix, vibraphone-laden Groove Instrumental and low-slung Never Do Dub standing out. The Acapella Reprise, which features rich chords and vocal snippets, is also rather good.
Review: It would be fair to say that Roy Davis Jr and Peven Everett's "Gabriel" (originally written "Gabrielle" on early pressings) has become a timeless dance music classic - a track that both soulful house and UK garage DJs reach for in times of trouble. Should it not be in your collection already (and it should be), Large Music has decided to re-master and re-press the original 1996 12". It does, of course, contain the now ubiquitous "Live Garage" version - the groovy two-step, trumpet-laden mix that became popular with early UK garage DJs - plus a trio of lesser-known remixes. The Tambourine Dub, in particular, is something of a tough, warehouse-friendly deep house treat.
Santa Eularia Des Riu (Jovonn Forest remix) (5:06)
Santa Eularia Des Riu (Atmospheric Sunset version) (6:37)
Review: DJ Fede has our minds turning to warmer climates, longer days and sun-kissed parties not only with the artwork but also the sounds of his new 12" on Balearia. 'Santa Eularia Des Riu' is the one original single and is a delightfully deep, dreamy sound with muted sax lines up top, chords that ripple and melt away and organic percussion that brings that 70s hint of Ibiza hedonism. A Midnight dub mix ups the pace only slightly, then the Jovonn Forest remix brings a subtle deep house dynamism to proceedings before the Atmospheric Sunset version cuts utterly loose and lays back gazing up at the flame-red sky.
Review: While hardly a "Holy Grail"all bar a few people didn't know it existed until recently, D.J Never Sleep's sole single, the private press gem 'Teorema', can certainly be described as "buried treasure". It was reportedly the work of some experienced Italian producers, though its' sound is all Spanish guitar solos, early house-meets-Latin freestyle beats, joyous Piano riffs and evocative female vocals, it is pure formative Balearic house. This Thank You reissue not only showcases the original EP's two leading mixes (track two here, the more chugging and synth bass-sporting rework, is the pick), but also a never-released, effects-laden 'Never Sleepy Beats' drum took, plus versions in Spanish (B1) and French (B2).
Review: The latest 12" from long-running Sahko offshoot Keys Of Life is the first of two split 'Balearic' releases from Sex Tags man DJ Sotofett and SUED co-founder SVN.. Sotofett's "Current 82" is a thing of rare beauty; an ambient house inspired chunk of lucid, mid-tempo dreaminess full of fluid chords, subtle, loved-up melodies and early Italian deep house bottom end. SVN continue the deep theme whilst doffing a cap to techno on flipside "Dark Plan 5". Their chords and pads are every bit as life-affirming as Sotofett's - even if they are a touch on the bittersweet side - but the accompanying up-tempo rhythm has a more ready-made dancefloor feel. Either way, both tracks are superb.
Review: Two house music institutions come together here as DJ Steaw lands on the Kaoz Theory label run by Kerri Chandler. He brings his usual stylish sounds to four cuts that cover all forms of house. First up it's a deep US garage vibe with jazzy chord work on 'Get Back To The Fonk' then 'Don't Stop' brings more punch low ends but no lack of emotion. 'In My Body's House' throws it back to the 90s with its muted sax stabs and organ basslines complete with wailing diva vocals and the blame and future facing cosmic house of 'Grey Matter' closes out a nicely varied EP.
Review: A crucial piece of deep house history resurfaces with this reissue. Hi-Bias, a defining Canadian label launched way back in 1990, shaped the genre with a sound that remains just as fresh today, a label full of deep house classics with 'Get Into The Music' being one of the staples of sound they fostered. The 'Serious mix' on Side-1 celebrates a moment when house music pushed into deeper territory at the start of the decade. It keeps a soulful core while layering in hypnotic instrumentals and a trackier groove that made it a club essential. Flip to Side-2 and the 'Ambient club mix' takes things even further. Silky keys, rich low-end and addictive drum programming make this version the highlight. It's a deeper, more atmospheric take, drawing out the sensual elements that made this track a deep house milestone.
Review: Considered "the absolute Don of Italo piano house", Don Carlos is up next on esteemed NYC label Razor N Tape with an EP of rare vintage house from the archives - 30 years old in fact. For the uninitiated, Don (Carlo Troya) and S-Tone (Stefano Tirone) released two records on Italian imprint Calypso in the early '90s under the alias Montego Bay. Features the emotive, late-night garage of 'Music All Night' (Deep In Milano mix) followed by the low-slung dancefloor heater 'Keep Dancing The Boogie' on the A-side. The flip offers the life-affirming vocal cuts 'Waited So Long' and 'Gotta Keep Dancing' respectively which perfectly capture the zeitgeist of house music's golden era in the early '90s.
Doni & Leo Young - "Rebelion In The City Of Gangia" (6:03)
Pastaboys - "On & On" (Panna mix) (6:32)
Hiver - "Magic Crusade" (5:51)
GPM, Steve Mantovani, Dan-E-MC, Daniele Mad - "House In Full Effect" (9:21)
Feel Fly - "Armaduk" (6:08)
Review: Rebirth is thrilled to announce the release of three bonus parts of the 'Ciao Italia. Generazioni Underground' album in 2023, available on limited edition vinyl. 'Ciao Italia' Bonus Quattro, Cinque and Sei continue to connect two generations - the trailblazers of the early 90s and those continuing the legacy today, with a futuristic perspective and renewed energy. Bonus Sei includes classic tracks from legends like Doni & Leo Young, Pastaboys, G.P.M., Steve Mantovani, Dan-E-Mc, Daniele Mad, along with unreleased material from newer Italian artists such as Hiver and Feel Fly.
Review: Chris Barratt aka Eagles & Butterflies possesses the rare ability to unite a larger-than-life peak time personality with the understated production method of comparatively underground records, techno pop and Italo. Bridging such gaps of authenticity and palatability can be a mean feat, but Barratt sacrifices few opportunities on his new 'Heartbreaks & XTC' EP to really think about how both poles can be met. Focussing on skeletal, hands-off mixing and yet apotheotic buildup production, Eagles & Butterflies truly do fly in unison on this stonker.
Review: REPRESS ALERT: What hasn't been said about this timeless classic that hasn't been already? We'd be preaching to the choir but for what it's worth: Pal Joey's 1990 released, Chic sampling classic "Dance" is one of those tracks that never gets old and always sets the dancefloor alight. In all these years it has been thrown down by NYC house legends and Detroit techno's finest alike. Likewise, your record collection isn't complete without it! Features the energetic original version on the A side, as well as the dub with that nice bass solo section that comes in. Finally, on the flip is the wicked bonus beats version that was favoured by techno DJs and sampled by everyone from Jeff Mills to Jerome Sydenham. Reissued on Joey's own Cabaret Records.
Review: Miami's Dancefloor Records, founded by British expat Jeffery Collins, looked to the growing club sounds emanating from Chicago and NYC and this series of reissues on Emotional Rescue concentrates on the label's early releases. From 1991 originally, Eighth Ray is said to be a project by a group of musician friends who went on to release under various pseudonyms. 'Axis Of Love' is the zeitgeist of a golden era in Italo house sounds, emotional and uplifting to the max. Over on the flip, the spaced-out and bumpin' NYC house influence on '8th Ray' has a sound that many modern producers try to emulate - massive bassline on this one so be warned!
Rhano Burrell - "When Can I Call You" (feat Lisa Lee - Honey Dijon & Luke Solomon edit) (5:21)
Review: The second volume of edits of classic outings on Nu Groove records, assembling modern house heroes such as Dam Swindle, Phil Weeks, and Honey Dijon to re-fix tunes by the legendary Equation and The Burrell Brothers among others. Highlights include Dam Swindle's misty eyed extension of Equation's 'I'll Say A Prayer 4 U'- a perfect rainy day house anthem, and the paranoid phonk of Rhano Burrell's 'When Can I Call You' as remapped by Honey Dijon & Luke Solomon. Surefire party starters all round.
Days Like This (DJ Spinna & Ticklah club mix) (5:27)
Days Like This (K-klass club mix) (7:07)
Space Rider (MJ Cole vocal mix) (5:09)
Days Like This (Spen & Karizma main mix) (9:26)
Review: It is fair to say that Demon Singles Club has another top nugget on vinyl here. 'Days Like This' by Shaun Escoffrey is a proper good slice of modern house music and it gets remixed here by top dogs Spen & Karizma, MJ Cole and DJ Spinna. This reissue of the 2002 original has been remastered by Phil Kinrade at Alchemy Mastering with the new remixes including the first-ever vinyl appearance of the MJ Cole contribution. There is lots to love in each of these with all of them being standouts and perfect for playing as the days warm up.
Review: Kikko Esse aka Michele Sodano drops some superbly summery house sounds on Groovin Italy just as the sun has finally arrived here in the UK. These tunes tap into lots of different reference points, from the machine soul of Detroit to the humid melodies of West Coast house and the Balearic grooves of the White Isle. 'Moonlight' kicks off with nice jazzy melodies and sultry trumpets, then 'Keep On' taps into a classic diva vocal. 'Deep Our Soul is for when things head indoors and the sun has set and you want to cruise on a nice blissed out and clean house vibe, then 'Free From' gets more loose and playful on soulful house drums.
Review: Sound Metaphors keeps it as deep as ever with a reissue of this classic from Franco Falsini. It's a quality EP that opens with the mysterious and exotic synth colour of 'People In Orbit' with its dusty retro breaks and psychedelic feel. 'Un-Flanged Transition' is another edgy sound that has no real analogue - it's an intense astral adventure with ever-changing synth leas and a real sense of unease. 'Midnight Tremors' takes things down a notch and is a carefree cosmic house jaunt with mellow synth magic and 'Ray-Tracing Sauna' is another sun-baked closer with wonderful arps drifting up into the heavens.
Express It Thru The Dance (Monstergetdown Shake It mix)
Express It Thru The Dance (Fantastic Man remix)
Express It Thru The Dance (Skank mix)
Express It Thru The Dance (Techno mix)
Review: Hooj Choons is a legendary electronic label from years gone by and now it is back to reissue one of its many standout back catalogue gems. The 12" in question is Express It Thru The Dance from Frontier Man, one of only two Eps dropped by the collective of Darren Norman, Mash, River and The Odd Squad - originally on Box Ya Ears Productions in 1992 before Hooj picked it up and put it out a year later. Four different versions are on one 12" for the first time - including the raved-up Monstergetdown Shake It mix, high speed and silky sounds of the Fantastic Man remix, the progressive and trance-tinged Skank mix and acid-laced Techno mix to close.
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