Back catalogue: Funky/Club House

Review: Motor City label Upstairs Asylum celebrates its roots in 313 with this new Dance Detroit EP featuring a wealth of American house innovators. First up, Reggie Dokes and Steve Crawford join forces on 'Fear Of Failure', a house track steeped in Detroit soul. Marvin Prather's 'Until' follows on with his stylish and soul-drenched grooves. Steve Crawford then goes it alone and turns up the drums on his potent 'Let You Go' (feat Tony B) and then get deeply emotional on 'Love Is Here' this time with help from featured artist Anthony Poteat. Prather and then label regular and Atlanta man Reggie Dokes closes down with his 'Not Ready.'

Review: Next up on the Fool's Paradise vinyl sampler is a four-tracker of glitzy and emphatic proportions. Vol. 3 opens with Dr. Packer and Elektrik Disko's 'My Lovin', which vexes us of our infidelities in the promise of being lent "all our love tonight", a vocal motif that swirls endlessly around its discoic mix. Mattei and Omich follow up with exactly the same theme, though it would seem that the former promise has been foreclosed upon, since the central vox is now asking the listener to "just give me your love", with an added dash of urgency to boot, and not the other way round. The B-side, not purely coincidentally, we think, dominated by the producer known as Re-tide, moves much more profligately, abandoning much of the A-side's glamour for the more immediate appetites that drive, but do not temper, disco's soul.

Review: Belgian-born producer Gratts and pioneering Chicago vocalist Robert Owens first collaborated on 'Brighter Future' back in 2021 after meeting in the streets of Kreuzberg years before. The pair now join forces again for follow up 'Today', a powerful and emotive, 90s inspired deep house cut with layered backings and Owens' lilting affirmations soaring above. The extended club version takes you straight to house music's ecstatic heydays, while the twelve also includes an acapella tool for those singalong moments. On the flip, Mark Hand's slower, soulful rendition takes things into sideroom territory. Finally, 'Mount Olympus', home to the Greek deities, fuses a rattling drum machine, arpeggiated synth lines and a potent analogue bassline - with added bonus beats to bang the box and get weird!

Review: Toolroom's 'sampler' series, which rounds up previously digital-only releases and sticks them out on action-packed 12" EPs, reaches its sixteenth instalment. Given the format, you'll be unsurprised to discover that there's plenty of bona-fide peak-time heat on show, starting with Mark Knight and James Hurr's excitable, filter-heavy, string-laden disco-house bomb 'You Take Me Higher'. Friend Within offers a scintillating blend of heavy acid bass, glassy-eyed female vocal samples, weighty beats and subtle disco samples on the superb 'Chain', while Martin Ikin and Winnie Ama opt for even heavier drums, warped bass, creepy electronics and dead-eyed spoken word vocals on the sweat-soaked 'Control It'. To round things off, we're treated to the tech-tinged funky house bounce of Flashmob and Raumakustik's percussion -rich 'Club Talk'.

Review: Rocksteady Disco welcomes Dennis Liber & Lex for a standout debut here. Their four-tracker captures the magic of musical nights spent down in Mexican hotspot Tulum with organic and airy grooves aplenty. 'Una Sera D'Estate' (feat Max Giovara) exodus late-night warmth and loved-up vibes with its melodic bassline and disco-tinged house drums. 'End Of The Line' is more lively but is no less direct with its big drums and pointed bass phrasings. Liber then goes solo for the dreamy, Italo-tinged yet tropical 'Playa Eden' and wonderfully escapist closer 'Hidden Island' complete with Balearic beats and the sound of singing dolphins.

Review: There is an immediately loveable vibe to the carefree and breezy house music that the Italian label Groove Culture deals in. This is the 15th such offering - a third volume of its Jam series - and again the good times flow from the off. 'Devoted' is a four-way collab between Micky More, Andy Tee, Reverendos Of Soul and Anduze that layers up the soulful drums and disco percussion with buttery smooth soul vocals. Serge Funk's 'Can't Get Enough' is all swirling strings and sunny trumpet motifs over funk house beats and then Micky More & Andy Tee appear to remix 'All I Want' into another future Body & Soul classic. The duo's own 'Philly Sensation" is a disco-tinged, string-heavy house dream to close.

Review: This deep, jazzy and lo-fi house 12" is perfect for escaping at this time of year as the hustle and bustle of the holiday season and the general weight of modern life can get all too much. It comes from an array of standout producers from around the world including Darone Sassounian, Jamma D and Jarren from Los Angeles, Roche from Portland and Morris Mobley from Nancy, France. Between them, they offer the cuddly, cloudy depths of 'Drippin'' (Sauce dub), humid and jazzy heat of the sumptuous 'Don't Wanna Leave The Couch Today', playful rhythms of 'House Shuffle Boogie' and more besides.

Review: Sultry purist disco house moods from Groove Culture Italy, welcoming four standalone originals to the first edition of their 'Groove Is In The Heart' series, three out of four of which are remixes of tunes that have already been released on the label. True to their form, this record welds the ways of classic disco and disco-house, opening with the melismatic vocal tones of 'Ease My Mind' by Fleur De Mur before moving into the slightly slower chic-funk of Derrick McKenzie and Angela Johnson's 'On My Way Out'. Things turn housier - as the outdoor shindig moves indoors at first sign of the crepuscular tide - with 'My Prayer', while House Freakers' 'Tease Me' rounds things off on a well-sidechained womper.

Review: Toolroom's house imprint keeps the party pumping with another diverse selection of floor-filling weapons. Grant Nelson & Mark Knight lead the charge with 'Do It Y'all', a track that's been tearing up charts and dancefloors with its raw energy and irresistible rhythm for a while now. But this sampler doesn't simply rest on its laurels; it takes us on a winding path through the multifaceted sounds of house music. The Deepshakerz & Turntables Night Fever follow up with 'Oh Phunk!', a high-energy stomper fueled by a relentless rhythm section and soulful vocal samples that hark back to the golden age of house music. Richard Earnshaw, however, opts for a different approach, reimagining Fonda Rae's classic 'Touch Me' with a touch of soulful depth and emotion. Sebb Junior closes out the sampler with 'Makes Me Feel', a track brimming with bright melodies and feel-good vibes, showcasing the playful side of house music. This sampler is a showcase for the label's dedication to quality house music that offers listeners a diverse range of beats that are both good for the dancefloor and any discerning DJs.

Review: Radio Cargo's Like You Move EP pulses with energy, fusing groovy breaks and deep, warming basslines. Each track effortlessly merges rhythmic complexity with atmospheric synths, drawing listeners into a sound that's as nostalgic as it is innovative. There's a playful balance between old-school dance vibes and fresh, forward-thinking production, capturing the essence of French house while pushing the genre's boundaries. It's a release that will resonate with fans of classic dancefloor sounds, while still feeling entirely contemporary in its execution.

Review: Fresh disco edits outing Respect have essentially named themselves after just the right attitude they expect of their rave-goers. Continuing to embody virtues of respect and respectability with another limited edition white label release, this sixth addition to the pile hears whimsical collieries, chicken-pickin' rhythms, and lurching remixes, with the B-side doing especially well to re-ingest the essential War cut 'The World Is A Ghetto' and its DJ Spinna nu-disco rendition. The breakdown is especially performative and brilliant, with scatting mimicries of guitar heard expertly interleaved.

Review: Groove Culture's ongoing 'Jams' series continues to deliver disco-house excellence with its fourth edition. This high-quality compilation features standout tracks from Micky More & Andy Tee, Reverendos Of Soul, Soulista, Serge Funk, and Right To Life. Highlights include: Reverendos Of Soul - 'Love Will Set You Free'(Micky More & Andy Tee mix): An all-night disco spirit track verging on Hi-NRG style, bringing big energy and a lively atmosphere to any dance floor. Another great one is Soulista's 'Love & Life" (feat. Karmina Dai - Micky More & Andy Tee mix): A perfect blend of piano disco and house, featuring a heavy beat and great horn sounds that create an infectious groove. Closing things out on a classic leeven is Serge Funk's heater 'Disco Hustle'. This fantastic edit of the classic disco track is a filtered gem that is sure to knock the roof off the discotech. Groove Culture once again proves its reliability as a source of top-tier disco-house with this stellar collection.

Review: Eight years ago, Super Weird Substance unveiled a cover of Bessie Banks' classic 'Don't You Worry Baby The Best Is Yet To Come' - a hybrid nu-disco/classic soul interpretation that was credited to The Reynolds (twin sisters according to press releases circulated at the time), but produced and mixed by Greg Wilson and regular studio buddy Peza. This timely reissue marks the first time the track has appeared on a 45. Just like many classic soul sevens, it features 'Part 1' and 'Part 2' versions, which seem to be edits of the near nine-minute 'club mix' that appeared on the original 12" release. Both are great, with the Reynolds' gorgeous vocals being joined by rubbery synth-bass, simmering synth-strings, tasteful synth-horns and unfussy, floor-friendly drums.

Review: This top-drawer reissue digs into the vaults of the legendary UMM Records label. It comes from 1992 and is an impassioned, steamy deep house by Rhythm 3 Request aka Carlo Montagner, Gibo Rosin, Maurizio Sacchi and Paolo Verlanzi. They released just three EPs, all within about a year of each other, but this one has more than withstood the test of time. 'Desafinado' comes in several forms with an After Hours mix laced with lush chords, the Hastenia have more drive but no less romance to it and the Red Zone is only a subtle tweak before Tribal Tracks gets more trippy.

Review: Italy's Groove Culture has really done a fine job of winning us over since it started out and this 14th EP is another one that is sure to slide into your affections. It's a quartet of disco-tinged house cuts from Right to Life, Micky More and Andy Tee that kicks off with the hip swinging and lush feels of 'Subway'. 'Hold On To My Love' then layers up the loops and rickety organic drums with some rousing strings and vocals. The good time vibes and carefree sense of soul continues on the flip with 'Blow Your Mind' and the more heartfelt 'Love Blind'.

Review: Luv Shack's compilation style 'Disco Biscuits' series is the very definition of reliable, with each new EP delivering killer cuts aimed at the more cosmic end of nu-diusco dancefloors. Volume five in the series arrives with four more tried-and-tested workouts and little in the way of forgettable filler. Check first Rising Seed's 'Back For More', a driving slab of spacey dub disco/cosmic disco fusion in which intergalactic electronics and samples sitars ride a Prins Thomas-esque bassline and beats, before admiring the chugging and squelchy nu-disco shuffle of 'Suffering of K.P' by B.Visible. Over on the flip, Peletronic's 'Drifting' is a glassy-eyed slab of immersive deep house/nu-disco fusion, while Jon Gravy's 'When U Leave' is a stomping slab of peak-time house headiness rich in bustling beats, memorable melodies and hands-aloft riffs.

Review: Have there been any remixes that have been more impactful and influential than StoneBridge's famous re-rub of Robin-S's 'Show Me Love'? An enormous crossover hit when it was first released in 1990, the track's blend of bold organ hooks, bumpin' beats, dreamy chords and big vocals later helped inspired the birth of what was then known as 'bassline house' or 'northern garage'. As this reissue proves, it remains a timeless dance anthem that transcends genre. This time round, it comes backed by a lesser-celebrated StoneBridge rework of another Robin-S track, 'Luv For Luv'. This is a bit deeper and sweeter, but mostly utilises the same musical ingredients (gravelly stabs, Korg M-1 organ lines, lush pads and so on).

Review: Few vocal deep house records are quite as timeless as Cece Rogers' "Someday", a Marshall Jefferson produced anthem that has continued to be constantly played by discerning DJs ever since its original 1987 release. As most will tell you, it was also the major sample source for Liquid's rave anthem "Sweet Harmony". This South Street reissue replicates the track listing of that initial Atlantic release, albeit it in re-mastered form to sound a little meatier on modern club soundsystems. On the A-side you'll find the essential Club Mix, where Rogers' impeccable vocal and Jefferson's meandering piano solos naturally dominate. These piano solos take more prominence on the "Some Dub" version, which in true '87 style still includes key vocal passages drenched in dub delay, while the Accainstrumental is - ironically - a little more like a contemporary house Dub.