Back in stock: Funky/Club House

Review: Italian duo Souldynamic have been releasing a steady stream of work on respected labels from King Street and Tribe to BBE, with support from industry heavyweights like Louie Vega and Dennis Ferrer. Their latest release the 'West Side of Afrika' EP see's them land on Samosa Records, comprising of four tracks of Afro-centric house. From the spiritual life music of opening track "Guinee" to the uplifting sunshine vibe of "Faranah" with its uplifting group vocal harmonies, while closing cut "Beyla" is an evocative deep house number with the most killer bassline you will hear on a record this year. Terrific work by these Neapolitan scene veterans!

Review: Let the speculation begin, because here we have a new EP from an artist about which we know nothing on a similarly anonymous new label. T Recs has pressed up these two house cuts on alluring green wax and riddled them with big samples. The first will be familiar to fans of Donald Glover's 'This Is America' which has the vocal samples and crowd chants layered into a chunky tribal house cut. On the flip is a similar tune with tweaked vocals. Both will bring big reactions to the club.

Review: 541 is in the middle of a big run of spacial double albums that they say are made up of "nothing but classix" and we're inclined to agree. This eighth volume of 12 Inch Lovers is another bumper collection of big dance sounds from the 90s to the present day by plenty of names you will likely know, from Erick Morillo to Michael Gray to Robin S to Bakermat. There is string-laced swing-house to start with, vocal anthems like 'Show Me Love' to finish with and main stage house bangers and feel-good festival favourites in between.

Review: Archeo Recordings bring us some more Balearic Italian treasure here with some gold initially recorded in Bologna almost two decades ago. It's a collaboration between friends Bottin and Lucio Dalla that has never before been on vinyl. 'Lunedi Cinema' was an ident that played before Monday night movies on of one of the main Italian TV channels for many years. This electronic version includes the Martedi Mix from 2008, a Minibar Bonus Track and also a mix by pioneering Italian dream house dons Leo Mas & Fabrice with a Bottin dub sealing the deal. It's a superb package of real Italo music history.

Review: French label Wagram is a go-to when it comes to quality compilations that take a broad look at certain sounds and scenes, and this one is an on-going series that focuses on house sounds with an Afro undertone. The grooves are lively and often come with plenty of percussion. The drums hit hard but with funk, the vocals are Afro-centric and plenty of irresistible hits come thick and fast from the jazzy tribal swagger of 'Imbalaye' to the big steel drum party sounds of 'Viet Dao' (Klement Bonelli & Yann DL remix). Another great collection of colourful Afro house sounds.

Review: 'Stereo Love' marked the debut single of Romanian DJ Edward Maya and Moldovan-Romanian producer Vika Jigulina and it came back in 2009 on Maya's album, The Stereo Love Show. The catchy refrain is sampled from 'Bayatilar,' a 1989 track by Azerbaijani composer Eldar Mansurov and it helped the song swiftly gain global popularity and go on to rule nightclub playlists across Europe. It soared to the pinnacle of eleven national music charts and its success earned it certifications such as 8× Platinum in Norway, 7× Platinum in Sweden, and Gold or higher in ten other countries. Grab it now on vinyl and pump the party once more with this Euro-dance gem.

Review: ***B-STOCK: Scratch on back of outer sleeve, record in perfect working order***


Geoff Hibbert may be the only rave-era dance music producer of note to hail from Oadby, a small town just outside Leicester. He first burst through with a couple of bleep-influenced anthems as Cyclone, but his biggest club smash was actually 'Break of Dawn' as Rhythm On The Loose - a killer, piano-sporting, saucer-eyed breakbeat house number that made great use of vocal samples from First Choice disco classic 'Let No Man Put Asunder'. This timely reissue packages the 1991 original mix with a trio of later 1995 rubs. There's Hibbert's own remake, which turns it into a MK-influenced house jam, a gloriously up-beat, synth bass-powered Strike remix full of fizzing riffs and bouncy beats, and a throbbing, raw and trance-inducing Stonebridge revision.

Review: ***B-STOCK: Sleeve damaged but otherwise in excellent condition***


Robert Owens is absolutely one of the voices of his generation. He has lent his tender tones to more classic tracks than you could possibly mention and he continues to do so nowadays with a wholeness generation of producer who want a touch go his authenticity. He has recently achieved another career milestone with a superbly poignant new single that comes with sublime remixes. DJ Spinna's re-flip adds his usual sense of soul and Adeen Records label head Camille then brings some South African Amapiano vibes. Nico Lahs takes it on with a heavy house groove and Scott Hess brings some classic acid jack to his version.