Review: Kevin Dennis Pierre has been making high-grade house music as Demuir since the dawn of the Millennium, in the process notching up releases on such imprints as Robsoul Recordings, Stickman, Nite Grooves, Farris Wheel, Heist, Kaoz Theory and Hot Creations. Here the Toronto-based producer brings his brand of club-ready deep house to France's Frappe Recordings, flitting between driving, mind-bending peak-time hedonism ('The Music In Space'), jazzy and sample-rich goodness ('Enter The House of My Lord') and revivalist Chicago 'boompty' (the early 2000s Classic Music Company style 'First Look In San Diego'). Pierre's old pal DJ Sneak rounds things off with a deliciously sleazy, weighty and sub-heavy interpretation of 'The Music In Space' with added low-end sax stabs.
Review: Kerri Chandler has once again dipped into the vaults of his long-running Kaoz Theory label and picked out two previously digital-only gems deserving of a belated vinyl debut. On side A you'll find Demuir's soulful and uplifting 2020 jam 'Lusting U', a rolling chunk of semi-organic house warmth featuring superb lead vocals from British vocalist Bluey Robinson. Over on side B, it's all about DJ Sneak's 'Judy Russell', a killer cut first featured on his Movin' Parts EP three years ago. A bit deeper, woozier and more loose-limbed than some of his more muscular and forthright workouts, it sees the veteran producer wrap synthesized vocalisations and sunny chords around a chunky bassline and swinging house beats that sound like they could have come straight out of Kenny Dope's MPC.
Mo'Funk - "Bring Together" (feat Roland Clark) (5:37)
Review: Robsoul Recordings has continue on the rich tradition of superb France deep hose for many years after the first wave of artists and labels came and went. This third edition of its Classic Sampler series is another joyous one that opens up with the jazzy loops and soul-drenched house grooves of Demuir's 'From Paris To Strasbourg'. Vincent Caira's 'Back Again' is more solid and raw but no less heartfelt then Mo'Funk & Roland Clark cut lose with an unabashed piano sound on 'Bring Together' that will get hands in the air. Three timeless tracks that really tap into the original spirit of house music.
Review: He's the original (and maybe only self-proclaimed?) house gangster and he is back in 2025 and sounding as good as ever. Puerto Rico by way of Chicago's DJ Sneak makes beats as raw as the meat he likes to chuck on his BBQ grill and UK house legend Nail must be a fan cause it's his label he lands on now. This is a solid four-tracker that ticks all the boxes with its killer grooves and smart loops. 'All I Need In Life' is a playful opener, 'Das Gud!' gets more intense and trippy with its bleepy melodic refrains and 'Help Me Somebody' then sinks back into loose and dusty, disco-tinged drums with classic cowbell hits. 'What You Expecting From Me' is a sweaty and gritty warehouse banger to close with aplomb.
Review: Original Chi-Town bad man DJ Sneak shows up with his latest selection of loop-driven house jams, serving up five floor-focused cuts on the 'Disko Dialogue' EP. A key figure in the second wave of Chicago house, his prolific career has seen him explore acid house, disco cut-ups, and hypnotic, tracky realms. Much, if not all, of that is on display here. The title track features looped strings and echoing vocals over a pounding kick and skippy snares, while 'Kick Da Flow' follows a similar trajectory, albeit with a slightly more restrained mood. 'Bottom Acid' ups the energy with pulsing 303 gliding over piercing drums, while 'Acid Wunders' dives into trippier territory, with its nocturnal groove endlessly undulating. The rolling rhythms of 'Elements' cap a fine EP, with DJ Sneak proving he's lost none of his big-room bravado or production swagger.
Review: First released on Cajual in 1995 as part of the 'Beautification Of House' EP, DJ Sneak's 'The Jacker' is comparatively less known or revered than his earliest outings on the label, or those of his released on the contemporary and now much-coveted Strictly Rhythm. But its choppy lead razz and boisterous vocal cutups make it no less of a quintessential case of early 90s "jackin" house, which heard Chicago producers such as Carlos Sosa privilege only the barest of sonic bones. As it was in 1995, no track on this 12" stoops to the nadir of overwrought "depth", and both the Jacker 3000 remix and Gettoblaster's remix here are as readily deployable as they are functional, with ample dead space left in the gaps between drum hits.
Review: Experience the innovative sounds of DJ Sneak with this 12" vinyl release, an EP delivering four standout tracks that redefine the garage and house genres. From the commanding groove of 'Years In The Game' to the dynamic beats of 'Bad Muthafucka', each track exemplifies DJ Sneak's legendary prowess. Only Cuts expertly curates these bangers, ensuring superior quality and a transformative listening experience. Dive into this sophisticated collection and discover the future of house music.
Review: DJ Sneak is of course the self-proclaimed house gangster and proud lover of his own BBQ skills. He is also a man who knows how to make a damn good house groove with fizzy loops and weighty drums that never fail to lock us in. And that's just what we get here with a new EP via Digital Tape Recordings that kick off with the train-track grooves of 'No More Waiting.' There is more bump and grind to 'Help Is On The Way' with its chopped-up vocal loops, and '1234' then has a little garage skip in its bones. 'Essex Strolling' shuts down with a deeper vibe.
Review: DJ Sneak aka the Chicago house gangster by way of Puerto Rico, has hit a purple vein of form so far this year. Several great slices of wax have all dropped already but he seemingly has more up his sleeve as now comes a new one on Salon. It opens with 'Feeling Of Power' which is pure Sneak - silky drum loops with a raw edge, disco infused atmospheres and a nice catchy vocal to really make sure you stay locked in for the duration. 'Voodoo' is a little more rickety and loose with freewheeling synth flourishes and rolling tech beats.
Review: Fun fact: over the course of his near three-decade career, DJ Sneak has only previously released one 10-inch single ('3D Print' on Pressure Traxx back in 2018). Now he has a second to add to the discography thanks to this killer two-tracker on German label Salon. Check first A-side 'Pass It Around', a heavy, breathless and restless loop jam marked out by loose-limbed drum fills, ragged acid squelches, weighty bass, disco guitar licks and cut-up vocal snippets. Over on side B, 'House Bullet' is a similarly tough but stripped-back affair in which acid house era vocal samples, TB-303 motifs and tight synth stabs ride an energetic, non-stop beat.
Review: Chicago house legend and self-professed gangster DJ Sneak must have been busy recently because he has a couple of great EPs arriving this summer. This one takes him to the long-running East Yorkshire label Hudd Traxx and given the title, For The Soul Vol 1, could be the start of a series. That would not be a bad thing cause these are more than useful jams starting with 'We All Need Love' which pairs his raw, loopy, groovy style with disco-infused samples. 'For The Soul' is another silky and hypnotic house sound with hooky tones and lovely snares, while on the flip 'From Da House' gets more joyous with its streaming chords and last but not least, 'En Route' brings a more raucous percussive edge for peak time deployment.
Review: Second-wave Chicago house mainstay DJ Sneak has been around for years but is currently at the top of his game after an almost decade long hiatus. He nods to that in the title of this new EP, 'Still Jackin'', on In The Future. It kicks off 'Going Back To My House' and with some underlapping bass and nice roughshod kicks while industrial metal hits up top bringing some balance. 'Still Jackin' has reverb-drenched drums and crispy hits that make for perfect mid-tempo body music and 'Can I Get Ahhh Feeling' brings some more diffuse, soul-infused vibes and late-night warmth. 'String Me Up' shuts down with a blend of textured stabs, winky beats and uneasy atmospheres.
Review: Over the last 18 months, DJ Sneak has been on an impressive run of form. There have been essential releases for Phonogramme, Frappe and, most recently, Toy Tonics. Here the Chicago legend returns to Heist Recordings, an imprint he last appeared on early last year, with another essential four-track missive. He begins with the hard-wired boompty bounce of 'I Can Tell What You Want', where alien-sounding chords and chopped vocal snippets leap above an insatiable groove, before heading off on a sample-rich breakbeat house flex on 'A Taste of the 90s'. Over on the B-side, 'Dirty Jazz' joins the dots between Chi-town acid and jazz-sampling deep house, while 'You Know What I Mean' is a refreshingly rubbery and loose-limbed excursion that should appeal to dancers who like to get their feet moving.
Review: Part one of Refuge's new La Decima V/A 12" series hears select tunes from select artists, all of whom have made significant contributions to the label's catalogue over the years. Spanning everything from firmly driven nu-disco to scratch n' sniff garage house to Chi-style stompers, we're more than enthralled by this well-rounded resonator. The best of the bunch has to be Demuir's 'Vibez High', which moves unabashed and stringy, its clawing claps, freeze-locked funk licks and scraping open hats painting a vivid street scene set outside the house.
Review: After a three-year break, DJ Sneak and Tripmastaz renew their partnership as Raretwo Inc, in the process making their bow on the latter Respect The Graft imprint. As you'd expect from two masters of their craft, the 33 Chambers EP is packed to the rafters with chunky, bass-heavy and sample-rich deep house workouts. Check first the jazzy, sub-heavy bounce of 'Trac 4 Kenny', before getting your ears around the muscular chunkiness of 'Aaw Lawwd', where rasping blues-man vocal snippets and tight loops ride a bustling beat and booming bassline. Elsewhere, 'Trac 4 Rick' is a lightly druggy, disco-speckled slab of locked-in deep house science, while 'XTC' is a trippy, tech-tinged late-night roller with effects aplenty and lashings of dubbed-out synth sounds.
Review: This tasteful Spanish label always does a fine line in traditionally inclined deep house. Their latest drop brings together the talents of Andrew Lozano and Trevor Vichas. 'Don't U Feel It' kicks off with a playful skip in the drums and one of those spoken word vocals that add plenty of atmosphere. It's Demuir who remixes this one with even more light-hearted groove and jazzy Rhodes chords. Lozano and Vichas then offer 'With You' which keeps the dubby, smoky, frayed-edge house sounds rolling and 'Feel The Heat then brings a more upright groove with driving hits and swirling pads that speak to the soul.
Home Sweet Home (The Journey) (DJ Spen remix) (7:29)
Home Sweet Home (The Journey) (DJ Spen dub) (6:23)
Home Sweet Home (The Journey) (DJ Spen Hump mix) (5:53)
Review: Demuir's Visions album gets its first series of remixes here as standout cut 'Home Sweet Home (The Journey)' gets reworked by Baltimore's finest dance music ambassador and bona fide legend DJ Spen. First up he brings some shuffling and deep soul to the groove with an irresistible skip to the drums and a lush vocal. The dub pairs things back a little further with more splash in the percussion and last of all comes the Hump mix. This one has noodling keys working their way up through the mix to bring real enlightenment.
We use cookies to personalise content and ads, to provide social media features and to analyse our traffic. We also share information about your use of our site with our social media, advertising and analytics partners who may combine it with other information that you've provided to them or that they've collected from your use of their services.