Back catalogue: House

Review: Short Attention has more than grabbed ours with its first two EPs and this third one keeps up that good early form. It's a heavy-hitting mix of pivotal house talents starting off with prolific Windy City player Boo Williams. The big man's 'Transformation' is a smooth and chord-laced house roller that has a more reflective vibe than his usual party-starting offerings. Atlanta don Kai Alce's 'Love Exists' is a heartfelt house romance then the long-time partnership of Owen Jay & Melchior Sultana douse us in star-gazing chords on 'Soul Expression' that leave you feeling refreshed. Hector Ram's 'Morning Sun Vibes' then uplifts with beautifully gentle piano chords.

Review: REPRESS ALERT!: Burnski's Constant Black label puts out constantly good sounds for all those of a minimal and tech house persuasion. This 33rd such outing comes from Per Hammar who offers a trio of irresistible grooves. 'Everybody hz' kicks off with rubbery drums and bass intertwining with each other while wonky synths up top add some tripped-out feels. A Varhat adds a little extra bounce and urgency to this silky late-night hypnotiser and then it's back to Hammar for 'The Danish URL'. It's a hooky groove with warped pads rippling up top while closer 'Arkivo' is a more textural and abstract affair with a nice dubby undercurrent.

Review: Mysticisms continues its global search for amazing music, hitting gold again with an EP of four previously unreleased house meets IDM with a dreamy edges by Romania's HAN aka Dan Handrabur, culled from early studio recordings between 1991-95. After getting into record store culture he began building a studio and eventually gave up studying in favour of production, relocated to Vancouver, Canada, where his debut release (as X Drone with Adham Shaikh in 1993) began to establish Handrabur's role as an integral part its electronic scene. Appearances with Harthouse, Exist Dance, Eye Q Records and many more followed, plus collaborations with the legendary Phil Western. The four tracks here haven't aged at all, with nimble beats, action-packed arrangements and dreamy atmospheres, 'Give In & Resist' coming on like Rising High-era Mixmaster Morris crossed with the playfulness of Air Liquide, and 'Phantasme' revelling in the same cross-rhythmic fun that informed The Black Dog's classics.

Review: Hardt Antoine is back on Reculture with a second superb EP that has been rather delayed due to the pandemic. He opens up with a tune that reflects the nature of the year of lockdowns - deep and rolling, tinged with sadness, not in a hurry to go anywhere and stuffed with a sense of self longing for something, anything. 'Are You There' picks up with a more propulsive track that has elements of cold wave's chilly synths, metallic percussion and a motorik kick that never lets up. It's the sort of elevating, tense, trance-including tune that will take any set from one level to the next.

Review: Tokyo-based independent label Infodump follows up its inaugural EP with a new release from owner Takuro Hasumi. 'Ticktack' opens his account with lithe, droning synth lines which are layered up next to organic percussion and dark bass energy that keeps you on edge. 'Wilderness' then flips the script with a much more bright and trippy melodic mix over minimal drums and last of all is 'The Fall'. This one is another intriguing mix of silvery synth shimmers and stripped-back drum programming that locks you in the moment. The fresh EP comes with fresh artwork from Japanese outsider artist Pinksk.

Review: We Must Protect This House continues to stake a claim as to why house is worth saving with a second essential EP. It comes almost a year to the day after the debut from the same artist, HDSN, who is well known in underground circles for his work, mostly on the likes of NBAST. His silky sounds immediately get you grooving with 'Cancel The Noise' which has balmy pads, razor sharp hi hats and smooth rolling drums that offer a West Coast sound. 'Resurrection' builds a similar vibe with a little more percussive energy and the flip then sinks into deep and dubby sounds on 'A Fad To Die For' and shimmering synth colours on 'Hypercolour.'

Review: Heidy P is a long time associate of the Rocksteady Disco crew and now she treats them to her first ever solo release in the form of Elevate. It is, as you'd expect of her, a house record through and through, but one packed with plenty of her own charm and personality. Opener 'Elevate' is a classy and jazz-tinged, Latin-styled groove that will electrify any floor. Next is the hugely emotive, soulful and gospel drenched 'Help Me Find My Way' with uplifting vocals from Seta. Pontchartrain then steps up to remix 'Help Me Find My Way' into something deeper and Carry Nation close out with a more freaked out sound.

Review: These are the first of a couple of remixes that have been drawn from the original tracks of Johannes Heil's notorious "Freaks R Us" album.

Review: The third and final EP from the ten year anniversary series by French label D3 Elements is another one that offers a wide range of excellent grooves. To kick off, Jason Hogans takes us into woozy late night territory with muffled leads and lazy breaks, then Zopelar heads for the cosmos on his radiant synth laced house offering 'Resolution.' Malik Hendricks keeps it low key and slow with his intimate basement sounds on 'Green Mango' then Meftah rebuilds on a dusty Theo Parrish tip with 'Maha Shatki.' Damar Davis offers pure cosmic deep house lushness on closer 'Kiss In The Dark.'

Review: Homebase's latest release 'Everlasting Love' is a joyous celebration of love that transcends time and musical boundaries. The captivating original track is a romantic minimal lullaby with feel-good melodies full of innocence that do a fine job of conveying the moments that make hearts race and memories that last forever. Whether dancing or reflecting, this track connects deeply with the soul. Then comes remixes by renowned artists Phonique, Marc Spieler, and Richard de Clark, each adding their unique touch with some perfect for dreamy after-hours and some a little more ready for the club.

Review: The people behind Ba Dum Tish say they spent months calling, texting and emailing people trying to track down the Hoodrats, but in the end, they did and it was all worth it because it means we now get this reissue of their superb 00s EP 'Tha Whack Messiah'. The title cut is all dusty drums and skipping hi-hats with quiet vocal musings stitched in and swirling pads adding depth and scale. 'So UR The Traitor' on the flip has a more cosmic outlook with smeared synths and tin-pot percussion combing into a sweet tech house roller that oozes early authenticity.

Review: Swiss label Creaked has decided to give over a full 12" to remixes of HRDVISION's 'Captivated Heart' and the results are varied and impressive. It is the cultured electronica of Nathan Fake that kicks things off with some widescreen synth drones, She Spells Doom then brings some twitchy tech house and Shanx goes for something laced with alien effects, gurgling synths and swampy beats. Efemme brings some acid laced minimal funk and Sinistarr brings compelling broken rhythms and icy urban metropolis vibes. HRDVISION himself also steps up with a Hrdvsiovsiivosvsiosvin remix to close out in mad fashion.

Review: Mole Music branches out for the first time to vinyl here and shows it has a great wealth of talent to call on with a various artists' EP that is presumably the start of a new series. Holy Guacamole Vol 1 kicks off with JHNS keeping it deep and lively with 'Nevermind' while Steve End and Colau hook up for 'Back Spin' and lay down some magnificent drum loops that are silky and infectious. El Funkador's 'Shame' brings some 90s New York vibes with lovely snare sounds and warm bursts of chords. On the flipside, Alben & Laje & Errat, Hot DLVRY and Craftsmanship all cook up more fresh fusions of old and new school house.

Review: REPRESS ALERT!: Monsieur Van Pratt is well known to anyone who likes their disco on the hot side. He heads up the Super Spicy Records label and is now back with a new entry into the Super Spicy Recipe series alongside plenty of other top names. He opens up the EP with a groovy masterpiece featuring a powerful bassline and captivating vocals. Hotmood's 'Like That' showcases the energetic prowess of the Mexican then Julps, from Mexico City's Departamento, debuts with a hypnotic deep cut. On the flipside, Groovy Kds keep the party alive with 'Get Down,' while The Magic Track delivers pure dancefloor magic. Closing out the 12", The Velvet Stripes serve up a super funky and potent finale.

Review: The Lisztogrooves series is back and we're glad about it. The first one was essential and this follow-up from Igor Gonya's label features a blend of heavy hitters next to some cool emerging talents. Opening with Manuel Sahagun's smooth deep house track 'Get Yourself' things move on to a taste of US house from Human By Nature, who serves up a rich atmosphere and nostalgic 90s piano riffs. The A-side finishes strong with Gramophonedzie's high-energy jackin' filter workout then on the B-side, French producer Naux creates a deep groove built around chord stabs. Stogov follows with the soulful 'Walking Wide' while JR From Dallas and Justnique wrap up the EP with a seductive deep house finale.

Review: Dub techno don Steve O'Sullivan's Mosaic label is back with a new dubs series and vol 1 kicks things off with a real doozy on lovely red wax. The boss himself offers up a Bluetrain special edition dub of Hidden Sequence's 'Synapse' which is all icy lines and liquid rhythms which make you think of some frozen lake on a misty morning. Sub Basics (Temple of Sound, Lion Charge Records) opens up with a fresh dub laden track with rippling chords, tons of echo and rolling drums on 'Quarters.' Both are timeless dub outings, as you would expect from this label.

Review: Disco bossmen HiFi Sean and David McAlmont return with their new album, Daylight, on Plastique Recordings and a fine one it is too to follow up their acclaimed 2023 debut, Happy Ending. Daylight features twelve exhilarating tracks that celebrate the essence of summer and do a good job of capturing its vibrant colours and joyous moods. This is the first of two albums from the duo in 2024, with the nocturnal counterpart, Twilight, set for release on December 1 and therefore likely to be a celebration of the moods of winter. In the meantime, your days will be long and bright and full of dancing with this one.

Review: Initially founded by Natalie Maddix ten years ago to reconnect house music with its gospel roots, the House Gospel Choir wowed critics and listeners alike with their 2020 debut album, Re/Choired - a set of radical and universally excellent covers of dance classics. On this belated sequel, they combine genuinely inspired covers - see the album opening gospel choir translation of Joe Smooth's Chicago classic 'Promised Land' and a deliciously sparse, piano, organ-and-voice take on Livin' Joy's 'Dreamer' - with takes on deeper selections and a smattering of original compositions. Highlights come thick and fast, from the gospel house sweetness of 'No Better Friend' and the sub-heavy Rudimental X Afronautzo collaboration 'Glow', to to life-affirming sweetness of 'Optimistic', featuring the great Beverley Knight, and the spoken word-sporting 'A Vow (Love is the Message)'.