Back catalogue: House

Review: Qnete presents Play-Doh Stories on Ron Wilson's 777, following up some great releases on his own Drowned Records, Benjamin Brunn's Wake Up and Lobster Theremin. Some of the tracks are already three years old according to the now Leipzig based producer, admitting that he feels he's become somewhat of a different person since then. Nonetheless, he found himself coming back to these recordings, allowing him to reflect on how far he's come with his production and with a real sense of pride. From moments of raw and jackin' lo-fi attitude, dusty boompty deepness and ambient house through to slo-mo boogie down business and even a bit of drum 'n' bass - the boy from Bremen has sure come a long way.

Review: The new album by Quantic - aka. multi instrumentalist, DJ, composer and producer Will Holland - is in many ways an evolution. Now twenty years into his career, Dancing While Falling is the British-born, New York-based artist's most live sounding, euphoric and, in his own words, grown-up release to date. Capturing the beginnings of every good person's revelatory movement from an individual to a collective spirit, Holland originally began the album in his Brooklyn studio, before realising that he didn't just want to make a record that reflected his 'singular pandemic wormhole', but rather one that tapped into the essential togetherness of the human condition. So too does this record explore themes of connection felt through, and made more intense by, the antagonistic bouts of loneliness that characterised COVID-19. Influenced by legendary artists in the scene like Bohannon and Larry Levan, Quantic wanted to make a disco -eaning album at first; "I'm really interested in Latin music and Afro Caribbean rhythms and I think there's a really amazing point in history where the emergence of those rhythms and its combination with American soul sparked what we now know as disco," he says. This PIAS extended edition comes one year on from its initial 2023 release, Quantic here expands on his work by adding a ream of extended versions.

Review: Will Holland's career as Quantic has traversed many different areas, most notably immersing himself in many aspects of Latin American music culture through collaboration, but on this new album he's taken a different approach. What started out as an intention to experiment quickly flipped to become a love letter to disco as a powerful emotional tool for a huge swathe of people. Given disco's affinity for percussive rhythms from elsewhere, you can be sure Holland's put his prior research and talent to good use and once again connected with some incredible artists to shape out his sound, including Andreya Triana singing on four tracks as well as Connie Constance and Rationale.

Review: Quavius finally follows up on his self-titled debut LP for Lustwerk Music three years later, and it's worth the wait. As you'd expect of an artist snapped up by the close-knit crew Galcher Lustwerk orbits, there's a hazy, dreamlike mood lingering over all the tracks on "Find Ready", but there's plenty of variety taking place within that context. "Heaven Is In You" is as peppy as it is spaced out, while "Let It Rock" lays down a melancholic synth twist on trap. There's spacey acid, dusty, mechanical house and plenty more besides. Fun, varied and drawing on an angle that's all his own, Quavius has more than delivered on the promise of his first record.

Review: Quiet Dawn's latest offering, Celebrate, is an 11-track testament to the eclectic talent that has made him a cornerstone of the First Word family for a decade. Following in the footsteps of his previous ventures, particularly the Movements EP, this album seamlessly blends broken beat flavors with a diverse range of influences. Featuring luminaries like Bembe Segue, LyricL, and Oliver Night, Celebrate is a terrific drift through soulful grooves, lively bars and infectious rhythms. From uplifting jazz samba vibes to downtempo boom bap, Quiet Dawn effortlessly melds organic and electronic elements, creating a good dose of positivity and good vibes. Tracks like 'Celebrate,' composed with his son on his lap, and collaborations with talents like Bembe Segue and Oliver Night, highlight Quiet Dawn's ability to translate personal moments into universal celebrations of life, love and cultural diversity. With infectious energy and a message of turning negativity into positivity, Celebrate invites listeners to dance, reflect and embrace the richness of our individual journeys.

Review: "En Vi Sion" is top notch soulful techno from Quince, a young Dutch talent, praised by Laurent Garnier, Josh Wink, Rolando, Dave Clarke, and others. Ranging from spaced out heavy weighted energetic house tracks to deep, warm, funky club tracks and more emotional, melodic techno, it's all in here. This album "En Vi Sion" is a smooth, exiting journey into the new strands of deep techno and should fit comfortably in between the albums of Aril Brikha, Carl Craig, Steve Rachmad and other electronic music heroes.

Review: Not to be confused with the 2007 remix album Percussion Madness Revisited, this excellent double-pack offers features some of the best bits of Latin percussionist Luisito Quintero's Louie Vega-produced Percussion Madness album. If you missed that set 14 years ago, it's well worth picking up. Heavily percussive and rich in South American rhythms from start to finish, the set sees Quintero, Vega and collaborators flitting between slick soulful house (see the Josh Milan-voiced 'Love Remains the Same'), heavy salsa ('Tumbao'), boogaloo ('Skinny Papa'), tech-tinged Afro-house (Francis Mbappe collaboration 'Gbagada, Gbagada, Gbogogo, Gbogodo'), bossanova ('Our Love', with Anane) and epic, jazz-flecked Latin house (12-minute closing cut 'Free My Soul').

Review: Dave Seaman (Brothers In Rhythm) and Quivver (John Graham) are two long time heavyweights of the progressive house and trance scene for over 30 years now. The pair join forces on the Balance label to share a DJ mix. This version features unmixed tracks that were used in the mix by both including two original productions they wrote together to make this collaboration even more special. Both of those, 'Make It Disappear' and 'Mushroom Embargo' kick off this double vinyl version. What old head can't spot a Quivver bassline when they hear one?! Highlights also include Dave's heavy driving remix of 'Low Burn' by Underworld, Ben Archbold's epic 'Psychedelic Halo' and Timo Maas's bass heavy remix of Polaroit's 'Apart'. For those long time fans of Balance mixes, you have another winner here!

Review: "As Told On The Eve Of" is the debut album from Geneva based producers Lee Van Dowski & Quenum. The pair have been working together for six years and have released tracks on labels like Cadenza, Imploz and their own imprint Num. To maximise their production efforts they left their families and record bags at home and uprooted their studio to a remote part of the Swiss alps for two weeks and completely absorbed themselves in their music. "As Told On The Eve Of" unfolds like a sonic fairytale, from the melodic opening "Overdrill" to the suspense inducing "Little Doll Chaos Pounce Upon Option Assault Reverberation" to the emotive and melancholic conclusion of "Dune".