Delusions Of Grandeur レコード& CD

Review: Alma Negra steps up to Delusion of Grandeur to bring the vibes on this new 12" in a fancy die-cut and spot-varnished sleeve. The sounds are funky and disco-fried with 'Madrugada' riding on lavish horn leads and nice loose percussive beats. 'Funky Fever' ups the temperatures with some sleazy vocals riding on jangling and organic beats. 'Madrugad' then comes as a Yuksek remix that layers in more colourful synths and allows the steamy origin vocals to bring the heat and a dub mix closes down this party-friendly EP

Review: While he's been a stalwart of the Athens underground for decades, it's only in recent years that Lex has begun to release music on a regular basis. Here he returns to Delusions of Grandeur following his collaborative EP with Locke, 7 Day Path, in 2022. Fittingly, Locke makes an appearance - alongside Guto Fernandez - on 'Purity', a fine vocal number that sits somewhere between nu-disco and percussive Latin house, while Lex's love of collaboration continues on the late-80s piano house vibe of 'No Time For Formalities'. It's the A-side's solo tracks that impress most. Our pick of the pair is 'Without You', a hypnotic and locked-in acid house roller full of mind-mangling TB-303 motifs, jazzy Rhodes licks and spacey chords, though the deep and funky 'Strip Town' is almost as good.

Review: Now 18 years into his production career, Mark Evetts AKA Mark E is far less prolific than he once was, but his occasional releases are stronger than ever. That much is proved by his second EP for Delusions of Grandeur. Opener 'Enchantment Under The Sea' lives up to the promise of its title, with the Black Country-born producer wrapping fluid, ocean-deep chords and lapping electronic melodies around lo-fi drum machine beats and an undulating bassline. 'Zone Tonight' is similarly deep, melodious and tactile - all atmospheric synth strings, hypnotic drums, starry pads and bubbly bass - while 'Vertigo' is a jazzier and sunnier affair guaranteed to put smiles on faces. To finish off, the Merc main man blurs the boundary between lilting analogue synth-pop and wide-eyed deep house on the gorgeous 'Bodymap'.

Review: The Hamburg-Berlin connection returns. Retreat label boss Hauke Freer and Matthias Reiling of Giegling fame have been at it as Session Victim for the better part of 10 years and they're still in fine form. The third instalment of Listen To Your Heart features four splendid journeys into the deep. Starting off with the lo-slung disco loops of "Almost Midnight" on the A side, which is followed up by the sun-kissed/slo-mo balearica of "Castle For Sale". On the flip, they pick up the pace once again with "Almost Midnight" which showcases the classic SV sound: deep house from a hip-hop production style of technique which no doubt influenced a new generation of German producers such as Glenn Astro & Max Graef. Finally, recline, relax and light one up to the dubbed out ambient journey that is "Thermal Explorer".

Review: Session Victim return to the Delusions Of Grandeur imprint with their third studio album. Listen To Your Heart is the result of a year of cross-continental scripting which started in their Hamburg studio and wrapped up stateside in San Francisco's Room G Studios where the duo had worked on their 2014 LP See You When You Get There. Here is the second of three LP samplers. "Shadows" gets things rolling with a classic Session Victim groove, looped up pads and hooky spoken vocal samples. Next up we have "Unchained" which drops the BPM for a widescreen, slo-mo jam clouded in a smoky haze with jazzy touches, recalling the halcyon days of Pork Recordings. Flipping over we have a brand new LP version of previous single "Up To Rise", another sublime slice of blissed-out house music with a wonderful organic and live sound palette. Echoing Rhodes licks join the lead guitar tune for a Balearic beauty which will be stuck in your head long after the sun sets. Closing this second sampler we have "Over And Over", which winds things down somewhat for an inspired, bass-led roller.

Review: Is there a more reliable production duo in deep house than Session Victim? They're naturally at the top of their game on their latest EP for long-term label Delusions of Grandeur. They begin by joining forces with dub-wise mic man Ras Stimulant on 'Motivation', a heady and hypnotic peak-time loop jam packed to the rafters with addictive electric piano riffs, delay-laden vocal snippets, jazzy flourishes and intergalactic electronics. Over on the flip side, 'Dromedary Twist' sees them wrap snaking sax lines around a chunky deep house groove laden with sustained chords and jammed-out Rhodes motifs, while 'Green Run' is a delicious downtempo jam of the sort that label co-founder Jimpster used to knock out during the early portion of his career.

Review: It would be fair to say that Henry Maldonado, known more widely as Son Of Sound, has been one of the few revelations to come out of New York City since the early 2000's. For a city which gave us so much in the 80's and 90's, there have been relatively few new names to carry on the dynasty, but Maldonado's sleek and thoughtful style for imprints like Disrtrict 30 and Speak Recordings has provided a bit of life and love to the American Dream. Moreover, the man appears on Delusions Of Grandeur, one of our all time favourite labels when it comes to house, and one that we wish was more present again. The deal here is simple; Son Of House provides us with three sultry, laid-back house groovers with plenty of soul and homebred sensibility, rolling and pushing its solid grooves over bouncy, seductive melodies and feel-good charms.