Minimal/Tech House charts

Review: Since launching in 2006, the men or women of mystery behind the sneaky Digwah series have delivered a couple of sought-after, single-sided 12" singles that blend familiar samples with rock solid tech-house grooves. Predictably, this third volume in the series sticks closely to the blueprint, wrapping twinkling electric piano motifs and a restless, looped bassline around a rhythm track rich in jazzy hi-hats, snappy drum machine snares and tough, locked-in kick-drums. It's arguably closer to deep house than its predecessors, with the tactile and warming samples - lifted, it seems, from the late '60s West Coast rock record - helping to create a rolling, late night feel. The previous Digwah releases sold out quickly, so you'll have to act fast to secure a copy of this one.

Review: DIGWAH marks its tenth release in style, maintaining its signature mystery while delivering two standout cuts that embody the British label's underground ethos. Side-A's 'Wayside' is a clutch tech-house banger that has finesseiclean, classy and an irresistibly groovy. A crisp breakbeat underpins a funky rhythm, while a strong vocal hooks you in, giving the track a timeless yet fresh feel. This is underground house at its best, effortlessly balancing sophistication with dancefloor heat. On the flip, 'Demeanour' leans into ghetto tech-house territory, with a weighty bassline and infectious r&b vocal samples. The groove is deep, the funk is undeniable and the track's raw energy makes it an instant mover. Another essential release from DIGWAH - stripped-back, hypnotic and built for those who know.

Review: Mystery label Digwah debuted in the summer, with a soul soaked trip into minimal techno territory that was supported by Ricardo Villalobos, amongst others. Like that 12", Something Else is a single-sided, hand-stamped affair, with no information given about the identity of the producer (or producers) involved. This cut retains the late night techno vibe of the original, but with percussion and whizzing electronic noises that recall classic tech-house from the likes of Swag, Rob Mello and David Duriez, rather than Berghain-friendly minimalism. The subtle, party-minded approach is confirmed by the use of cut-up vocal samples from Cuba Gooding Jr's "Happiness Is Just Around The Bend", which also featured on Nightmares On Wax's 1990 bleep techno anthem, "Aftermath".

Review: We still don't know much about Digwah, but what we do know is that they make killer tech house cuts. In the past, these tasty, straight-to-business white label 12"s have been supported by dons like Ricardo Villalobos so Digwah is deffo doing something right. For this one, we get treated to 'Right Place' which samples some of the vocals, chords and fx from the legendary Radiohead tune 'Everything In Its Right Place.' They are layered into a sleek, silvery, well-polished tech house groover that bumps, grinds and makes you sweat. Sure to come big on the underground circuit.

Review: Digwah keeps it tough on this next drop on their own self-titled label. It's a ninth outing and in the time it has taken for those to come out, increasing numbers of people have been catching on to the label's work and making it a 'must check' in their mental lists. This one opens up with 'Couldnt Hate You' which has some Ian Brown vocals samples stitched into a glitchy and menacing beat. 'Open Ended' is just as twitchy and anxious with steely drums and brain frying synths all working hard to fire every synapse in your brain. Effective stuff.

Review: Another single-sided sizzler from the Digwah camp, whose irregular tech-house reworks of well-loved old cuts are rarely less than excellent. This time round, they've turned their attention to a sprightly, memorable chunk of '80s soul - an American club cut of the period that has been re-edited numerous times by disco diggers. The Digwah version, though, is an almost complete overhaul; while snippets of the original version's vocals and guitars are present in the mix, they largely play second fiddle to chunky tech-house beats and a bold, huggable bassline that propels the revision forward towards peak-time dancefloors. It's decent and scintillating like most Digwah remixes.

Review: Looks like we have another Digwah white label in this week. The label first appeared on our radar several years ago with its second release 'Something Else' by an anonymous artist who threw down a sublime vocal by Cuba Gooding over a pumping acid tech house groove. Fast forward to DIGWAH 07, the formula remains the same and is still rather effective. In this case, the vocals are taken from a rather legendary early '90s pop collaboration over a hypnotic, bass-driven minimal house groove aimed squarely at the afterhours dancefloor.