Back catalogue: Progressive House

Review: Rebirth kicks off its 2024 with a remix EP that serves as "a tribute to the Brescian music scene in its many facets and declinations." The full original project is a complete 12-track album that brings together many different sounds, scenes and generations, with the best bits now assembled on this new 12". The revered deep house master Fred P opens up with some texture spiritual synth depths, K-Lone brings some nice house swing to his version of 'Paline' and edit maestro Rahsaan also keeps it paired back and late night on his soulful take on 'Scent Of An Old Life'. A great reimagining of some moving musical adventures, then.

Review: Two years ago, UK techno mainstay Gabriel made his bow on Rawax's Motor City Edition series with an EP of cuts drawn from his seemingly endless archive of unreleased gems. We're not sure whether the four tracks on this belated sequel are old and new, but they're certainly timeless-sounding and impressively deep. Check first 'Mordax', an impeccable mixture of Motor City star-gazing and analogue deep house blessed with a ridiculously good bassline, before admiring the sun-splashed warmth of 'The Multicoloured Mind', where jazzy piano motifs, sustained synth-strings and warming chords dance atop a loose-limbed house-not-house beat. Over on the B-side 'It's All Pam's (Marseille)' is another gorgeous chunk of ageless deep house bliss, while 'Into Week Two' sees Gabriel once again blur the boundaries between Detroit techno and futurist deep house tropes.

Review: NTS listeners and electro lovers will be well-tuned into the work of Gabriola who has hosted the Magiwire show there for a full decade now. It's an exploration of all forms of electro as is this new EP, Believer. Things kick off in electric fashion with the progressive melodies and warped pads of 'Believer' before 'Inner Engineering' gets busy on zippy melodies with turbulent bass spraying about the mix. 'Winged Sun' slows things down to a precise and percolating rhythm that is run through with wires lead and alien lifeforms while 'Ultravision' is a more jacked up and visceral cut and Bliss Inc Present Equator steps up to collaborate on 'Lux' to close things down in style.

Review: Jorge Gamarra's 'Exercise In Futility' EP is a striking exploration of sound from start to finish, showing his unique flair in the minimal and tech house genres. On Side-1, 'Rigor Samsa' sets the tone with an epic soundscape that merges futuristic and dramatic sci-fi elements. Its heavy, brooding atmosphere is both catchy and dynamic, making it a standout opener that invites listeners on an adventurous journey. Side-2 introduces 'Angular', a track infused with trance elements that create a romp into the future of techno sounds. The seamless blending of rhythms and melodies elevates the listening experience, highlighting Gamarra's ability to craft engaging soundscapes. Concluding the EP, 'Petrichor' is our favourite of the three. It delivers a stunning fusion of 80s darkwave aesthetics with techno influences, with lots of emotional atmospheric and depth with rich textures, evoking a nostalgic yet fresh vibe. All in all, a masterful record.

Review: Rumors chief Guy Gerber teams up with Innervisions co-head Dixon for the life-affirming dancefloor drama of 'No Distance' with its Afro and futurist deep house elements creating for an altogether epic experience that you'll be sure to encounter in a club this year - if they ever reopen. On the flip, Leipzig's Martin Enke, better known for his work as Llewellyn on local label Riotvan, serves up a dreamy rendition under his alias Lake People. This version of the track is so immersive and complex, it will draw you deep into the ether.

Review: The Fourier Transform label outlay an arresting sonic journey on their debut release, bringing together breakbeat, ambient IDM, ambient techno, and prog house under a single banner. Opening with Inkipak's 'Betwixt', we're met with sonorous low-mid square waves and machine-gun-fire breaks, recalling the breathtaking, verging on apocalyptic expanse of a warehouse rave turned laser light show turned warzone. We break from this warring weir with 'Omnicron Acid' and 'City Of Tomorrow' by Gimmik and Brian Kage respectively, which lowers the intensity and sonic flow via spacious atmospheres and dudding percussive pops. Finally, the perfect fusion of the former two moods is achieved on 'Corrosive Tongue', the lead synth on which sounds like just that.

Review: Berlin's Exit Strategy began their 12"s game releasing EPs in browned sleeves, shortly before branching out into digital-vinyl combo releases with original artwork in the 2020s. Now with over ten years of experience under their belts, they welcome five new artists for a playful bricolage in deep and minimal techno, privileging elite, razor-sharp additive sound design and future-soulful vocal tasters. Ivory's opener 'Rain' epitomises this, while Jimi Jules squelchifies the same formula, and Aera's 'Future Holdings' rolls out the same logic to its ultimate conclusion, veering towards complex, 3D-graphic melodic techno composed entirely of climbing saws.

Review: South African producer and Atjazz label staple Jullian Gomes makes a move away from his regular home to drop this new album Bruno & The Birds on World Without End. It is an adventurous one that gets well beyond the dance floor and comes with plenty of meaningful melodic hooks and well-crafted songs. Guess help bring some fresh vocal charm to his pure beats and crystalline synths with 'How?' (feat Sabrina Chyld - edit) being a highlight. Future house, soulful house, pop house, call it what you will, this is a refreshingly new school take on the age-old sound and one that shows there is plenty of life in the form yet.