Greek producer laces up 4 tracks that combine textures, pads, rhythms, & arrangements that to feel deep within your belly button. The term House has undergone many changes, but always music that resonates with a listener’s soul.
deep house
Franck Roger – #4 [HI004]
Home Invasion is the label from Real Tone man Franck Roger, a man whose career has scaled the full depths of house music over the past decade or so. Evidently seeking a new challenge, the Parisian’s new imprint promises to adhere to a vehemently underground way of working, with every EP released on vinyl-only terms and produced exclusively on analogue equipment.
ASOK – Hunter EP [SCN006]
Scenery label boss ASOK steps up with the next release, and that it comes with a remix from Dutchman Boris Bunnik in his Versalife guise is the icing on the cake. This is heady and original dance music from Scenery that continues the motion that has been set with the first few releases.
John Barera & Will Martin – Graceless [DOLLY020]
Boston based production duo and room-mates John Barera & Will Martin continue their journey into sculptural, storytelling House music, with their debut album on Dolly – ‘ Graceless’. The pair’s work has found a wider audience since the success of ‘Reality’, which found its way into the hands of Berlin’s Steffi, and acted as a central gear and in her 2013 Panorama 05 Mix. John Barera has been a firm disciple of the House and Techno world for the past 10 years, and after launching Supply Records in 2011 has brought an elegant, resoundingly universal mixture of underground club tracks to the fore. A fresh and fruitful partnership with close friend Will Martin grew out of the pair’s rapidly growing studio, and the latest results can be found here over the 8 cool, classy and refined contemporary House tracks.
Community Corporation – Aquifer EP [ARGOT011]
Experimental house and techno producer Community Corporation joins the Argot family. Predictably, pinning down the sound of Aquifier is tricky. Contrast, for example, the dub-influenced deep house looseness of “Sunken Water Table” – all tumbling keys and strange noises – with the clanking rhythms, mutant bass and ghetto-tech inspired swing of “Crystalis”. “Patent Lies” and the more Detroit-influenced “Subterranean Limestone”, meanwhile, sound like a tougher, more out-there take on the heady sound of the Mood Hut and Future Times camps.
KDJ / Rick Wade – Moods And Grooves Classics Vol. 4 [MG049]
The fourth installment of the classics series features two of the label’s most successful artists Kenny Dixon Jr. and Rick Wade. KDJ’s untitled tracks were previously issued as a limited pressing so here’s your chance to get one if you missed out the first time. Longtime and well respected deep house soldier Rick Wade is featured on the flip side with two classic deep house offerings from his first appearance on Moods & Grooves.
Vlad Caia – Codex EP [AMP007]
It’s been a little while since a fresh injection of refined minimal techno was issued from Vlad Caia, but now the Romanian stalwart is back with a fresh pair of subtle gems for Amphibia, with whom he dropped the Projections EP back in 2012. “Voluspa” is a cyclical workhorse powered by undulating bass synths and swirling pads with a decidedly cosmic flavour to them, working just enough dubby flourishes into the mix to keep things fluid and warm. “Behind The Black Meadow” by contrast takes a slender funk to task with the finest slithers of percussion and a yearning line in melodics as expressed through heavy doses of filtering for a truly subconscious slice of micro house.
STL – Sound Transmission [SOMETHING026]
The latest Sound Transmission from Stephan Laubner under his STL project alias comes in shape of a 12 inch vinyl for likeminded people who are interested in the d-i-y sound research of the Something records audio sense facility.
Scott Ferguson – Keep It Deep Podcast 010
Joey Anderson / Nicuri – Spectrum EP [STH001]
Sound Theory is a brand new label from Exchange Place DJ/producer Nicuri. Here, he handles B-side duties, with pal Joey Anderson stretching out on the A. Given the standard of his debut LP, it’s little surprise to see Anderson impressing here, with the deep acid of “My Cassetts” providing a pungent blend of undulating 303 lines, sparse pads, occasional starburst electronics and cymbal-driven percussion. Nicuri toughens things up on the flip, dropping a pair of tracks that revolve around heavily compressed drums, hustling rhythms and vintage techno electronics.
Anaxander – An Orderly Life EP [NUDES006]
Tasteful Nudes welcomes prolific French producer Anaxander to the fold for our sixth release, An Orderly Life. At turns dark and thumping, melodic and melancholic, and hypnotically whirling, each track finds Anaxander expanding on American dance music influences to create something wholly his own.
Jacob Stoy – Teilstuck [UV023]
“Teilstueck” (German for part or segment) is the next excerpt of Jacob Stoy’s ongoing attempt to translate his surroundings into music. It’s his second EP for Uncanny Valley and is even more multifaceted than his debut “Redenswart” from 2012. With “OMG” you’ll get the feeling that something sublime will happen right from the beginning. It’s one of those tracks whereby time stands still until a mighty synth-line unfolds in all its glory. “CFM” comes in the same musical vein with a similar and slightly melancholic bass-synth dominating the drumming. By far more cheerful is “MKM”. Based on a catchy bass line foundation, Jacob Stoy showcases wonderful synth-effects and sound with the beautifully oscillated pad making the cut. This is House music for machine lovers. The flipside starts with “HIM” and probably the most floor-friendly track on the record. The slowly but steadily rising organ chords prepare things and when the carefully targeted percussion elements come in, it feels like summer will never end. In contrast, “QFL” lives from its mysterious atmosphere and is very good example for Jacob Stoy’s preference to use Electronica-like sounds for his House Music. The record is rounded up with “HHM” and a little nod towards past times when he used to play in a Jazz band. With its Delay effects, a fuzzy guitar and a great bass melody it’s not far away from Krautrock either.
Bok Bok & Tom Trago – Need This [NV004]
Bok & Trago are back with another 12” of deeply textured, hypnotic House music. This time taking a melodic approach on the A-side main mix of ”Need This”, the London-Amsterdam duo borrow and flips motifs from a classic. ‘Need This (Radio Mix)’ is a piece of slow-burning deep-tech, helicopter blade arps hovering over epic FM bassline and churning percussive guts. A well-deserved melodic reveal at 4 minutes gives way to plenty of weightless beats to keep DJs busy on the loop button – blending perfection ensured. On the flip, the 12” mix strips out the melodies and turns up the percussive heat. The results are a sweltering dub strictly for the dancers, a meandering trip through the jungle, flanged helicopters drawing closer.
VA – Jujiro EP [RHR006]
Rough House Rosie dedicates the sixth release to its Japanese listeners with a four track compilation from four different Japanese producers. Legendary Takayuki Shiraishi (aka Planetoid) releases a track ‘Nightfall’ which was first out in 2002 on a CD ‘Slow Shoutin”. He is teamed up with Mitsuaki Komamura renowned for his unique sound on record label Weedis. Miruga (Ethereal Sound / Badance) delivers a strong deep track on B1, while Mahal has his debut with a catchy bass driven tune as a final track of the EP.
Jacques Bon – Two Hearts [SMALLVILLE039]
In addition to the odd collaboration with Chrissy Rau and Nicolas Villebrun, the wonderfully named Jacques Bon is a long term affiliate of Smallville Records, holding things down in Paris for the Hamburg operation. Having contributed a rather tasty lopsided jacker to the label’s Thirtyfive Ways compilation last year, afull EP for Smallville is long overdue and the four tracks on this Two Hearts 12″ will leave fans of the Hamburg operation wanting much more. Bon can do dreamy and sumptuous, as on opening track “Jasmine’s Dream,” or deep and contemplative (“Sunday Evening”) whilst the B Side demonstrates the Parisian is fully geared to produce tracks calibrated for mid set detonation. “The Sails” is as perfect an example of musically rich gliding deep house as you will find right now.
Roots Panorama – Mars [CHARACTER001]
The first record of Deetron’s new label finds him teaming up with Ripperton under their rarely seen Roots Panorama moniker.
Borrowed Identity – Feeling Blue EP [HOMETAPING019]
By all accounts Romanian producer Borrowed Identity is having a splendid 2014. Currently based in Berlin taking political refuge from his homeland, the producer has already racked up strong 12″ releases. This 12″ for the evergreen Hometaping is Killing Music label shows how diverse Borrowed Identity’s range can be, dipping into similar sample laden territory to MCDE with sublime results. It’s apparent from the off with “Feeling Blue” centred around a lovely chord refrain that hooks you as soon as it drops, whilst “Nation Under A Groove” nudges the tempo up a few notches before the mood eases back down with the pair of beatdown burners on the flip. Strong four track EP with some solid sample driven tracks. Effective and tasteful house music.
Midnightopera – Five [RHYTHM009]
Not the usual Bio Rhythm release… as far as they have any usual releases at all. Recently the label accidentally came across this lost treasure by Midnightopera (Workshop) and signed in at the spot. Produced in 2007, ‘Five’ is an epic 12 minute journey straight into downtempo/deephouse walhalla, making your sunday morning seem to last forever. The 2010 rework is delivered by bad boy Roger 23, diving into even deeper territories and adding some psychedelic elements to make it safely through the other side and back. Sunrise over Riegelsberg.
Bantam Lions – Recollections EP [SCN005]
Liverpool-based producer Bantam Lions returns with his third 12” for the Scenery Records label. Lead cut ”Recollections” is particularly good, delivering a deep and attractive fusion of fuzzy analogue warm, dreamy melodies and intoxicating chords. He ups the tempo further on ”Many Years Later”. Which layers dubbed-out chords and swirling textures over an energy-packed techno groove. The accompanying remixes are pretty tasty, too, with The Cyclist particularly impressing with his Detroit techno-goes-lo-fi interpretation of ”Recollections”. That said, the dreamy, new age-influenced downtempo take from Mood Hut regular Cloudface is pretty darn good, too.
The Hipodrome Of Music 