Christopher Rau strikes back with another Smallville episode of dreams that money can buy. After a couple of diverse releases lately on Office, Dérive and Junk-Yard Collections, he proves his unique exposure to deeply diving with the machines again on Smallville. Christopher Rau’s aural works feel like an outer world’s embrace, an analog kiss from the beyond. Here it is the soundtrack made for our favorite places to escape reality: a magic club, a deepest dream.
New Home Taping artist Simba produces music that is full of soulful echoes, while still dripping in raw house music vibes. Nothing is too straight in the Simba sound as FX drift around and subtle production touches come at you from all angles. Vinyl hiss is as important as the kick drum and the overall atmosphere has that classic house music quality that can transport you instantly to another place. The Black Madonna was the one who drew attention to the rising talents of this young producer. So fittingly she delivers her own ‘Lost In Chicago’ take on the original, which delights in the track’s edginess and the wonderful release of the main hooks. All of which are given the trademark BM Chicago stamp, or should that be stomp Quality house music for the believers out there.
It may still be early days for S3A but in a short space of time he has managed to carve a niche in the sample-a-delic world of disco and funk fuelled house music, as the vocal sample attests to in the opening track on his latest EP for Hold Youth. There’s certainly no shortage of low-slung goodness to be enjoyed here, From the wistful lilt of “Those Voices” to the rougher tumbling beats of “No More Pretty” S3A has done a bang up job of reappropriating sound sources and working them to his own design, without sounding like yet another knock-off re-edit producer.
The second release on Perpetual Rhythms with 4 tracks by Chicago Skyway & DJ Mar, DCook, Taelue, and Chicagodeep. Nice advanced techno tracks that go deep.
Selected pulls together material from mostly unfamiliar names like DeepJust AQuaBeaT, Bassik Grooove and Bobby O’Donnell, alongside a couple of established heads like Ryo Murakami, Aybee (as Orion 70) and Fred P himself, whose ”N.Y. (Selected Dub),” a reshape of an old jazz tune, rounds out the compilation. ”In the early days it was difficult to afford more than one or two records—I would buy compilations because the value was greater and I was exposed to artist that I might not have known about otherwise,” he says. ”When I think of compilations I think of Mix The Vibe, Soul Of Science, Trust The DJ and of course DJ-Kicks. I learned a great deal from these series over the years and developed my own ideas based on what I love to hear—thus Selected was born.” Released Soul People Music’s new sub-label, Boards.
Rick Wade say “Four new dynamite tracks ready to clear up all this confusion on what deep really means. I call this release, Defining Deep.”
Italian DJ & Producer who relocated in Dublin in the 90’s before coming to prominence with a series of productions for great labels like Uzuri, Osgut Ton, Million Of Moments to name a few. Now for the thirteenth release of HotMix, realizes a special EP with four Techno/Hypnotic tracks highest level.
Andy Ash appears on French label Dessous for the first time with an energetic three-track 12″. Cast your mind back to some of the 6th Borough Project’s early releases and you’ll have an idea of the low-slung, Chicago house that have inspired this release’s title-track. The BPM ranged is scaled on the B-side’s killer cut “Mindflow” for something dancier, while a combination of the elements heard throughout the aforementioned mixes, with some added acid, create a joyous “Release & Check (part 1)”.
Kuba Sojka is a rising techno and house producer from Poland who’s picked up critical acclaim in recent years for his releases on Mathematics, Matrix Records, Souliner and more recently Dogmatik. Kuba returns to fledging deep tech UK based label Souliner with three original cuts and one remix by label boss Souliner. The lead cut “What You Know” is an exemplary lesson in cross referencing techno with house. The track builds with layers of sounds bonding with each other to breeze into a track that will pick up much critical acclaim for those in the know. “Sunny Day” is a bright and breezy fusion of horn with technology, a jazzed up be-bop bomb. “Long Trip” takes us through a journey with incessant chords jamming along with a rolling bassline. “What You Know (Souliner remix)” finishes the release off with a steady interpretation of the lead cut.
New release by Phillip Lauer on Running Back imprint. Post-house-proto-disco-trance rockets fuelled by new wave and sound transmissions from middle-wave Caucasus.
Beautiful deep house by label boss Tyson Ballard. Tyson has covered all grounds on his latest Ep – ‘Feel Like I Feel’. “Charges” begins the experience as a slow jam with the essence of Uku Kuut or Moon B. The title track is an euphoric journey of lost love with long time friend Sheff providing hypnotic vocals and Linkwood giving his master stroke on the Rhodes, creating a highly charged emotionally intense atmosphere. “All Night” starts gearing towards the early morning hours vibe following into “All day” which rounds out the EP with a perfect powerhouse.
The debut release on new label Home Of House. This recalls old school memories to bring you back another time, with devotion, to the real sound of early 90s without any stylistic compromise.
Owen Jay’s Batti Batti label continues to make steps into the physical realm, with their fifth 12″ release another split artists offering. Anyone with a firm grasp of contemporary deep house will recognise Deymare’s name and that should be enough to draw you into a record filled with redeeming production qualities. The Finnish producer opens proceedings with “Episode 2” a rippling and crisp house cut that sets the tone nicely. Label boss Owen Jay crosses swords with regular production partner and compatriot Melchior Sultana for “Moog Mood,” a wonderfully laid back saunter through musically rich house music and it must be said a subtly devilish bassline that no doubt informed the title. Those who always look for some B Side magic will find much to savour in Saverio Celestri and MP’s respective contributions with the latter’s “Tension” a wonderfully lopsided slab of punch drunk beat down.
The Capsule EP contains 2 exclusive remixes by Dubbyman from tracks by Jersey Real Estate feat. Jovonn and Ex Ffriendly feat Rich Medina.
“When we selected music for Cuthead’s Everlasting Sunday LP we had to leave out several great tracks due to the limited space on the record. So Cuthead decided to give it away for free as digital only album via our bandcamp site. Enjoy!”
2nd release from the Unknown Season label comes from Detroit’s Rick wade, delivering three warm tracks with strong jazzfunk leanings.
The machines definitely rule the roost in the world of Moniker aka Kenneth Scott & Emilio Orlandi, but unlike so much of the current obsession with analogue noise and the lo-fi aesthetic, Scott and Orlandi instead coax heartfelt emotion and hand-crafted grooves from an array of beat boxes and synthesisers without making any self-conscious moves to demonstrate how ʻun- digitalʼ they are. Instead, the music takes priority, coming forth in soothing waves of harmonious chords, captivating leads and understated drums that speak…
The Hipodrome Of Music 