Chez Damier presents a new compilation of deep house tracks called Purpose By Design, on Balance Music. This is the first part with tracks by Miruga, Brawther, Introspective and a remix by Matthew Bandy for GMS.
deep house
Soul 223 – Eastern Promise [BOE019]
The last release of the year reveals a significant capture for Boe in the form of Soul 223. “Eastern Promise” is a fine balanced EP covering deep sample based jams, spacey disco grooves and sunshine laden strings. “Age Of Peace” is a quirky cut with loose shakers and light percussion over a slap bass and soft warm chords. It’s topped off with some crazy synth FX lead work to round into something reminiscent of Herbert and Moodymann combined. “Wide Open Spaces” is well textured and deep. A gorgeously put together bassline, sweeping chords cushioned by cavernous reverb and crunchy disco beats make this a real late night groover. On the flip side, “Hand In Hand” is an instant Balearic classic with loose drums and a string pattern drenched in sunshine and golden sand. The strings sweep in and out as subtle voice samples add depth to the harmony. “In Motion” is a simple but incredible catchy rolling groover. It’s relentless bongo pattern and snappy snares and kick are infections to the core as the drums roll on and the sweeping chord stabs come in. The EP finishes off with the “Hand In Hand” (Reprise), using the same strings as its parent cut but with more FX to make it a great DJ tool.
FNM – Blue [STBB002]
Captain Filippo Naughty Moscatello cruising again. Close to his recent success with Verde, the Ambassador of Italian House delivers a high-grade next release on Save The Black Beauty in collaboration with Moodmusic Records. “BLU” is the second part of a life cycle trilogy. Steve Bug and Daniel Dexter give their signature on this with a combo Remix.
Jamie L – (What We Saw) In The Burg [PAPERVINYL008]
Paper Recordings continue their journey back to plastic with another vinyl release. Jamie L is a mysterious figure of undisclosed origin and history who fits in to the Moodyman / Theo Parrish mold of heavy future disco; which his new production ‘(What We Saw) In The Burg’ nails. It’s a heavy leftfield groove laid over broken house beats with a filtered bass, samples and leftfield vibe. The Detroit pad creeps up to the break and filters in and out as the track works it’s way through for locked down dance floor business. Next up, Havana Candy breaks out the analogue and takes things deeper and techier. With a rolling bass and tweaking acid line, it cuts to a Rhodes before filtering down and riding back to the heads down groove. Cottam steps up for Paper for the first time and demonstrates what all the fuss is about with a very special mix. Clocking in at 9.41 it’s deep, tough soulful house that crosses the 4/4 divide from techno to disco and deep house to soul.
Christopher Rau – Two [SMALLVILLELP006]
Hamburg’s Smallville who now are about to release Christopher Rau’s second album “Two”. Well known for his minimalistic choice of ingredients Christoper Rau somehow frees himself of any straight format. Songs full of sweetness, a glimpse of soul here, a detroit electro influence there, broken beats, breaks that are no breaks, sexyness and funk and fun. The City of Christopher Rau’s music turns into a Universe. A world that believes in that particular moment when a minute turns into life. Where you will dive through the surface of beat, bass and sample – something underneath grows to the unreachable. As you reach that overwhelming feeling, the night could last forever. After the essentials of House Music have been invented some 25 years ago, Christopher Rau proves again how far we still can go searching for the perfectly wonderful track.
Vakula & Dusty Baron – Leleka 4 [LELEKA004]
Dusty Baron aka Latecomer may be a recent arrival on the scene, but he plays like a true veteran. A mysterious export from the around same eastern latitudes as label boss Vakula, their music sounds just as rooted in the post Soviet Russian landscape as it is in the post industrial North America which gave rise to all the soul and machine funk that is the driving inspiration for so many of today’s roots conscious electronic artists. Vakula takes the controls on Side A with dubwise and exotic production skills whilst Side B showcases The Baron’s heavy heavy chops, with drum programming as deft as his keys work, and a sound which is equal parts earthly and heavenly. Sides C & D (on bonus 7”) see V step up to offer two takes on Follow Shot, continuing the theme of techno tinged jazz cosmism.
Nick Simoncino – The Other Side [FS011]
Florida record hub Finale Sessions have firmly established themselves in the affections of deep house lovers in their two years of existence to date. Simoncino steadfastly belongs in the latter camp, though his prolific nature means he has a discography comparable in size to the former category. The Other Side is the Italian’s ninth release of 2012 (including an excellent debut album) and brandishes three typical Chicago/Detroit pollinations rich in analogue texture and loose in percussive rhythm, with B Side track “Got U On My Mind” a particularly devilish execution.
Fantastic Man – Late At Night [FCR001]
Fine Choice Records is an imprint focused on releasing a series of limited 10” records for the discerning vinyl collector. The first release is by Fantastic Man and presents two modern deep house cuts.
Rafael Moraes – Modern Traditions EP [YSD045]
Live percussionist turned DJ/producer, Rafael Moraes presents intelligently blends elements of jazz, broken beat, Latin rhythms and deep house. ‘Ahead’ demonstrates his expertise and creativity in fusing different rhythms with Caribbean and Brazilian genres; intricate beats that gain momentum over a poignantly incessant piano loop and the equally yearning vocals of Andre Torquato. The heat rises ever so slightly with the thumping b line and off beat rhythms of ‘What’, yet the trance like spectrum of sounds make it an ideal track for 5 in the morning. The B side’s ‘Birth’ is equally, if not more, meditative. This tranquil and organic blend of hushed whispers and Amazonian sounds, coupled with the gradual and refined crescendo of rhythms leaves you with a sense of completion; a sense that “Modern Traditions”, Moraes’ labor of love, is finally delivered.
Joe Drive – Junopolis EP [4LUX1206]
Italian producer Joe Drive serves you his first EP for 4lux. Deep house tracks with a true analogue feel. ‘Rain Dance’ is an exquisite deep house bomb with smart TR707 drum programming, deep driving bassline and disco-ish vibes. Title song ‘Junopolis’ is dedicated to the legendary Juno synths and shows you capabilities of these machines in clever fashion. Alden Tyrell brings you the extremely deep remix for ‘Tefnut’: steady drum programming with spaced out synth filtering and dubby tape delays. This is one for the heads for sure. Joe Drives’ original is included too.
Joey Anderson – Trace A Line 092
Matt Tolfrey – Word of Mouth [LEFTCD004]
‘Word of Mouth’ is the debut album from the tireless Leftroom Records boss and producer/DJ, Matt Tolfrey. Featuring a rich selection of talent, from the relatively new such as James Teej, Jem Cooke and Kevin Knapp, to legends like Marshall Jefferson and Ya Kid K, ‘Word Of Mouth’ is a return to the feel of classic house albums of old where collaborations with vocalists, engineers and mix engineers were worn as a badge of honour. Matt Tolfrey is a fixture of modern house music that can feel a definite sense of pride over his achievements. Tolfrey’s touch in the studio is undoubted but with ‘Word of Mouth’ we’re treated to a unique insight into his influences, working methods and what makes him tick.
DJ Jus-Ed – Blaze EP [UQ046]
Egal 3 – Titlu & Incheiere [MEM011]
Memoria Recordings presents a new 12 inch by young Romanian talent Egal 3, with remixes from Hector and the Norway underground talent Terje Bakke.
Meschi – Bodytonic Podcast
Tevo Howard – Indian Summer [TTHR-DR018]
This is a collection of stripped back remixes designed for a good punch in the tonal exploitation of each individual track. The tracks are designed with bass drum emphasis for the club dj Tevo Howard.
Alison Marks – Re-Create Part 1 [BU-M019]
Bu-Mako Recordings presents part 1 of Alison Marks’ Re-Create, featuring Dubbyman and Jenifa Mayanja on the remake.
Meschi – Rural Transmissions [BOE018]
Boe presents one of the UK’s rising stars on the underground house music scene in Meschi. Meschi is also famed for his live analogue jam sets full of action and improvisation. The opening track “Walker” is a modern industrial piece, drenched in cavernous reverb and cushioned by rich bass frequencies. “Long Days” is a pumping Chicago techno cut with a smooth but punchy 808 kick and gritty fuzzy bass filling up that lower spectrum. Snappy hi hats and claps, melodic pads and strings fill up those emotive sequences taking the listener back to late 80s Chicago and loving every second. “The Ghost (vinyl only)” is a quality DJ cut in the Chicago vibe with a bouncing square bass and tight 707 percussion.
Soul 223 – Blake Hall Boogie EP [NERO022T]
Neroli release an EP by Soul 223, the new project by UK don Steve Pickton. In this ep he fuses all his influences delivering a unique mix of hip hop, house, techno and funk in his signature real phat style.
Glenn Underground – Techno Soul [NSRVINYL004]
Noble Square brings this amazing 12″ featuring two killer house tracks by Glenn Underground. The title cut is a unique composition that’s masterfully crafted around a guitar and brings tons of live energy to dancefloors. On the flip, “Ambient Jaz One” throws down another blueprint of technologic soulful house music.
