Kai Alce – Sunday Transit [POEM001]

Detroit house hero Kai Alce inaugurates People Of Earth with a stellar EP showcasing his knack for the most soulful of modern, Motor City deep house. First up “Quiet Revenge” has that classic Three Chairs kind of vibe; all soulful deepness that this circle and their extended cast of peers have the knack for, complete with smooth Rhodes piano and dusty rhythms. On the flip “Sunday Transit” is a more straight up deep house jam with female vocals shouting out the lowdown loud and clear; wicked groove on this one. The dub version of this surpasses the vocal for those less keen, but why would you.

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Kai Alce – Sunday Transit [POEM001]

Natan H – Lignes EP [FS029]

Finale Sessions presents this release by Natan H hailing from the “City Of Angels”. The track “Lignes” with its melodic pads and its wavering synths make for a late night beauty. Track 2, “O (Phase)” is another late night stomper with moving chords and melodic drum patterns that keep it a smooth sounding piece. The dub techno song “Invariant” (Feat.Jordan) is floor filler for sure with its heavy laden pads and synths and its monstrous sounds.

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Natan H – Lignes EP [FS029]

60 Miles – 60 Miles 01 [60MLS001]

60 Miles are John Daly and Cian Frawley aka Frawl. They got together in the studio after one of the infamous Backwards parties in Limerick and 60 miles was born. It arrived fully formed. Label, live act and mindset. They cut their tracks in the moment. 2 self contained setups, no sync between them. No going back. Drums. Jazz. Techno Soul.

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60 Miles – 60 Miles 01 [60MLS001]

Rick Wade – Storng Arm [RYMD002]

WADE, Rick - Strong Arm EP

Detroit legend Rick Wade is back with a nice new EP on Rymd. First up “Strong Arm” is the kind of real proper deep house that is often imitated but hardly matched. From the unmistakable knack of its groove to its swirling and mesmerising Rhodes in the foreground. “Funkopolis” gets deeper and as the name suggests has a totally killer bassline and just generally awesome soul goodness going on. Proper Detroit style representing here. Italians Deep 88 and Emotion (Ignacio) turn in some surprisingly good remixes on the flip that do their job well by not deviating too much from the originals and reworking the grooves into decent alternate versions.

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Rick Wade – Storng Arm [RYMD002]

O.B. Ignitt & Omar-S – The 90s Evolution Of What it Was [OBONIT003]

Some three years on from their last collaborative outing – the Wayne County Hill Cops (Part 2) 12″ on FXHE – Detroit producers O.B Ignitt and Omar-S join forces for another trip into Motor City deep house territory. They wisely explore different moods and approaches throughout, starting with the fluid, dreamy hypnotism of “Seem Like You’re All Ready” – an exercise in luscious loops and dusty drum machine grooves. There’s a lovely early ’90s bounce to the evocative synth bass, classic riffs and cut-up vocal snippets of “Follow Me”, while closer “Hold The Line” owes much of its’ instinctive power to a deliciously rubbery acid bassline and vintage US garage drums.

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O.B. Ignitt & Omar-S – The 90s Evolution Of What it Was [OBONIT003]

2000Black – Make It Hard [RHM015]

Dego, Akwasi Mensah and Kaidi Tatham’s 2000 Black project is back with three timeless pieces that blend the group’s love for soulful futuristic beats and organic instrumentation beautifully. Firing on many levels and sure to tear up a floor or two this summer. To most headz, the producers behind 2000black need no real introduction. Initially inspired by breakbeat, house and techno, 4heros Dego has been constantly moving since the early nineties, enriching the drum & bass, soul and London boogie scene in his own unique way.

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2000Black – Make It Hard [RHM015]

Generation Next – Ender [7DAYSGN1003]

Coming off his last record, ‘Nocturne’, Generation Next shows us that he has no plans in slowing down. Even though his last EP was impressive, ‘Ender’ just shows us how much this producer has evolved.

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Generation Next – Ender [7DAYSGN1003]

Spirit Of The Black 808 – Invasion Of The Black Bass [SOTCSB801]

For the first reference, Sounds of The City welcomes the mysterious Spirit Of The Black 808. Invasion Of The Black Bass it’s warm in every way and infectious. Both tracks share the same chords grid, one could be a re-interpretation of the other. Both are very warm and melodic. Frenzy In Firenze on the other side demonstrates SB8’s skills for groovy tools and more DJ oriented tunes.

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Spirit Of The Black 808 – Invasion Of The Black Bass [SOTCSB801]

John Shima – Prototype EP [BOE027]

John Shima is making waves with his fresh approach to that classic Detroit sound. His contribution for Boe is nothing short of a stunning representation of underground electronic music. ‘Prototype’ is a sonic ode to industry: blueprinted in the motor city and forged in Sheffield. It’s heads down for the dance floor with shimmering metallic overtones and a side order of robot jack.

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John Shima – Prototype EP [BOE027]

Patrice Scott – Euphonium: The album [SISLP001]

Patrice Scott presents his first full length artist album: Euphonium, The Album. Encapsulating the essence of the Sistrum sound, Euphonium, The Album sees Patrice offering up 9 tracks cut from the same cloth as his previous work for the label – sublime and evolved with depth and authenticity as only he can convey. Without a doubt, it is the modern sound of deepest Detroit.

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Patrice Scott – Euphonium: The album [SISLP001]

Big Strick – Simple Pleasures [7DAYS1012]

Big Strick can usually be relied upon to deliver solid, soul-flecked deep house with that distinctive Detroit touch. That’s certainly what he delivers on Simple Pleasures, the latest 12″ for his 7 Days Entertainment imprint. There’s a lovely warmth and sun-kissed fluidity to bongo-laden opener “Ghetto Man”, whose enduring appeal is partly based on the delicious melodiousness of Strick’s hazy electronic pianos. “Don’t Wait Up” successfully riffs on a similar theme, before “48 Hours” displays the veteran Detroiter’s skills with dense percussion and ocean-deep chords. Best of all, though, is the dreamy beatdown of “Illuminated”, whose thicket drum machine beats and glassy-eyed pads are particularly memorable.

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Big Strick – Simple Pleasures [7DAYS1012]