This is a collection of House tracks spanning the last 15 years of the L.I.E.S. label. As the catalog touches upon numerous genres, L.I.E.S. makes the heavy lifting easy and gives fans, old and new, a focused sampling of some of their favorite and maybe even overlooked House tracks from over the years. From mega hits to forgetten classics here are 20 tracks for you to play on the floor.
This is PAY WHAT YOU WANT for the this week, so be quick!
We start presenting our favorite tracks from 2024. More or less in a chronological order we present here the eight set of tracks.
Step into the realm of legends with the extraordinary “This Thing EP” by Lukas Lyrestam & Simoncino featuring the iconic Robert Owens and remixes by legendary Mr. Fingers and Chez Damier. A convergence of past and future legends, this EP is a testament to the timeless magic of house music. Lukas Lyrestam & Simoncino’s original creation, “This Thing,” featuring the soulful vocals of Robert Owens, sets the stage for a sonic journey. Mr Fingers and Chez Damier, two of the most revered names in the game, lend their remixing prowess to elevate “This Thing” to new heights. The result is an EP that captures the essence of both classic and contemporary sounds, a true testament to the enduring legacy of these musical giants.
The Italian producer Simoncino is back on Skylax Records. You already know his ability to create sounds that are deeply imbued with the Chicago sound, you sometimes might think you ‘re hearing some lost gems from the great Armando. In short, no need to add more, this item is essential for any normally constituted dj. The release comes with a remix featuring the great Larry Heard aka Mr Fingers.
Originally released early last decade, Simoncino’s four-part The Warrior Dance series boasted a mix of inspired original productions and superb remixes. This 12″ contains four of the best remixes, all of which first appeared between 2010 and 2012. Ron Trent’s EP-opening revision of ‘The Warrior Dance’ is little less than analogue deep house perfection – all sparse drum machine beats, bittersweet chords, sci-fi synth sounds and the producer’s usual emotive piano motifs – while Gene Hunt’s take on ‘Do It Again’ is hypnotic, bass-heavy and reminiscent of Larry Heard’s most bittersweet early works. Merwyn of Virgo Four drops two takes on ‘Mystery Girl’: a raw, analogue-rich deep house main mix, and a sparse, jacking and groove-based Dub.
Second time around for Chez Damier’s superb remixes of Simoncino classic ‘Inga’s Creme’, which first surfaced way back in 2011 as part of The Warrior Dance Part 2 mini-album. On the A-side you’ll find Damier’s ‘Club Mix’ – a superb chunk of Prescription style peak-time deepness in which hazy, echoing synth sounds, ultra-deep pads and echoing spoken word snippets cluster around a locked-in, late-night groove. Side B opens with Damier’s ‘Morning After Mix Part 1’, an even deeper and more dubbed-out interpretation tailor-made for misty-eyed sunrise sessions. It’s followed by the ‘Morning After Mix Part 2’, a previously unreleased ambient house style interpretation built around gorgeous chords, bubbly melodies and slowly building percussion.
Given that Nick Anthony Simoncino’s take on house has always been nostalgic and retro-futurist in nature, frequently paying tribute to the ’80s and ’90s work of key American producers, it seems fitting that his latest 12″ boasts rubs of catalogue tracks from two deep house icons, Larry Heard and Ron Trent.
Simoncino is back again on Skylax with the volume 2 of the Resurrection series. The made in Perugia prodigy delivers once again 3 titles paying homage to the sound of Chicago, the fabulous triplet lost tape 1, 2 & 3. On A1, the aptly named Lost tape 1 us leads into the meanders of the jungle house in direct tribute to the great marshall Jefferson all sprinkled with some ”detroit” sauce, this peaktime track will delight the most humid and demanding dancefloors. Lost tape 2 is more airy with these sparkling bells and its bass that lifts your guts, mental we tell you ! A bit as if paris gray was remixed in a hovering dub version. On lost tape 3, it is clearly the quintessence of the spirit of simoncino, his genius. This way of creating a universe that is both a tribute to the original chicago house and the italian dream house straight from the 90s. Completely trippy. And cherry on the cake on B2, we have a remix of the now classic ”on the dancefloor”, a title created in collaboration with Merwyn Sanders from Virgo Four (Chicago), from Detroit legend : Marcellus Pittmann ! 9 mn of pure madness. The Detroit – Chicago axis has never been so obvious. A must. Comes out on clear vinyl. Note that on the label’s bandcamp, with the purchase of the vinyl, you can get 1 exclusive bonus track (& what a track !) : Simoncino & Merwyn Sanders of Virgo Four ”On The Dance Floor” (Marcellus Pittman smooth remix).
The Makossa Man is back after a hiatus of 18 years with timeless cover versions from Simoncino, F.T.G, Groove Boys Project & Carlos Nilmmns.
The Chicago Master Ron Trent re-interpreted Nick Anthony Simoncinio’s ”Jungle Dreams”, formerly out on Mathematics in 2013.
2020 was a tough year for almost everyone and definitely a year to forget for our scene. Events and gigs canceled, venues closed, artists lacking a way to earn a decent living and club culture facing a threat like never before.
In the midst of these events were several people / organizations who tried to ease the pain, offering out some comfort by releasing music to people for free or by pay as you want download. This was always done, but this year I noticed that more and more artists are doing this.
Here is a selection of albums and compilations I came across this year and that I think is worth mentioning again.
“Here’s a free compilation to celebrate our 20th birthday, which fittingly falls right in the middle of the biggest crises the world has faced this century. This is not a retrospective, in times like these it important to look to the future. It features exclusive tracks by label mainstays and some up and coming artists from the West Coast and beyond. Up to you to figure out which is which.”
Chicago house and Detroit techno devotee Simoncino is a master of authentic analogue wizardry. The HotMix Records boss joins the dots between the past and the future with his deep and dreamlike tracks and put out an album on Creme Organization back in 2015, and has remained hugely prolific ever the years. Here he explores a full range of sounds, starting with the slow and mysterious deep house of Housetime, which has beautiful synth patterns unfolding throughout. Two mixes of It Up explore ambient with a pained vocal loop and rubbery bass, and a loose and cosmic dub house cut that Larry Heard would love. On the flip, the roomy Tribu has dreamy Italo bird calls and glistening synths paired with punchy rubber kicks that set your mind wandering and Una Notte Con Michelle is expansive deep house with drums that march, tinkling bells and a squelchy bassline that is perfect for the intimate back rooms. Digi bonus Timezones rounds things out with smoky and atmospheric deep house that is filled with deft little details that occupy your mind as much as your feet.
Over the course of their last two release, Love Notes has brought back the two artists that made their first release such an instant classic; first, Casey Tucker, and now; Simoncino, whose remix of Tucker’s Affirmative Action helped to launch Love Notes onto our collective radar. Simoncino herein does what he does oh-so-well, his unwavering nod (and maybe even slight obsession) to that which came before him permeating all three tracks here. Love Note impressively shows no signs of slowing down; three years after their inception, Nathaniel Jat’s imprint is closing in quickly on the 20 release milestone without even a momentary dip in quality.
Simoncino returns to UTTU with 4 synth led electronix cuts – super deep introspective techno & house.
Having previously appeared on Vibraphone with the Isole Del Tramonto 12″ back in 2016, Nick Anthony Simoncino returns to the perennial Italian deep house label with a full album, his fourth following previous turns on Thug, Mathematic and Creme Organization. As you would expect, Mystic Adventures is a masterclass of classic drum machines and synthesisers, loaded with the passion and mystery that Simoncino has always managed to imbue his music with. The highlights are too many to list – if you’re familiar with his other work, then Simoncino has everything you need on this LP. If you’re not already wise, these nine new tracks are a wonderful introduction.
Chiwax & Rawax present the first ”Split EP”. For the Chiwax side it will be the Chicago Master Boo Williams and for the Rawax side it’s the amazing Simoncino.
Italian artist Nick Anthony Simoncino alongside his best friend Giulio return to Thug Records with a stunning 12”. Driven by dark drums and harmonized by humid synthesizers this record is made for the intensity of the club floor.
London/Lisbon label Release/Sustain start the year as they mean to go on. Presenting a 4 track various artists 12” titled “Nightfall & Other Stories”. Opening proceedings on A1 is Vakula, a regular at the Release/Sustain ‘Conclave’ parties and part of the RS family. His offering, “809”, is a percussive drum tool trip of a track, with sporadic raw percussion shooting shining across a positively minimalist backing. For A2, we see Italian stalwart of underground dance music Simoncino. Obscure sample work, and a repeating line ‘I can use a friend’, twist and turn over rugged, thumping, functional drums and bass. Furthering the quality of this standout 12” is Chicago house music pioneer Vincent Floyd. Rich in melody and familiar classic house sounds, Reggie’s soft jacking house sound bring a silky smooth, North American touch to a previously rugged, European 12 slab of wax.
Paolo Iocca debuts with two crafty and iridescent House anthems plus two superb remixes by Nick Anthony Simoncino.
The Hipodrome Of Music 