House News

Join the Dots reaches it's dirty dozen in the form of Leeds based noiseniks 'Death on the Balcony'. After a year of rather big releases, hanging out with Wolf & Lamb, Soul Clap and other assorted cool cats and playing a hectic schedule of gigs across the world that literally saw fans throwing themselves (from a ruddy great height apparently) at our boys they now contribute DOT012 to the JTDs family.Whilst being described as everything from disco, house, deep techno and any number of other pointless monikers (these are just their own descriptions we should add). Death on the Balcony have you could say come home to roost. Think of us as their crash mat, their safety harness, their bungee cord. We are going to look after them whilst they just sit back and admire the view.Whether they are moon lovers or have had an experience of being caught in a rip-tide, dragged out to sea and marooned on a dessert island with nothing but a generator, a macbook pro and a copy of Reason, lead track 'Change In The Tide' name aside, contains nothing to link it with either experience, whilst 'Far From Home' continues the marooned on a desert island theme but is actually a huge star-gazer tune, stacked with soaring vocals and kick that whilst hidden under the layers of synth action is never lost again. The B side heads further down the to the low end of the bass spectrum. Both tracks could be described as 'chugging'. 'Look To Higher Ground' would be the perfect place from which to catch sight of passing ships whilst it is also is flooded with the darker side of cosmic influences, voices flutter, riding the groove, all of which is whipped massively into shape by growling bass line. 'Visions' being the effect of sunstroke is also a piano laden bass driven throdder (as opposed to thrapper), a ton of reverb and looped vocal and yet more piano stabs. It's a choice piece of warm up gear if ever there was one.

Typical of the Berlin-based project Funkwerkstatt, the original version casually strolls along in a housey pace.

2x12" in White Vinyl! Girl Unit returns with a double EP of his most advanced material yet. In true NS style we present 6 brand new transcendental club tracks from the super-hot producer. Vinyl edition on 2 x white 12".
The Club Rez EP consists of two halves. The first is informed by lead cut "ENSEMBLE" - a mechanised Freestyle party track / robotic beach jam comprised of machine drums, Pulse bass and glossy John "Jellybean" Benitez-inspired breakdowns. The balance between pop sensibility and dancefloor bomb here is unparalleled.
"CAKE BOSS" is a bull-headed tantrum in the club. A relentless blunt stabbing lead delivers punishment as rimshots clatter and toms jack around the 4x4 kick, the whole thing saturated in tape FX.
A subway ride downtown leads to the "PLAZA", another Freestyle-influenced cut, sort of a trackier, loop-driven cousin of "Ensemble". Pro-1 horns and arping bass trade places with stripped back segments of rubbery, efficient drum funk.
The tone for the EP's second half is set on with "DOUBLE TAKE", a cantankerous track that takes some drum programming cues from the Bay Area. As the hydraulics of the intro give way to the drop, the track is engulfed in gloopy bass hits and bubbling oily globules of leads to devastating effect. At the end the track segues into what GIrl Unit describes as a preview of "Double Take 2", fading out on an unexpected sublime moment.
"REZDAY" (or Rezzurection Day), a relative of the EP's title track, is a sports action movie theme, built and reinforced for conflict. Colossal synth horns and layers of guitar synths are driven forward by extreme metal-style pedal kicks as pterodactyls scream and fireworks fizz overhead.
Finally, "CLUB REZ". The crisp digital environment is quickly filled with searing beams of trance synths, growing to an overwhelming size before dropping out to a huge 808 kick pounding the track rhythmically (hence the 'Club' in the title). "Club Rez" echoes Girl Unit's previous work, but it's executed with such light-touch restraint, the results are truly euphoric.

Kevin McKay has been producing records since the early 90s. His early work as Muzique Tropique found favour with DJs as varied as Andy Weatherall, Dubfire, Roger Sanchez and Danny Tenaglia. Recording with Omid 16B as Sixteen Souls he made "On My Mind" one of the all-time anthems at the legendary Sir Henry's in Cork. In the 00s he discovered Mylo and set up the Breastfed label going on to co-produce & mix "Destroy Rock & Roll". As the producer/programmer half of Linus Loves he was responsible for the massive club hits "The Terrace" and "Night Music". Since 2007 he has been running the Heartbeats label (home to Grum) and in 2011 he relaunched Glasgow Underground.
"The Rushes" is all about that spine-tingling, sweat-drenched moment on the dancefloor when the combination of beats, basslines and chord-changes delivers a fully-loaded smiling experience. If "Where's Molly" is asking the questions, "The Rushes" delivers the answer.
Small Pyramids is LA-based producer & dj Zach Hunsaker. Zach's debut release, the classy space-disco "I Want Blood" was one of DJ magazine's Singles of 2012. His recent tripped-out rework of Mary Epworth's "Black Doe" sparked an internet sharing spree with tastemaker sites like Mixmag, LaGaSta & Golden Scissors featuring the mix.
"The Music" is the perfect record to get the party started pool-side: warm keys, a bumpin' disco baseline and a killer vocal hook make the kind of slow-burning house record that sounds best in the sunshine.
Franky Redente is a London dj and producer. As one half of Photo 51, his remix of Romanthony's classic "The Wanderer" found its way into Seth Troxler's playlist and on to DC10's closing party dancefloor.
"What You Want" is all about the bassline. The keys shimmer hypnotically and the drums make a real impact on the system but the long, snaking baseline - part analogue funk, part piano house - delivers the real wiggle element to this dancefloor monster.

The two brothers known as Kyodai strike back, showcasing their phenomenal musical education on Local Talk.
What else to expect from a duo that gained respect from musical heavy weights like Masters At Work, Jimpster, Gilles Peterson and releases on Freerange & Nitelife.
On 'Breaking' the beats and bassline are in constant motion, building the track with suble hooks into an epic breakdown which tears the track apart and then rebuilds it even bigger.
The 90's mix is a stripped down version of the original, with "that" organ hook we all love and refuse to stop dancing too, accompanied with strings and percussion that ties the whole track together and brings back memories of a hot and sweaty sunday afternoon at Body & Soul, in the 90's!
Local Talk is talking to you!

Leon Vynehall's extremely assured debut reeks of class, evoking a time when he was probably being told by his mother what shoes to wear, instead of keeping up with day-to-day developments in underground dance music.

The three tracks present here are dark, dubby warehouse tools stripped down to their fundamentals. Both "Mauve" and "Homage" share a similar energy. They bounce along on a bed of bass, synth stabs, pianos and vocal samples which range from the lightly spoken to the soulful. Although they are both very functional, they cover an awful lot of ground. "Picture Frame" drops the tempo, and goes back a decade further in time. It's an '80s honey dripper whose bittersweet chords wouldn't sound out of place in the sets of Soul Clap or Wolf + Lamb, and whose sonic sequences have been mirrored in the work of newer artists such as Beaumont."

Support from Tazz, Melon, Roman Fluegel, Dan Curtin, Arnaud Le Texier, John Osborn, Ethyl & KRL.

second release for slapfunk!
strong ep by malin génie!
like with no.1 - 500 copies - no repress!

Keeping within the spirit of this year's Record Store Day, and the celebration of vinyl culture, Phuture Shock Musik drop an exclusive vinyl-only remix package of Mr Mageeka's 'Vintage Malarkey', featuring sensational reworks by none other than Dego; best known as one half of the legendary 4Hero - whom have long set the standard for true innovation in British electronic dance music, as well as being a veteran producer in his own right, under countless aliases and side projects such as Tek 9, 2000black and Nutmeg.

Fully Koded Chicagoians Traxx and Beau Wanzer team up for another Mutant Beat Dance release. Together they have produced arguably 'the best 80s Chicago house record NOT made in the 80s. The Mutants call it Jakbeat, inspired by the early days of house music. TIP!!!
'Let Me Go' is as intense and rhythmically inclined as they come. Naughty Wood's sparse vocals cry desperation, almost nearing insanity, which makes up for a pressure cooker like warehouse anthem.

'Rottonfunk' is another intense work out which has a killer groove and makes us wander off to the Promised Land (wherever that is).

Its delightful to hear that Chicago house music this good still gets made. Surely when it was released way back when, it would fetch top dollars on the interweb.
Authentic stuff!

A NEW PROJECT EMERGES HARNESSING THE COLLECTIVE POWERS OF A TRIO OF ARTISTS WHO ARE RIDING HIGH AT THE MOMENT ON A COLLECTIVE BASE OF SUCCESS AND PURE RAW TALENT - MAYA JANE COLES, GEORGE LEVINGS (COMMIX) AND ALEX JONES (HYPERCOLOUR, PLAYHOUSE AND MANY OTHERS.. )

AS YOU'D EXPECT FROM SUCH A HIGH CALIBRE PROJECT THE MUSIC IS NOTHING SHORT OF SUPERB - THE A SIDE IS A GLORIOUS NOD TO THE CLASSIC TECH HOUSE SOUND THAT EMERGED IN THE 90S - AN EXCITING AND VIBRANT TIME FOR HOUSE MUSIC IN GENERAL, THIS UNTITLED GEM BUMPS ALONG ON AN INFECTIOUS GROOVE WITH AN UNDERLYING GRIMINESS KEEPING THE VIBE GRINDING ALONG IN ALL THE RIGHT PLACES.

THE FLIP SIDE JUXTAPOSES THIS RAWNESS WITH A BEAUTIFUL MELANCHOLIC AND MELODICALLY FLECKED EARLY HOURS RIDE. A REAL MOOD PIECE WITH A DEFINITE SENSE OF WARMTH TO BLISS OUT THE DANCEFLOOR.

Vinyl-only Never Learnt follows up the superb Nyra 'Best Of' release with this superb two-tracker from October & Borai, who have previously teamed up for the shadowing BRSTL imprint,
October as a solo artist is currently winning many a plaudit for his unique take on house and techno, with releases on Skudge, Simple, Applepips and his own Taanstafl imprint all causing a stir.
In this release, we see two dubbed out, cosmic housers with 'Level Abstain' being a skewed peak time cut and 'Vital Ital Rub' heading for the deeper floors.
Stay tuned...

Cork based producer and DJ Shane Linehan has cut quite the impressive swathe in the first few months of 2012, anointing his own Basic Groove imprint in fine style with the swiftly sold out 12" My Initial Grooves as well as gracing Mad Mats Local Talk label with a stellar vinyl drop. Linehan returns to the controls for the second Basic Groove release with more of the same - namely deep, tracky productions notable for a crispness in percussion and rawness in texture. Lead track "Get Together" is a swaggering example of Linehan's style, with a groove formed of low set bass stabs and playful neon chords. It's complemented by the deeper sounds of "The Future" with the opening shards of dubby chords soon aided and abetted by snapping rimshot percussion, thick bass clouds and the whispered titular vocal.

Snuff Crew, the masked German duo who keep their identities hidden and look to focus all attention on the music and the dancefloor.Their debut for SCI+TEC sees us transported back to the groundbreaking days, when 707 and 303 were the backbone of this fres

Don't Be Afraid present Spargel Trax, a two part series of vinyl-only, coloured, hand-stamped 12"s designed to celebrate the dual themes of great seasonal music and great seasonal Spargel. Contributing tracks across the two 12"s are some of our favourite artists currently making house music. From established artists like Disco Nihilist, Andy Blake, Sound Species and James Duncan to up and coming artists like David Joseph from Cologne, Hodge from Bristol, Untitled-W from St. Petersburg, for whom this is the first outing on wax, and Scott Fraser from Glasgow. No clues though as to wh...

Dont Be Afraid present Spargel Trax, a two part series of vinyl-only, coloured, hand-stamped 12"s designed to celebrate the dual themes of great seasonal music and great seasonal Spargel. Contributing tracks across the two 12"

After 6 snapped up twelves including Ruben & Ra's breakthrough anthem 'Newer Shooz', their viral follow-up 'Street Machine' and the Juno chart-topping 'People' by Rayko, the West London-based Retrospective label are set to release their first long-player on May 7th.

Well, the ìdeep, raw and realî series has come to an end with volume 4, but Quintessentials
keep these lovely compilations coming. The ìthank you freaksî series is about hot tunes from
hot producers. And part 1 is offering a lot of them: Andy Ash, Uncle Deep, Chicago Damn
and Marcos Cabral! Quite essential!

SUPER limited 12 from Rob Mello's No Ears outlet.
We literally only have a handful of these
Reminiscent of classic Landshark jams, this punchy 808 led, quirky vocal House workout has all the trademark No Ears elements

UK house head Wil Maddams follows up his first release on Local Talk with possibly an even stronger EP.
Where his first EP went for a more classic jacking house sound these two tracks goes darker into cutting edge House territory, with an almost Moodymannesque feel.
The EP starts off with "Handle the change", a gospel inspired cut with a raw and slightly techy production. If you like u'r church speeches this one's for you!
The second track is an ultra deep house nugget with a strong Detroit feel that almost sounds like a production co-­-op with an old school Pepe Bradock and Theo Parrish.
Well...almost ;)

Local Talk is talking to you!

Debut record by the cloaked, shadow-lurking underground figure Xosar, pushes forth into the realm of cosmic mysticism with a new style of occult-tinged public access house music. Through the three tracks the artist touches upon elements of U.R. styled hi-tech trance, UK bleep, and lo-fi chi-town realness creating cohesive and effective dancefloor cuts. Sure to spawn the interest of infidels, non-believers, and the clinically ill.

1990. England. A revolution is building across the UK. Dilapidated warehouses and factories come to life at night. Euphoric teens defy police bans and cordons to embrace life and the dancefloor. Acid house has arrived and friends Matt (Henry Lloyd-Hughes - 'The In-Betweeners') and Dylan (Jack O'Connell - 'Skins') are at the heart of it. This is their story. Welcome to 'Weekender' - a brand new film that documents the rise of House Music and Rave culture in the UK in the late 1980's/early 90's.
To tie-in with the film's release Harmless are proud to launch 'Weekender - Soundtrack Gems + More Inspiration' - a 3 X CD deluxe package compiled by Terry Farley which contains one CD featuring the best tracks from the film, a second CD featuring further inspiration from the era and a bonus third CD which features an exclusive Terry Farley 'Weekender' continuous mix. The vinyl offering contains 3 exclusive new edits of seminal acid house anthems "Move Your Body (The House Music Anthem)" by Terry Farley & Leo Zero plus "Baby Wants To Ride" by Miles Simpson & Neville Watson.

Long time friend of Yousef and his Circus Events, DJ SNEAK steps up on Circus Recordings with two classic 'Sneak' offerings.

"COMING WITH DA SOUNDS" sees Puerto Rico's finest let rip. Clattering techno beats with an authentic trademark vibe power towards a (dare we say) 1991 rave break down. Big Synthy sounds make way for the straight up power house that our man is renowned for.

"TIME TRAVEL" A track so close to Sneak's heart, he wouldn't let anyone remix it. The groove is relentless and character warm, just like the great man himself.

On remix duties - Circus and Circus Recordings main man Yousef steps up with a slamming remix of "Coming With Da Sounds," backed by label mate Tom Flynn who takes the cut into a trackier stripped back groove with big drums and lively bass. Another great ep from Circus....

Not only is this EP Gerry Read's debut association with Delsin, but so too does it mark the launch of a new house-focussed series from the Dutch imprint.
Mysterious and 19 year old Read had quite the year in 2011. On Ramp sub-label Fourth Wave he unleashed a trilogy of EPs which toyed with a rough and ready house and techno template, sampling anything and everything and chucking it all together into sketchy yet essential tracks which made you feel, think AND dance.

RAWAX 10 INCH SERIES LIMITED 510x !!!

* WHITE VINYL 12" *
Vinyl supported by Jimpster, Moodymanc, Anna Wall, Kruse & Nürnberg, and James Johnston, Pete Gooding and Jordan Peak

Final 12" in the series with the mighty Redshape killing it one side and Fudge Fingers ending it all on a very positive note! TIP! Redshape - Flexx No need to introduce Redshape, the mysterious German producer who delivered some 21st century techno blueprints. Flexx is continuing that tradition of quality outputs, being a mid-tempo house-fused techno jam for club heads alike. Fudge Fingas - Light My Life The Prime Numbers head honcho with some subtle yet powerful string-inflected
downtempo house right here. Perfect to play out on early warm-up sets, summer nights, laidback after parties, etc, etc, etc.

played by Reboot, Tiefschwarz, Audiofly, Danny Tenaglia , Butch, Sascha Dive, Nick Curly, Steve Lawler, Lee Burridge, 2000 and One, Davide Squillace, Meat, Monika Kruse, Magda, Lauhaus, Alex Flitsch, Felipe Venegas, Robert Dietz, Anthony Collins As often in the past Cécille Records surprised with new hot talents. This one is a big release from the upcoming producer duo from UK Manchester named H2. Cécille releases four tracks on vinyl

After something of a hiatus, Manchester's Claro Intelecto is back to release his third full-length album, Reform Club, on Delsin Records in April 2012 !
Throughout his career, the man known as Mark Stewart has always created lush deep house and techno soundscapes awash with dubby undercurrents. They have previously come on Boomkat's boutique label Modern Love, whilst his recent Second Blood EP marked a Delsin debut. It was his first real outing in some time, bar the odd remix for the likes of Depeche Mode, The Black Dog and Delphic, and was well received by fans of Stewart's past work, including the likes of his stripped back Warehouse Sessions 12" series.

This new album deals in all the usual moods and textures you'd expect from Claro Intelecto... it's warm and cuddly, comforting and inviting right from the first track, despite the rough edges and well defined analogue details which pervade throughout.

Building slowly but surely, it progresses through kick driven deep house, bounces along on top of stretched out synth lines and forever keeps the mind occupied, shape shifting before your very ears like something with a life all its own. There are blissed out and sun kissed moments that look to the future right at the heart of the album, but the thing slowly rebuilds to more kinetic but just as soft-edged techno peaks flashed with acid, icy hi-hats and ambient static in the ensuing tracks.

Though the whole album is dreamy and sounds deeply submersed in some foggy subterranean world, it stays dynamic and lucid with plenty of serene melodies and celestial emotions offsetting the gently churning beat tumbles below. Like all the full length works of Stewart, Reform Club makes most sense when listened to from start to finish: getting lost in its midst is surely to be one of 2012's greatest listening pleasures.

The 'May The Funk Be With You' white label gets a full release. Gene Hunt takes a classic warehouse theme and turns it into an almost anthemic, synth laden Chicago jack release.
The 'May The Funk Be With You' white label gets a full release. Gene Hunt takes a classic
warehouse theme and turns it into an almost anthemic, synth laden Chicago jack release. Easily his
best release in years!
His Chicago buddy Theo Parrish turns it into a hypnotic eight minute long gospel-techno-jazz work
out that just sticks... and keeps getting better with every listen. Addictive stuff!
Good music is good music is good music is...

After last month's 'Boxbeater' white label release, we now have the full version available. 'Boxbeater/Warm' are two eighties recordings which were taken from reel and have been remastered and made available for your pleasure.
'Boxbeater' especially is a track that was inspired by the slam dancers who used to go wild on the
rhythm tracks Ron Hardy used to play at the Music Box. Blackout!
'Warm' is a deeper, yet fierce, house cut, which was inspired on early 'Rhythim Is Rhythim material.
Two essential 80's Chicago tracks that thankfully see full release now. Collect it now!

Dekmantel proudly presents the return of Vedomir to their imprint - with nothing less than a full length album this time. Mister Karpenko was responsible for one of the most in demand Dekmantel releases to date (Picture Of You EP), so this artist album is the next inevitable step. The Ukraine-based producer shows he's getting more mature with every release, delivering a comprehensive artist album that crosses over genres easily.

Vault Series is a cheeky little series where Rush Hour drops never before released tracks and mixes from its vaults as well as tracks which are in dire need of a re-release.
The series kicks off with an unreleased track by the mysterious Duster Valentine. An anthemic disco track that, with its catchy piano loop, pays homage to the golden days of New York house music. Music that will make you sweat!

the piano is a wonderful piano housetrack, kerri chandler smash with his remix

Gerry Read drops an exclusive 12' for RSD, propping up his Fourth Wave trilogy and Delsin EP with the tough 'Rhino' & 'All The Time'. 250 copies worldwide. Hand stamped.

Parkway is a new label Mark has set up to reflect the freedom and energy of the 80's dancefloor, albeit rewired with super 21st century sonics

'Working Girl' picks up where his incredible release on Endless Flight last year left off, shimmering synths, booming bass lines, soaring vocal samples and crisp rhythm programming
It's a beautifully uplifting groove, that's much more than the sum of its parts - dancefloor dynamite and we just can't get enough of it !

The voice of one of the most iconic dance records of all time (Daft Punk's "One More Time") is set for a resurgence of interest in 2011. Rush Hour have lined up the pick of his entire back catalogue for a wonderfully packaged retrospective look at this enigmatic artist. This combined with a desire for his ice cool vocals from the current crop of nouveau-house producers (Mark E, Tom Trago, Kraak & Smaak) has once again shifted dance music gaze on to Daft Punk's favourite vocalist.

"The Wanderer" is one of Romanthony's all-time great songs. Kompakt's Michael Mayer describes it as a "huge track, indestructible... my favourite was always the acoustic version on B2." while Spiller says, "The Wanderer is one of my top records ever. Always in my bag... That crazy intro... The rough beats with "years of pressure" sample... The pain in the vocals... Just outstanding." And its not just older heads that are in love with this track. Boys Noize is such a fan he licensed it for his Bugged Out compilation, "Suck My Deck".

But on to the remixes for 2011... Rather than compete with the "The Journeyman Thump" mix that both Spiller & Boys Noize keep in their box, Glasgow Underground have taken the vocals from Michael Mayer's favourite, the acoustic version on the Prescription Underground release (Romanthony regularly records different vocal takes for different styles). And instead of pairing them with that version's super-deep guitar groove both Rob Mello & Kevin McKay have taken the track straight on to the dance-floor. Rob delivers a Chicago-style house groove with serious bass bounce whilst Kevin offers a techier workout complete with heavy drums and a hypnotic bass & synth groove.

Photo 51 are Nico De Ceglia and Franky Redente. Nico is one half of the Hyena Stomp project with Severino (Horse Meat Disco). Here they create a low-slung bass-heavy bump that was supported by Seth Troxler @ DC10 closing (amongst other places).

Notable DJ support: Spencer Parker, Paul Woolford, Tom Flynn, Laurent Garnier, Steve Mac, Russ Chimes, Maxxi Soundsystem, Toby Tobias, Harri (Sub Club), Hernan Cattaneo, Gavin Herlihy, Ali Herron (OOFT!), Nuno Dos Santos, Stuart Patterson, Terry Farley, Fred Everything, Herve, Deetron, Luke Solomon, Joakim, Rachel Barton, Ben Watt, Lewis Dene, Jon Marsh, Charles Webster, Frank Tope, Mark E, Michael Mayer, Spiller, Neville Watson, Q Burns, Master- H, Justin McMullen (Planet of Sound), Sasse