FEATURED RELEASE
Despite a more than solid record of releases on Planet E and Cadenza, Chris Spero a.k.a. Glimpse has not quite received the amount of attention as some of his label-mates. If our instincts are to be trusted, this is quickly going to change however with the release of his debut album 'Runner'.
Appearing on Damian Lazarus' expertly curated Crosstown Rebels imprint, 'Runner' is an ambitious, almost universal house album. It embraces the old and the new, links back modern European house styles to their classic US roots, and reflects both the introspective and hedonistic sides of house music.
'Runner's influences are diverse and range from Caribbean marimba jams on the opening 'Walk Tall' to opulent ambient electronica on the album's final track 'Train In Austria'. Yet Glimpse manages to maintain a signature handwriting throughout, skilfully employing echoing vocals, shuffling percussions and spacious chords in his atmospheric tracks.
Our favourites include the thumping deep house R&B of 'If I Was A Girl', released as the album's single, and the sublime 'I Know I Show It', with its thundering claps, walking bass-line and percussive piano licks. 'Runner' is a superbly crafted album throughout however and stands highly recommended for summer listening, lounging, and - of course - dancing.
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MORE HOUSE MUSIC ESSENTIALS
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Innervisions' forth volume in their Secret Weapon series, helmed be no one other than house music legend Larry Heard with 'Deja Vu', a brilliant vocal house tearjerker. Dixon strips down Âme's 'Fiori' to its percussive essence, and Boddhi Satva and Boom Clap Bachelors round off this excellent package.
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Robag Wruhme continues his strong form with a brand new release on Circus Company, and both certainly need no introduction. 'Blech Beulé' is a dark, minimal track which sees a remix by no other than Mr. Ark who applies his magic touch that we all dig so much.
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EP released 10-05-2010 on Yore
After his highly acclaimed LP from 2008 'The Good, The Bad And The Deep' house legend Rick Wade returns to Yore with a slamming new EP, crowning himself the Duke Of Cologne. Three deep and pumping jazz and disco edits that should not be missed by fans of real house music.
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D'Julz once again proves that he is on top of his game at the moment. 'Rotondo' is a prime time house killer with haunted stings and a drilling bass line. 'On The Road' and 'Ideas Are Fish' sit more on the deep house side of things and nicely round off yet another fine Circus Company release.
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San Francisco's busiest producer, Alland Byallo, debuts on Dirt Crew with a fine EP. 'Eyes Closed, Looking In' comprises four nicely grooving tech house tracks, which make great use of subtle jazz elements - vibraphones, vocals, drum sounds - without diluting the overall minimalist approach. Nice.
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Hamburg's Smallville label presents a wonderful selection of recent highlights. Lawrence, STL, Lowtec, Move D & Benjamin Brunn, and Sven Tasnadi all contribute their share of minimalistic deep house productions to this highly recommended compilation.
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Before Reboot drops his long awaited debut album on Cadenza this summer, he sends a little forerunner in the form of 'Rambon' and 'Urana' which comes with a remix by label boss Luciano. Good stuff, raising the bar of expectations for his new album.
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Another super-solid release from the Drumpoet camp, featuring Hunee with one of his finest productions to date: the amazing 'Took My Love'. Three more tracks by DC, Kawabata, and Vienna's Johannes Lehner make this an outstanding compilation. Recommended.
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Niklas Worgt a.k.a. Dapayk looks back on one decade of his highly productive artistic career - enough reason to celebrate the occasion with a compilation of his works from the last ten years. Minimal tech, sweet pop house, and even some indietronica make this selection highly recommended.
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EP released 23-05-2010 on Rekids
Radio Slave's exclusive track from his remarkable Fabric mix finally sees the light of day as a proper single release. Clocking in at over ten minutes, 'I Don't Need A Cure For This' spreads its vibe through an irresistible endless groove waiting to be played out loud over and over again.
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Gavin Herlihy drops his second release, 'Back Burner', for Cadenza. Three solid solid house work that pull all the right strings for prime-time club play, from the title track's percussive wild pitch grooves to 'Think's bouncy Chicago rhythms.
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Two stars of Frankfurt's neo-house scene on one split release: Johnny D's 'Point Of View' is a percussive banger with free-rolling snares and a crazy out-of-tune afro jazz break, while Sascha Dive preaches efficiency with the minimalistic chord house of 'KamaKama'. Prime DJ material.
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Fine summer house material by Mr. San Soda on Belgium's We Play House imprint: Powerchords meet uplifting strings on four simple and emotional, Detroit-inspired house tracks. Our favourite is 'Hypocrisy' which aims for that sweet spot between melancholy and euphoria. Nice.
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Dirt Crew's James Flavour joins Moodmusic's Sasse for a kicking, dubbed-out house hit, coming with two excellent remixes by Tony Lionni, who raises the anthem factor many times over with his 'Deeptech Remix'. Killer package.
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Maxi-Single released 21-05-2010 on Phil e
Jackmate returns on his own Phil e imprint with two new killer tracks, as heard in his live shows throughout the year. As usual he expertly combines warm analogue synths with the Detroitish vibe that we love so much, this time around even with some allusions to UK funky. Check!
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Workshop's Even Tuell, Dave Aju and the Krause Duo pay tribute to Ian Simmonds recent album 'The Burgenland Dubs'. Three brilliant trippy reworkings are complemented by Simmond's new 'Luthersteet Blues', a dubbed out jazz track in the vein of Badalamenti's Twin Peaks score. Recommended.
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Tolga Fidan uses sweaty percussions as a sexual metaphor for this two-tracker on Freak'n Chic. 'Nised' and 'Downer N°5' are two nice and abstract house tracks, adding chords, vocal snippets and jazzy elements that will prove their worth on any dancefloor between Paris and Instanbul.
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Luna City Express represent their home planet one more time with a high-profile remix package of their recent album. Robag Wruhme, Reboot, Martinez, and Dan Drastic all contribute highly playable, up-tempo house takes that won't seem out of place on any type of dance-floor.
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The single accompanying Filterwolf's recent, EBM-house-flavoured album 'Music From Tomorrow' comes with a remix by revered producer Alan Abrahams (Portable/Bodycode) as a closely guarded secret. It's a perfectly lush six minute workout and should not be missed at any cost.
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Ace remix package for Audision who assembled the cream of the crops of contemporary house producers on their second installation of remixes. Arne Weinberg, John Roberts, Contra Comunem Opinionem and our man Tin Man top the bill. Do we need to say more?
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Two fine NY-style house tracks by German producer Knarf Skipson on the Quintessentials imprint. Echoing vocal snippets, pounding beats, deep Rhodes chords - all the right ingredients are in place, and Frankfurt's Sascha Dive contributes a highly functional remix. Recommended.
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After contributing a remix to the label many years ago, Losoul returns to classic French label Logistic for his solo debut. Two fine tracks ranging between house and techno and aimed at dance-floor use, while transmitting that particular Losoul vibe and energy. Nice one.
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Maxi-Single released 17-05-2010 on Phonica
Phonica's very own Hector returns with the stab-heavy house belter 'Orale'. Two additional versions come courtesy of Alex Picone, who adds a walking bass for after-hours compatibility, and producer of the moment SIS, who delivers a deeper and more relaxed take.
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Originally released on Perlon's 'Super Longevity' compilation back in 1999, Bushes was a huge hit played by everyone and everybody. Now more than a decade later 'Bushes' receives a treatment by the Southern Fried Crew including Norman Cook a.k.a Fatboy Slim, Derrick Carter and Freeform.
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Effective DJ tool house by Lovebirds on Freerange, which stands out with nice slurry chords and a nice and deep breakdown. Also featured is a cool remix by Kink who once again adds his distinct old school flavor to the original.
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