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Artist: Title: Label:
Soul Minority A Soul Thing Pack Up And Dance
Soul Minority have a few of quality releases under their belt and seem to have stuck with a winning formula - found an engaging sample and then built a solid deep groove around it, with sufficient structure and sonic and musical embellishments to keep the attention without ever straying into mainstream territory. These two tracks do exactly that. (And there are a couple of recent tasty digital-only tracks that show they are nothing if not consistent.)
Soul Purpose Key Issues Vol 2 Soul Purpose
2 good punchy house grooves with fat bass and driving rhythm and, in sample choice and sonic palette, very reminiscent of early UK house from the Nice 'n' Ripe stable. Which I'm pleased to say still sounds remarkably fresh.
Floating Points Vacuum EP Eglo
Must say that I was initially surprised that this proved such a popular offering but after even a couple of plays I can see why with its combination of crunchy cosmic disco and space jazz.
Nitedog/Lovefinger Black Disco vol.1 Black Disco
The People's Popular Front Sample Pleasures Part 4 People's Popular Front
Crazy P Hot bath Re Edits Vol 1 Hotbath
Craig Smith / The Revenge The Soul Part II Delusions of Grandeur
These pages generally focus on house music releases and I am often aware that they therefore neglect to include an awful lot of music I regularly buy, play and listen to. While any attempt to cover all the bases would probably involve giving up the day job entirely, I thought it worth mentioning that I am more than aware of other genres and over the last year or so I find myself making an increasing amount of space on the shelves for these spacey, dubby nu-disco tracks that seem to be coming out thick and fast these days. Actually, we're not deviating too much here, as many of these are clearly reminiscent of early house trax in tempo and occasionally even in content and vibe, and another reminder of the common source and rich heritage of dance music.
Hakan Libdo / Vincent Inc et al Manuscript Family: Antideepressant 1 Manuscript
As I think I've mentioned before, there seems to be a welcome move to squeezing more tracks onto vinyl EPs and this 4-tracker keeps up the good work. Apparently released out of Ukraine, it offers a range of deep flavours, with the spacey keys and Moroder-esque rhythm of Jussi Pekka remix of Verano's Mindgames being my personal choice.
Reade White aka Reade Truth Soundwav White Label NYC
Talking of deep house grooves, here's a corker with a solid kick and wide soft bass underpinning a rolling piano line, with added percussion, echo and spacial effects to produce something both old school and yet surprisingly crisp and contemporary.
Andre Crom & Luca Doobie Attica EP Freerange
Another contemporary and extremely well-crafted piece of house music from Freerange with old school references and great musical elements - organ stabs, trumpet snips and a terrific piano line - and top-line modern production values.
Abyss Keep On Tripping Compost Black Label
Sticking with the tracky stuff, there have been some excellent driving grooves out of Compost's darker side lately and the Abyss 12" is another decent effort. In the original mix, a big hefty drum sound is topped by sinuous synth line and squelches, bubbling background percussion and simmering cymbals. Plommer's mix goes for a more propulsive electronic groove. Perhaps not the best of the label's recent output but worth a listen if you like driving, darker shaded vibes.
Mustafa feat. Natalia Circles (2009) Tony US
Of course, I'm not one to stay in house music's shadowy basement for too long and I was very pleased to hear these remixes of this track with its engaging vocal and, in the Boddhi Silva Ancestral Soul mix, driven along well by a semi-tribal throb and off-kilter keys that ensure it remains a satisfyingly bitter sweet pleasure.
Alice Orpheus / Master H My Lady Komplex De Deep
An intriguing track I bought a few months back but keep returning to: an unhibited (to say the least) and somewhat eccentric but jazzy vocal, with basic kick drum, live bass, nice keys from the electric piano and top notes from the generously featured violin all contributing to its 'live' feel. I also quite like the fat squelch and slightly cinematic quality of the dub on the flip.
Behind the Groove feat. Jackie Green Make me Believe In You Loveslap!
A surprisingly 'traditional' but splendidly funky and sassy track from Loveslap!, with thumping piano, wah-wah guitar, flute trills and cheeky no-nonsense soulgirl vocals; it's a refreshingly old-fashioned pleasure.
Stephanie Mills Free Expansion
You are never going to get dark and dirty from UK soul label Expansion or Philly veteran Ms. Mills, but what you do get (currently via download) is a decent song from a distinctive and classy vocalist and bunch of very well-crafted mixes from Jon Cutler, The Layabouts and Domu.
Roed Svensk feat Simon Green Never Be The Same Knee Deep USA
Wipe the Needle / Dolls Combers / Alfredo Norese feat. Kaysee The Sound Of SOW EP 3 Soundmen on Wax
And if you fancy more of the soulful vocal stuff check out the Kneedeep mix here, or, for a slightly tougher, moodier version, the Kruse & Nurnberg vocal mix. Similarly, the Soundmen on Wax imprint seems to have suddenly been given a new lease of life with a burst of samplers and new releases. Earlier in the year we had a couple of splendid tracks on SoW from the marvellous SuSu Bobien, and the recent 'Through the Future' remix project offers a range of tracks for download.
Azuni / Cavalier / Demetrio Giannice The Lost Men /
Drum Poems Verse 2
Drumpoet Community
I seem to buy a couple of new releases from Switzerland's Drumpoet Community every month or two but they are fast becoming essential for deep house lovers and their EPs generally offer at least one gem among their spacey delights, and I find all four tracks here have their charms (in a low key, head-nodding sort of way).
Andy Holder / AN Tonic
Pleasure Dome
Guess
Missed this when it came out in the summer but it's a peach of spritely swinging West Coast house - it's the Original Pleasure Dome Dub that initially caught my attention. May contain yet another spoken tribute to the power of 'house music' but it's set in such an energetic, atmospheric arrangement of great musicality and style, it comes across as no bad thing. Reminds me of Chuck Love's best work, which in my book is high praise indeed.
Jenifa Mayanja
Close Encounter EP
Bu Mako
I think this is the second EP I've bought from the enigmatic Jenifa and it is another example of the great creative spirit of independent house producers; here, a selection of moody, genre-defying deep grooves that will never feature on MoS or HedKandi compilations but can be seen as an expression of the same idiosyncratic innovative impulses that moved the likes of Larry Heard and the Burrell brothers back in the day.
Juan Atkins / Kimyon /Tricia
Work for Leisure
All About
Another from a few months back and a real pick 'n' mix of pleasures on offer here, with mixes (via download, at least) which vary from the intriguing combo of the almost industrial tech throb and street corner soul harmonics of the Atkins' original mix, to the expansive and jazzy percussive dub from the dependable Lars Behrenroth, via a crunchy piece of electronic funk from Luis Baro and another solid deep spacey version from Dimitri Max.
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last revised: 13th November 2009