House News

Detroit legend Terrence Parker lands on Defected with 'Open Up You Spirit', featuring four brand new mixes of one of the standout cuts on his 'Life On The Back 9' album.

Kicking off proceedings is TP's Deeep Detroit Heat Remix which demonstrates positivity through Merachka's powerful gospel vocal and an ever-grooving baseline that is mirrored by organ keys, highlighting why Terrence, and Detroit's underground house scene, is very much in the forefront of soulful house being done the right way. TP's Bangin Piano Remix does what is says on the tin as classic piano chords and four-to-the-floor house beats build the track to almost cacophonic extreme before dropping into a warm bass synth to start the ride over again. On the flipside is TP's Deeep Detroit Heat Instrumental and completing the pack is Merachka's Kreep Into Your Spirit And Open It Up Remix which strips things back with 303-esque acid lines and thumping kick-claps.

The second "LOVEiT" press comes right in time for the festival season and for dusty basements too. SUOLCITY is a young producer from Stuttgart, the spot for house business again. Probably he felt it already as intern at "rocker 33", the club such as Panorama Bar and Robert Johnson. How else could you explain the B-Side "Rush", you had to feel this dubby, gritty bassline. Not hard enough - so maybe "Rush Harder", you can have it all. But still, Stuttgart is heart and soul for some Hip Hop generations, the SUOLCITY is no exception here. The second track might be called/used as "Early Morning Jam", but you can hear this jazzy attitude of some Hip Hop jams and you will love it. "November" delivers great atmosphere with groovy chords and bumpy drums for your deep moments. All in one - great homage to the best side of the 90s! - Prinz Eugen Early Support: Borrowed Identity (Quintessentials / Ostgut Ton): Rush - Evil dance floor weapon! Lay-Far (Local Talk): I love the Early Morning Jam! Peter Clamat (Big Bait Records): Early Morning Jam is my favorite. Tim Toh (Mild Pitch / Philpot): Lovely to hear some new stuff on LOVEiT. These guys keepin' it raw and underground. This 12" consists of stompers and dreamers. At the most i´m a dreamer, therefore "early morning jam" is the one for me. Rainer Trüby (!K7 / Compost): A great release from Suolcity here. Especially diggin´the 2 slower jams "November" and the "Early Morning Jam". Tasty! Full support! Leif Müller (Coccoon / Relax2000): High quality EP! Timeless sound from Suolcity, love his productions since years. Early Morning Jam is my favorite. Diego Krause (Unison Wax / Beste Modus): Rush is definitely my favorite, nice and pumping! Jeremy Underground (My Love Is Underground): "B1 for me, looking forward to try it in clubs!

Selected House Tracks & Works By the French man Lazare Hoche.

The 1st volume of the "Recoded" series which focuses on outtakes, alternate versions, & embellishments of tracks from 2013's Codes & Metaphors LP. 4 hypnotically soulful house constructions.

The Bush is a homage to the place where I have lived for the last decade (Askew Road). The Askew Road itself is slowly changing so I wanted to document all the places that play a big part in mine and my families lives before they eventually get sold for more flats or Tescos. First up was Peckings Studio 1 record shop, which has been on this stretch of road since the 1960s. Next up is the mighty Sun pub which became a local talking point when they sold the place because a sign sat in the window that announced "THE BUP IS CLOSE".

The Deep Explorer boss makes his way to the SPM universe once more with this long awaited EP. Appearing in 2011 on the COME compilation The Unexpected became a full-on project backed by an Above Smoke remix.

The first release from the Contrast-Wax sister label, No More To Roam, shifts the focus towards the real soulful elements of house music, The debut here comes from North-East based Neil Bilton AKA "Fatdog", starting life as an independent record store owner in Middlesbrough, Fatdog has made a tidy progression into production, with releases on Laaks "Austere Recordings" & his own Imprint "Fatdog Records" now Fatdog opens the running for No More To Roam with a 3 track EP of down-tempo, Laid back house music, layered with subtle synth lines, chord progressions and vocals throughout.

Mark Jenkyns is back onboard the Hot Creations imprint, this time featuring vocalist MC Chickaboo. 12 Stories (Mark & Chris Sylvester) are on remix duty for their debut on the label, and what a killer release it is!

'On Me' oozes with funk, groovy basslines and sonic madness, perfect additions to the Hot Creations catalogue and proving each of the artists involved know exactly what works on the dance floor. Getting heavy support from Jamie Jones & Richy Ahmed & Lee Foss, it looks like another hot-hitter from Hot Creations.

Mark hooked up with MC Chickaboo in light of her legendary work she did with Ewan Pearson & DJ Wildchild. MC Chickaboo is a female drum and bass DJ and rapper from London. In 2002 she shot to fame when her collaboration with Timo Mass went to number one on the Billboard chart.

12 Stories is the fresh duo Mark Jenkyns and Christopher Sylvester and they will be making their full debut on Hot Creations early this summer..

Finale Sessions is excited about this reease and we are greatfull to bring you Natan H hailing fro the "City Of Angels" Natan has this energy that we at Finale Sessions as of late have not been able to find so as you know we are estatic to get this out to the masses and give you a little taste of what is going on out on the Left Coast and we start with the track "Lignes" with its melodic pads and its wavering synths make for a latenight beauty for sure then we move to track 2 which is " 0 (Phase)"This track is another latnight stomper with moving chords and melodic drum patterns that keep it a smooth sounding pieace, Then last but not least we have the song "Invariant" (Feat.Jordan) This dub techno track is floor filler for sure with its heavy laden pads and synths and its monsterous sounds one of my favorite tracks at the moment . We want to thank you at Finale Sessions for giving us the opportunity to share this music with you and we hope you enjoy it

This is the second 12' sampler taken from Crosstown's Mayan Compilation. The compilation celebrates Crosstown Day Zero Festival in Play Del Carmen, Mexico this December. The album features 13 exclusive tracks, this second vinyl sampler features tracks by Pier Bucci, Jay Haze, Francesca Lomabrado and Eduardo Castillo.
Sampler II features rising new Crosstown star Francesca Lombardo's Cosmic Dancer', alluring trip into the cosmos. Eduardo Castillo delivers the rib-rattling 'Ahometa Kuyaxi. On the flip and Pier Bucci's 'Mayas' track is exquisite piece of sonic hedonism, whilst Jay Haze's growling murky symphony 2012 rounds of the second sampler perfectly
Sampler I features the ever-consistent Mathew Jonson with a slice of driving no-nonsense techno On the flip and Fur Coat deliver the darkly ominous 'Greed Insanity'. Finally Fosky & Bog feature with the hypnotically hooky 'Chestionabil'.

Two of the Black Madonna's most sought after early tracks return to circulation alongside one burning new jam on Goodbye To All This, the latest release from Stripped & Chewed.

Drawn from the Chicago label's 2012 compilation Livin' For The City EP, the piano dappled joy of "Exodus" luxuriates across side A, spreading the good word with a pounding beat. "We Don't Need No Music (Thank You, Rahaan)" from SCRS004 takes another whirl around the dancefloor, its pinwheeling horns and infectious vocals pulling even wallflowers into the fray. And in case two remastered sure-shots aren't enough, the brand new "Who Do You Need" closes the record with a soulful thwack: half uplifting house, half blistering techno -- all peak-time fodder.

A fine addition to the Black Madonna's discography alongside records for Argot, The Nite Owl Diner, Hometaping Is Killing Music, and of course Stripped & Chewed.

DJ Sotofett's six tracker for Laton brings old school drum programming & sequencing back to a decent menace level. Solid & classically executed Techno, Lefty-House, Jungle and tripped out next-level Dub cuts with no fancy trickery. Featuring FIT (Detroit), Bjørn Torske (on percussion), Dresvn (on bass) and Madteo on faint in-session background ghost vocals.

The two Chicago producers have merged their distinct identities into something very special indeed. Kate is known for her tech house cuts for labels like Leftroom and Get Physical. Tevo meanwhile has gained a rep for a highly melodic, analogue and bittersweet take on the Chicago house tradition. The whole thing has an analogue flavour, and sounds alive, somehow vintage and fresh at once' -DJ Mag review of 'Bring It' single

Building upon their first EP release on Tevo Howard Recordings, Kate Simko and Tevo Howard have rejoined forces, debuting their full-length album 'PolyRhythmic' on Sasha's Last Night On Earth imprint. Native Chicagoans, Tevo and Kate grew up on house music, and their collaboration pays homage to their home city while exploring new creative territory. The duo's LP leaves few musical stones unturned, traversing through their melodic, classic, and genre-bending sound.

'My first impression meeting Kate Simko was, for me, indicative of my confidence to pursue work with her. I saw her DJ at a bar in Chicago called 'Danny's Tavern' in 2005. I remember that every time I walked in when she DJ'd, the whole bar would bump great songs without one person sitting' - Tevo Howard.

Whether performing live internationally, earning a masters degree in Composition for Screen, or being named one of Chicago's top 10 DJ's by XLR8R magazine, Kate Simko continues to explore and combine her passions for music. Getting her start as a DJ in the early 2000's on Chicago's WNUR FM, Kate went on to release her first album with Andres Bucci in 2002 on Traum Records. Since then she's released a number of EP's and albums on respected labels including Ghostly, Get Physical, HelloRepeat, and No. 19, and has established herself as a standout audio-visual live act. Combining classical instruments with electronic music, her acclaimed London Electronic Orchestra project transforms the melodies of synthesizers into lush orchestral moments, meshing these two disparate genres.

'One big driving force behind making more music (together) was getting booked to play live at Berlin's Panorama Bar in 2012. It was really exciting to perform at such a legendary venue, and the night was packed! The PolyRhythmic live set is a lot of fun because we can really play live, improvising with the drum machines and keyboards live. - Kate Simko

Kate and Tevo share an equal love for music production, which is reflected in their inventive hardware setup. The album was written on Roland drum machines, a 303 emulator, and vintage Korg and Roland synths. Tevo is a seasoned DJ in his own right, getting started as a kid in the late 80's, then later establishing the seminal Beautiful Granville Records releasing a range of soulful sounds straight from the heart Chicago. Aside from his own imprint, he's released his pioneering sounds through a host of other notable labels. From Permanent Vacation, from his well-known collaboration with Tracey Thorn 'Without You' on Rebirth, to his album 'Pandora's Box' on Rush Hour, Tevo Howard has an inarguably impressive collection of productions.

'After we made our first EP we had a lot more ideas in motion. We started the album around 2011 before Tevo moved to Berlin, and we'd meet up regularly in the studio. We took our time and worked on the album in Chicago, Berlin, London, and then added the final vocals in New York last summer. We took time to experiment and try for a cohesive collection of tracks. - Kate Simko.

'PolyRhythmic' displays Kate and Tevo's commitment to artistry in dance music. Twelve thoughtfully constructed tracks capture their versatility as musicians. 'No Regrets' is highlighted by iconic chilling vocals by Baz from Pirupa, whose keep-it-real lyrics sit on top of a track inspired by Prescription Records. 'Polyphonica' features locals near Tevo's studio on Granville in Chicago, and is the musical compliment to the album's theme PolyRhythmic. 'Tomorrow And Other Days' modern electro synths and 'Fall's classic acid sound show that Kate and Tevo remain ever focused on the future yet driven by their rich musical pasts.

Tevo's classic Roland-303 baselines shine through on many of the productions, most identifiably in 'Bring it'. Originally called 'Detroit' due to Kate's Motor City-influenced chords, the vocal version was rehashed in New York last summer with a vocalist Amunet Shah. Shah, a house music lover herself, created raw NYC-style vocals. This standout production fuses together elements from Detroit, New York and Chicago house music. A testament to their origins, 'Beat Behavior' embodies a classic Chicago beat; the distorted snares accompanied with a melodic vocal hook bridge the gap between old school and modern. Although eclectic and dynamic, Kate and Tevo's sound of 'PolyRhythmic' is tied together by their old school house influence.

Keeping their signature classic sound yet bringing a modern international influence, Kate Simko and Tevo Howard's 'PolyRhythmic' LP is a masterfully crafted production from two of the current days' most dedicated purveyors of house music. A natural alliance, 'PolyRhythmic' is an organic process by two artists who are eminently inspired by a varying array of styles. Combining their mutual passions, Kate and Tevo have created an authentic and soul-filled LP of the highest quality.

Already heard on one of Theo Parrish incredible mix cd's friendly children' combines his trademark blunt 4/4 bass-drum with a stripped down afro groove, sparse latin piano chords, a children chorus and joyful flute licks before changing the atmosphere halfway through: atmospheric string chords and imaginative, lyrical piano improvisation take the lead for a beautiful, contemplative ending. the b-side cut starts out as a slow motion 4/4 beat with dark, horn loops contrasted by sharp metallic, industrial sounds - during the break Theo Parrish introduces a female vocal loop, throws in more energetic, harder punching beats and lightens up the atmosphere with symphonic big-band jazz samples. another adventure in sound by one of the few unqiue heads in electronic music.

Nearly three years after the last split 12" from Dungeon Meat and SE62, My Love Is Underground is finally back in action with an expansive doublepack of essential cuts from a wide range of producers that reaffirm the label's status as one of the leading exponents of classically rooted deep house music. With previous releases including Brawther, The Nathaniel X Project and Kool Vibe, Jeremy Underground's label has done much to keep the heart and soul of real house music relevant in the 21st century. This new compilation follows in a long line of showcase releases from My Love Is Underground, giving a platform to new talent as well as championing old favourites of the label. Mid '90s legends Teflon Dons make a welcome return, Franck Roger represents the lasting legacy of Parisian house music and UK mainstay Tristan Da Cunha brings the goods in a break from his Dungeon Meat project. Elsewhere Hugo LX represents the new generation, fresh from a release on Courtesy Of Balance, while Malin Genie has been rapidly building up a reputation on Will & Ink and Lazare Hoche. DJ Steaw has been spotted on Traxx Underground and Rutilance, and Ebony Cuts returns after a debut on Kojak Giant Sounds last year.

Marquis Hawkes making his debut on Clone Jack For Daze. 4 proper jacking tracks opening with the frantic title track and closing with the fantastic Like Dat which is out there with the best!.

Finale Underground is back with Vol. 3 and this time the focus in on Chicago. Four tunes from Chicago luminaries that have made their marks in the scene, though all sounding different, still staying true to the Chicago ethos. Specter's deep house jam called "5th of Hen" with its lush sounds and steady melodies sets the tone. Chicago Skyway follows with a club banger titled "Digits LG" where the pulsating synth takes up the attention, giving an old school feel with contemporary string sounds. Hakim Murphy starts the B side with "Slowdown", an acid house tune that shows off some of Murphy's drum programming skills. Finally, Steven Tang finishes the session with an the tune of aggressive synth lines and a bouncy bass called "String Tension". Future Chicago is a well rounded ep that features four different takes on the current affairs of the Chicago sound.

Sublime deep house tracks by Nathaniel X Project, you need this in your bag...TIP

Complementing their eponymous party series, Luv Shack Records have brought together a group of new and regular artists for their first "Shack Your Body" compilation. With an
array of nine choice cuts, this compilation offers just the right blend of laid back chuggers, disco stompers and more aggressive house tracks that have made their label nights so popular.Kicking things off, the young viennese newcomer Giuseppe Leonardi brings together light hearted chicago house vibes and modern beatdown on "It's Drivin' Me". On "Got It", Space Echo take us back to the halcyon days of disco, striking a similar note
to their smash hit Soul Power, albeit this track being a bit more stripped down and synth infused. "Another Bite (Dub Mix)" marks the first appearance of Redscape - a collaboration
between Functionist and MOTSA. In an effort to channel the funkier side of house, the two producers combine classic rhodes, moog bass and an array of disco samples in a fashion that will inevitably tingle your toes. Burnin' Tears are bringing their sound to a new level with "Nights Of Horror". The track
builds on a solidly organic drum groove and a relentless electric bass to become a funky yet hypnotic piece of dub house, jamaican soundbits and church organs included!
LeSale takes an unusually sombre and hypnotic route with his contribution "Phantom Vibes". This one is all about the swirling hihats carrying the groove, with wailing strings and a ballsy synth bass setting the tone afterwards. The norwegian producer and Full Pupp contributor Jarle Bråthen drops an "Italo Mullet", and nomen est omen! Full on 707 drum action meets synthbass, weird leads and angelic strings. ROTCIV continues to explore an acid tingled house style with "Dream In Silence". Whilst
building around the classic main acid ingredients, the track still obtains a great melodic quality and versatility that has become a characteristic of Brazilian producer ROTCIV. The last new addition to the Luv Shack roster is the Berliner and Renate Schallplatten mastermind Sebastian Voigt. His "Smoke And Mirrors" intertwines industrial harshness with an 8bit synth theme and John Carpenter-esque pad and arpeggio themes.
The final track sees Jakobin & Domino return to their home stable with a moody stunner of a house track. "Retronome" is a laid back and dreamy ride packed with warm pads,silk y strings and an irresistible vocal theme.