House News

No stranger to the Hot Creations imprint, rising star Denney delivers two dance floor bombs with a stellar remix from crew member Luca Cazal.

On the A Side 'Low Frequency' gets to works with a low rumbling bassline, Todd Terry inspired beats injected with acid stabs and a high energy vocal to rock the dancefloor. On the flip 'Pimp Out' follows suit with an infectious acid bassline and monstrous build up, dropping into rolling percussions and flowing synths. Last up Luca Cazal remixes 'Pimp Out', stripping it back for a more raw interpretation, yet keeping it aimed straight at the peak time crowd. This is a great three track party starter of a release from Denney.

Next up on Tom Trago's Voyage Direct series is Maxi Mill, a young producer from Amsterdam. Maxi Mill came up under the wings of Tom Trago, co-producing some of Trago's tracks, like 'Steppin' Out' or '200 B.C'!
'To The Next' / 'Sun Rays' is his debut release and showcases his love for raw, dirty and syncopated house music. A hot debut from a producer we will surely hear more of soon. He makes up for another Voyage Direct banger. The voyage continues!

SEFF brings a party to the New Year with the next release on the mighty Hot Creations in the form of 'Jack's Back' featuring three superior club weapons.

'Like That' on the A-side chuggs with electronic synths and powerful raw bass, 'Jack's Back' is a high energy hitter with a jackin' ghetto vibe and the heavy duty 'Zoot' thunders with a Jamaican style vocal. These are compelling, peak time tracks that guarantee to erupt every dancefloor.

Joe Saunders AKA SEFF has made a huge impact with his distinct crossover style of raw, underground house and techno music, retaining attitude, swing, swagger and energy in both his productions and skilfully constructed DJ sets. Since being signed to Steve Lawler's VIVa MUSiC in 2012, he has gone on to release on many other hugely respected labels, worked with an array of top artists, remixed Dave Seaman on Great Stuff Recordings and also was signed to Dave's label 'Selador'. He established Mindmaze Music as a platform to release great music from himself, established artists and new talent and it has rapidly become a favourite of many underground music lovers around the world.

Hot Creations continue to dominate the hearts of dance music, well beyond their 50th release. A platform for the pioneering partnership of Jamie Jones and Lee Foss to share the strongest releases from their musical family and discover prime new talent.

BubbleTease Communications and Running Back team up once again. Taken from the LP BT06 Mutsumi, 'Look Down At Your Feet Below' and '58, 26, 34 & 20 are two hard-hittin-freak-out dance tracks carrying the lyrical genius of Mutsumi formerly known as MU. Watch out! Produced by Maurice Fulton.

Hailing from the rank depths of SF Bay Area back-alleys and only the grittiest of rundown nightclubs and dive bars, a taste of DJ Milanesa Especial's sleazy magic is finally here for the world to behold. Fellow Yay Area freak and veteran fan of all things slightly askew for the dance floor, Dave Aju, managed to get DJ Milanesa onboard in the studio for this nasty ass jam of the highest/lowest order. 'Chili Dog' surely finds its inspiration in the classic Dance Mania cannon of raw shit-talking party-rocking house trax, but Aju's unique knob twists and turns here and there on co-production steers it clear into 2015 - the first wildly oversexed dance move anthem of the year is here, and hopefully only the first of many: 'if you're hungry double up, everybody's ready!

wAFF makes a welcomed return to Hot Creations with three original cuts on his mighty 'Fat Gash EP'.
Playfully named after his best friend, title track 'Fat Gash' is a dancefloor monster with highly infectious vocals, while 'Shabby' has powerful keys, sonic builds and rolling percussions. Over on the flip 'Connected' is a high energy hitter with smooth vocals and a serious party vibe.

Since releasing his 'Rainbows EP' on Hot Creations in 2012 and following with a number of successful releases and remixes, wAFF has become a staple part of the crew playing with the likes of Jamie Jones, Lee Foss and Richy Ahmed all over the world and is now entering into his third year as resident at DC10 for Paradise. His releases can also be found on labels such as Moon Harbour, Cocoon and Resonance Records. With support from Locodice and Marco Carola, wAFF can also be seen playing parties such as Used & Abused and this year will play Music On at Amnesia.

Newcomers Brame & Hamo from Sligo in Ireland have teamed up for the first time ever for this fine deep debut EP. Brame already released on Morris Audio before and had a very successful EP together with Klansee last year. Even more new music is on the way for these guys in 2014 on labels like Drumpoet Community and Saints & Sonnets... so this will be a great year for them for sure and we are once again very happy to give you a first debut release on Dirt Crew! 'Street Urchin' and 'Ghetto Lament' are two fine pieces of classics deep house with dark rolling bass lines and soulful chord progressions, the Piano sample in 'Ghetto Lament' is a beautiful reference to the golden era of Disco. As a little extra we have none other than Glenn Astro & Imyrmind on the remix, these guys have been putting out some serious dope stuff lately and this remix is no exception... raw underground house music. The last two tracks on this EP is 'Retrospect' on the vinyl and 'Fear In Rapture' as digital only track are more straight forward and stripped down stabby groovers with quirky acid lines that work extremely well on the dance floors ... road tested many times already... Brame & Hamo will definitely make big waves with this release and we are happy to welcome them to the Dirt Crew family.

Mr.G presents a very special effort for the annual Record Store Day. A heat packing 12'' 180GR heavy weight release that has some special messages carved in the run out.
Music for all should be the RSD 2015 house anthem. The B-side Hothorpe is a hazy tool for adventurous club situations.

Following the release of his debut album 'Home & Garden,' Jay Shepheard returns to his own Retrofit imprint to present the album's remix EP. Label friends Locked Groove and Jacques Renault remix 'Two Much Love' and 'Type One A' respectively, while Jay takes the reins himself to rework '48 Stacey' and 'Orbis Tertius.'

First off, Hot Flush's Locked Groove molds the lush and nostalgic 'Two Much Love' into an epic piano-led journey, complete with acid line and a booming low-end. Let's Play House boss Jacques Renault takes a more subtle approach with 'Type One A,' leaving most of the original intact, but with a rougher, more driving edge to it.

While, the album was, as its title suggests, meant for home (and garden) listening, here Jay takes the opportunity to transform '48 Stacey' and 'Orbis Tertius' into something meant solely for the dancefloor. In his 'Bullfrog's at Dawn' mix of '48 Stacey,' Shep eschews the original's uplifting chords and pads in favor of a more eerie, bassline-led stormer. His 'Broken Mix' of 'Orbis Tertius' brings things to a close, adding organs and a more forward groove into the mix.

In the third (and last) part of "So Many Ways Remixed" series we have yet another special set of heavyweights, delivering their own reinterpretations of Lay-Far original album tracks. Please welcome Kaytronik, D-Malice, Phil Asher and Red Rack'Em!

Kaytronik aka Karizma opens the EP with his Rub of "Yes You Can". Frankly speaking, from the very beginning of the project we were expecting something special from the Baltimore-based house guru, but the final result surpassed it all for us - what you're about to hear is a very soulful and deep dance number but with power and grit to shake large festival dance floors! Get ready!

On A2 the pro-active afro-house aficionado D-Malice (Defected, Soul Candi, DM.Recordings) delivers a percussion-heavy banger that will make you swing in no time. You know where it all began, don't you!

The UK house legend Phil Asher kicks off the Side B with a remix of "Can't Deny", featuring Yannah Valdevit and Souled. Strong dance grooves is what Phlash has always been notorious for - this remix is another vivid example of the principle! Ain't no need to question the authority.

Last but not least we have the old pirate Red Rack'Em, delivering his trademark deep & dirty house sound with hints of Detroit and dub techno influences. A perfect soundtrack for a midnight voyage on a ghost ship or a basement party, maybe. Aye!

Matches sets the scene alight in the early months of 2015 with this multi-faceted four track burner on Arkhive London.
Having cut his teeth on the East London party circuit as a DJ under various monikers, Matches has carved a superior workout inspired by some of motor city's foremost ambassadors of dark funk. This package is a full expose of his range as a producer, starting out with some early evening swagger before easing through the gears to a climax of an altogether housier ilk.

The fourth instalment of Local Talks series crosses all genres of house and have been delivered by producers from Sweden, Argentina, Germany and Finland. Its a wide and complete mix of deep and thumping 4/4s.

The opening track from Combo loops a killer Stevie sample over some mid-tempo electronic house beats...its pure Shuga!
Tim Vita, Oliver Gehrmann and Xavier Hirsch does a similar thing using a big voiced Motown legend together with dark but jazzy house rhythms.

< Finnish house legend Sasse (Mood Music) delivers a classic deep but electronic jam that definitely sets a deep mode.
We finish off with a classic US garage track from Argentinian producer Tom Noir, a real club filler with some serious breakdowns.

* 12" GREEN VINYL *
RESIDENT ADVISOR REVIEW OF NIC'S BALANCE COMP: 4/5

"When Saved Records boss Nic Fanciulli approached making a mix for the Balance series, his watchword was "timeless." The first of the two CDs here leans mostly on tracks from the last year or so, varying in style, but threaded together seamlessly enough so that each of the 27 tracks seem to complement each other almost perfectly. Opening with what would be classed as a traditional intro—the atmospheric "Raindrops" by Luca & Bruno—Fanciulli gently coaxes the listener in before picking up the pace, working his way from the louche "Goma" by Iron Curtis into more dance floor-orientated deep house with Franck Roger and Mandel Turner's anthemic "After All." From there on in he threads together a batch of music that seems to pertain to his "timeless" intentions, Ricardo Villabos and Jay Haze's inimitable "Fenlow" finds bedfellows in Quell's garage-tinged "Joy" and Igor Vicente and Vernon Bara's Visionquest release "Don't Feel No Way."

Fanciulli's wealth of experience shines through throughout the mix, displaying a slick approach to mixing and confident transitions between styles. But what underpins it all is the simplicity of his composition: he doesn't try too hard to overdo things, with the mix flowing organically and reaching a natural conclusion with modern anthem "Here's Your Trance Now Dance" by Omar-S.

CD two is a showcase for Fanciulli's label, Saved. A further 26 tracks feature, with nine remixes recorded especially for the mix. In keeping with the label's ethos, there's representation from both the older heads (Stacey Pullen, Rolando, etc.) and younger talents like Robert James, Clio and Samu.l. The latter makes his presence felt with "Forgiven," which cheekily "borrows" the riff from MK's 1993 classic remix of "Can You Forgive Her" by the Pet Shop Boys. From the more populist house productions at the beginning of the CD there's a logical progression through to more uncompromising rolling techno, like Fanciulli's own remix of "Definition" by Loco Dice. It's a distinct switch up, but it in no way feels awkward as the unrelenting beats creep in and start to pound. Fanciulli's skill has always been in his ability to weave between these things effortlessly, with keen attention paid to transitions. He brings this to bear on Balance 021 in triumphant fashion. "

After dropping six 12's for Stilove4music, Jerome Derradji, makes his debut release on Still Music with Machine Jacked' an all analog acid techno hardware ode to Chicago & Detroit.
The A side, Wurk It', is pure Techno Funk, a kick drum ride of devastation. Acid Nothing' on the flip is straight acid filthiness featuring rare and profound spoken word.

One of the godfathers of Chicago House Jesse Saunders originally composed and released this proto house classic in 1984. Its initial release was on Jesse's own seminal Jes Say Records before later being re released on Trax in the 90's.
All 4 original mixes have been re mastered and are re released in conjunction with the Trax rights holders.

Anthem alert! "You Used To Hold Me" is one of the biggest tracks in the Hot Mix 5 catalog, a dark, diva-esque dance-floor killer with super sparse production & soaring vocals courtesy of Xaviera Gold that always manages to hit the right spot!

This repress of the original 1987 12" features a slew of high caliber bonus beats, alternate mixes & even an accapella for those of you who like to get adventurous whilst in the mix. This is as classic as it gets, basically every home should have a copy of this instant party starter & all time classic Chicago House record!

Re-mastered, re-pressed & re-released in conjunction with all rights holders, fresh for 2015!

Northern Ireland's The Cyclist with a 12' of Tape Throb on Music is for Losers

Andrew Morrison, AKA The Cyclist, is a UK producer at the forefront of the lo-fi, opaque, analogue house scene fittingly described as tape throb'.

Influenced by a diverse range of music, from Krautrock and 60s psychedelia to early Chicago house, techno, jungle and dub, his critically acclaimed album Bones In Motion, named one of the best releases of 2013 by XLR8R and Boomkat, was the first album released in the collaboration of Leaving Records and Stones Throw Records.

In 2014 Morrison introduced a new alias, BuzLudzha, via the 'Love Repetitive Rhythmics' 12' on All City Records, before returning again as The Cyclist in November to release his second album, Flourish, which featured at #39 in FACT's Top 50 Albums of 2014, having premiered on Pitchfork Advance.

On April 6th The Cyclist will return with the six-track Hot House EP, available on 12' and digital download via music/is/for/losers.

Traxx Underground back to old time with the launch of Traxx Underground Limited, a new sub label for vinyl only releases. Its pleasure to have The Groove Victim start the series with 4 underground house cuts!