House News

Celebrating the 10th release of the Parisian imprint: LHR; the two young producers Lazare Hoche & Malin Genie teams up again for some new actions "Formes EP". Two cuts from the vaults, Formes & Work That Booty.

Courtesy of Balance presents to you NWS, the new project from Copenhagen-based wonder kid and priest DJ Samuel Andre Madsen. Straight up underground deep house, no frills and ready to move dancefloors of all kinds. "Next To Real" is a little bumpin banger, the more club oriented one, the safe shot in other words... pressed on 45 rpm to give so your message is heard loud and clear! The B-side shines as well with two deeper cuts that should easily stand out in the sea of averageness, at least we believe so. Drop the needle and make you own decision about it.

We've been a fan of Motor City Drum Ensemble since the brooding and eerie "Escape To Nowhere" in 2007 - a track that sounded like someone had listened to "French Kiss" on acid and then tried to recreate what they heard. So when we started re-issuing Romanthony's classics with fresh remixes, MCDE's Danilo Plessow was always someone we wanted to on the project. It has taken 2 years to organise this mix and now it is finally here it doesn't disappoint. Taking on "Trust", most people would head straight for the vocal but Plessow instead eschews that idea for a warm, low slung dub mix reminiscent of Muzique Tropique and early Glasgow Underground releases by Studio Blue. As a more dj-friendly alternative he also delivered a completely instrumental dub mix.

The Los Angeles based Steve Huerta popped up on the Sccucci Manucci radar via his releases on the formidable Amadeus Records and Dirt Crew Recordings, we tracked his progress and liked what we heard. A couple of months back we handed over the keys to Mr. Manucci's penthouse apartment and SL 230 Pagoda to the young Angeleno, and in-between being fitted for smoking jackets and hand made brogues he managed to get some productions complete with the results pressed up for the fifth release on Manucci's Mistress. Kicking off the EP is the title track 'Smoky', a real late night house jam with sombre piano chords that weave their way round the track like hazy smoke in dimly lit room. Melancholic vocal snippets add a hefty slab of soul to the production. On the flip side is 'Adrift', deep pads are the order of the day here. Stretching across the track like a warm blanket, only briefly changing to climb up the scale. The bass line is a masterpiece in simplicity, 3 deep chugs of the sub are juxtaposed by a brief arpeggiated refrain."

Tom Flynn makes his debut appearance on the ever-impressive Hot Creations imprint with his sensational 'Hoochie EP', a three track hitter destined to cause complete destruction on dancefloors worldwide. Title track 'Hoochie' is a straight up bonafide bomb guaranteed to go off at peak time with is gritty bassline, vocal stabs, epic build up and ghetto booty style vocal adding that perfect standout element. Over on the B side 'The Glove' hits with a sharp kick and infectious groove with rolling and building percussions that drop back into the flow. Last up 'Mistress Chantelle' gets straight to the point with electronic stabs soon followed by intricate and on point drum patterns that come to life with sultry and captivating vocals and a whomping distorted b-line.

Since 2010 he has released on highly regarded labels such as Dirtybird, 8bit, Hypercolour, Circus Recordings and Mobilee. 2013 has seen regular support for Tom from the likes of Guy Gerber, Jamie Jones, Cassy, Richie Hawtin & Loco Dice to name a few. Hoochie has been turning head since last autumn. Championed by Jamie, Lee, Russ and Richy this EP has been causing all sort of dance-floor pandemonium.

The first release of Nabuco Records introduces the work of Noha and Unison, both running the label and also producing togheter as Hagel.This ep presents their unconventional, deep and eclectic approach to house and techno.

Next up on Hypercolour's tidy vinyl off shoot is Berlin based but Chicago and Detroit indebted producer Murphy Jax. Through releases on Clone Jack For Daze and Tiga's Turbo, Jax has laid out his classically minded house vision in style - something he does again with two originals and two remixes on this Hype debut.

A1 'Acid Rapper' is exactly that - a man raps in the style of old school heroes Jungle Wonz whilst an acid line blips away beneath, scurry in and out of splintered and woody beats and pinging perc. Soft pads emanate from its core throughout to nicely offset the rawness of the claps and the whole thing will have you dancing like it's 1989.

'The Acid Housekeeper' is not so in your face at first, and instead a simple bassline is the main feature of a track on which Jax raps with a retro tinge once again. The 303 lines come in phases rather than continually on this one, with some big claps and smooth hi-hats all seeping in, gradually upping the anti until you're in the midst of another busy dancefloor workout straight from a warehouse party in Illinois you never even went to.

Jax provides us with his own remix, and an edit from Dsb accompanies 'The Acid Housekeeper' to complete the package: first, the deep Detroit mix sounds like its being recorded at the other side of the room instead of loud in the mix. The vocal here is more menacing, and the acid line, too, is more intense, where the Dsb mix very much fits in with the current slo-mo, murky deep house aesthetic. It's littered with weird sounds, snatched vocal yelps and is a delightfully muddled, unordered affair.

Vocals in dance music are notoriously hard, but Jax makes them work and then some...

We always dreamt about releasing this EP in our label. Since we discover it, it has been heavy played in each Slow Town party. QX1 is in the town with an outstanding EP from 1992. One QX1 track with 3 different Mike Dunn edits. Just rad. Say You Love Me has been carefully remastered to reach the sound it deserve. Enjoy the ride and Say You Love Me!

Another banger from Love Fever protege, and wunderkid Laurence Blake AKA Citizen. With a truly astounding trajectory thus far we revisit the start with the original and best track he's produced so far. Re-mastered, re-imagined and wholly smashed out the park with the aptly named Warehouse dub. This is straight up, unadulterated dance-floor gold from Citizen as Love Fever up the pace with a high quality and hectic release schedule and party pressure in 2014.

Know widely for delivering no nonsense dance floor weapons of the highest quality, One Records pull out the goods once again with a double hitter from Acid Mondays. Back on board the label since their standout remix of Andrade was released earlier this year, this time they offer their unique production skills with 'Schlurptastic' and 'Dohec'. On the B-side Bass Culture boss
D'Julz brings two sterling remixes to the table

Legwork's 2nd single comes from another one of our Texas compatriates, the indelible Brett Johnson, fresh off some amazing work on Classic, Get Physical, Rawax and other killer imprints. The Mission harks back to some of our favourite dub-techno moments, but keeps it's own flare with Brett's signature robo-rhythms and chopped and screwed vocal cuts. On the remix tip, it's label head Lance DeSardi & Convextion bringing their own flavour to the table respectively, with Lance stepping to the chord memory, deep bass, and over sampled drums, and Convextion going all the way out into hyper space with his usual sub-aquatic space funk.

As anyone can tell you, few artists can be called by one name. It is just a name, but when a man puts his life work in making that name synonymous with creativity, flair, and style. His name is DJ Spen. You might know him around the world as Spen and the DJ sir name is just one form of all the talent he is world renowned and noted for.

You are about to venture in one of his first releases that gives him the platform of the man behind the music. Each song has his stamp and style that many know and love. He has a level of dance and rhythm that few can follow, but many immerse themselves in. If he were to do all the depth of music he does, the album would be endless and varied on many levels of music.

This LP is a cornucopia of sound and diverse rhythms that only skim the surface of his creativity and pursuit.

The second LP in Frank & Tony's album lead up, featuring three new original cuts from the the duo - "Novella," "Nine Cities," and "Call Me Rain."

The third in the series of the exotic, wannabe erotic, and intermittent black label series from a certain East London label & promotions team sees the elusive man of the moment Jonny Rock step up to the plate with a knockout curveball of a slam dunk house trio. Dark, brooding, yet straight up party music.

The debut album from the über-talented Russian producer and DJ LAY-FAR, featuring impressive collaborations with PETE SIMPSON, YANNAH VALDEVIT, SOULED, SARAH WINTON, PETER OAKDEN, VICKY FLINT and DRAGON! The DLP features 11 tracks (the CD has 15) filled with uplifting house tracks "A LITTLE FAITH", interchange with serious political messages "STAND UP, romantic dance ballads "SO MANY YEARS", infectious jazzy grooves "YES YOU CAN" and introspective bangers like "THAT DREAM" with ironic interludes in-between. (GLENVIEW) HOUSE
Check the early feedback:
Osunlade: “Love the record. Full of surprises. Choice pick is “Yes You Can” however I really enjoyed the entire
soundtrack..great job! Congrats.”
Mad Mats (Local Talk / GAMM): “Lay-Far is young man but with mature musical taste that hits all the right spots.
With a jazzy foundation Lay-Far explores house, funk, and boogie with a touch electronic fun. One thing is sure, I'll be
playing this album for a long time!”
Rainer Trüby (Compost Records): “What a great album Lay-Far has to offer. Loving the tunes. On a high musical
level indeed....! Jazz is the teacher & soul is the preacher, with a contemporary twist!”
Volcov aka Isoul8 (Neroli): “So-far So good! Great debut album from Lay-far, full support!”
Roberto Rodriguez: “Lovely jazzy album! Really hard to pick a favorite tune as its really nice as a whole. Thanks for this!”
Kuniyuki Takahashi: “I feel what he doing by music with soul. Very nice and beautiful! Music always.”
Plus support from Simbad, Kev Beadle, Jonny Miller (Southport Weekender), Tyler Askew, and more.

Albion 04 brings forth one of the true pioneers of the French house scene with a three track ep from the infamous, Ark . The EP features 3 original tracks which have been dug out from the vaults of his studio deep in Lyon . The before now unheard tracks consist of three peak time slammers: Funk Da Police (2013) Dunktrain (1994) and Liposuccion (1996) all tracks emanate that raw, heavy hitting analogue sound which Albion is renown for. On the remix duties it's the industrious Arttu who delivers a seriously heavy remix which is a real dancefloor weapon.

True house music for the soul. Deep and moody drum patterns blended with vocal cuts, pads and raw basslines. This is house music in it's purest form. For lovers of analog sounds only.

Kim Ann Foxman launches her own record label Firehouse in association with London based music and arts label, The Vinyl Factory, inspired by her New York residence.

'Early this year I moved into an amazing space in Brooklyn, it is an old firehouse. It is my base where my friends come over and I have a studio.'

o+ Hailing from Hawaii, she is a rare visionary who yearns to celebrate the golden era of authentic dance music. After a brief move to San Francisco, she made her home in New York, surrounded by hedonists, freaks and people from all walks of life. Since Kim Ann stepped away from singing with New York's neo­disco collective Hercules and Love Affair she has become a force to be reckoned with, rocking clubs as a DJ and producing raw electronic music.

'Firehouse will be super­dynamic, gorgeous and weird. I want to represent New York, represent its flavour and be a part of the music history that it is so abundant here. I will embrace music that I feel. It's gotta have vibes! It's gotta have passion, it's gotta have heart.'

o+ 'It's All About You' is hypnotic and deep, creating wistful loops and hooks around Kim Ann's own subtle vocals. Her beguiling style is also eminent in 'Steal My Secrets', a track bleeding with energy and in which her respect for dance music pioneers like Joey Beltram and Inner City can be heard.

'I am going back to the era of experimentation, creating little moments, creating my own samples, and putting a lot of care into it. My music is much more handled than just clicked with a mouse. For example, I'm not just going to sing. I'm going to fricking lay on the ground with a poster tube and scream my lyrics into the microphone or whatever. I've been making the production more about the process than ever before, choosing my own adventures.'

Sparse and daring sonic experimentations, as the name suggests, on this fresh imprint by the upstream collective that is John Swing, EMG and Battista. The first two have now established their patterns of work via the Livejam and Relative stables, while the third has been busy pushing his sound through the younger and ever-promising Uaudio label. A common obsession with machines and spontaneity has led them to this latest collaborative effort; two extended, wide-eyed jams - one per side of the plate - which shift from moments of stability to sudden bursts of chaos. The A-side represents the former; a thick layer of chords, gritty low-ends and icy percussion slither out of the whirlpool only to become locked into a moody, cut-throat groove. The flip cuts the formalities and dives head first into a deluge of saturated hardware fuzz, showcasing the trio's more abstract personalities as conjurers of fine noise-funk.
Limited to 300 hand numbered copies, 180g.