House News

Released earlier this summer Rachel Row's beautiful single created a storm both on the White Isle and across the world, and this superb set of remixes look set to further elevate it to anthemic status. First up are Belgium duo FCL with their 'Gentil Mix'. Being a lover of prominent vocals in their own productions (see 'More Than Seven and the massive 'It's You' for further details) it's not surprising to see FCL really focus on Rachel Row's voice, with a square, bassy hook breaking up ambient synths and Row's silky vocals with mesmerising results. Next up is Breach, following on from the massive success of his own 'Jack' record. His effort is a killer production which contains deep and seductive garage vibes which merge together beautifully. Almost unrecognizable from the original, Breach Hood Remix is the Mr Hyde to Rachel Row's Dr Jekyll; transformed from a blissful summer anthem to a bassy dance floor monster. The original record's producer KiNK also returns to bring us his 'Bass & Beats Mix', a version which does exactly what it says on the tin by featuring prominent percussive elements that move towards a growing drop that is dominated by both bass and snare.

RON TRENT lays the groove out as only he can, giving you the power to let loose on the dancefloor. Check out RON's BEWE EFFECT mix and AYBEE's BLAKFEDERATION SLAPMIX. Deep Chicago house music. Due out late July on RON's very own FUTURE VISION imprint

The first 10" release of Above Smoke, brother of Dubbyman, on the Zurich based music label DeepArtSounds. Limited to 158 copies only!
Besides working on various remixes and technical mastering for many artists and labels at the Hole of Dub Studio in Madrid, he also released marvelous and highest quality music on the label Deep Explorer Music, Yore Records and many others.

Warehouse Find!

Time to welcome Soul 223 to the label with his debut Delusions EP entitled Fear Of Stopping. Something of a complete legend in our eyes and ears, Steve Pickton has been releasing top drawer tuneage for over two decades both as Stasis on influential labels such as B12 and Peacefrog and more recently as Soul 223 on equally well regarded imprints like Delsin, Soul Jazz and Neroli. Always one to shy away from any limelight or self promotion it's true to say that this underrated British producer remains something of an anomaly, staying true to his underground roots where faceless, shadowy and obscure reigns supreme over the latest over-exposed cover star. This ethos naturally carries through into his music where you will always find both expansive beauty and unrefined rawness in equal measures ensuring his tracks always sound fresh rather than over produced or contrived.

Fear Of Stopping opens the EP with a low-slung disco groove providing the backbone for intermittent pad washes and reversing stabs. The focus here is firmly on the drums and simple conga riff with thankfully very little else to deter you from this sublime slice of abstract dance music.

Next up we have a remix from another ridiculously talented producer who chooses quality over quantity, having only ever had one release under his own name, albeit for one of the most respected labels in the world; Rush Hour. Maxi Mill came to our attention having released one of the tracks of 2011 namely To The Next. On this, his first ever solo remix he brings a brilliant bump to the EP with a raw, warehousey and bass-heavy workout. Just the right amount of strings and pads keep the deep vibe intact but the filtering bass and jacking drums definitely take this one to the floor.

Flipping over we have Walberswick in it's Hoist Covert Mix incarnation. Almost thirteen minutes of spaced out, deep Detroit house music awaits you, ready to lure you in and cocoon you with it's warm and hypnotizing machine funk. Lovely to hear the old Stasis influence working it's way into this one sounding both decidedly old-school and completely futuristic and otherworldly as only the best tracks ever do.

Closing the EP we have Birdbrook Rain dropping the BPM's for a beautifully sparse track that brings with it an almost desolate and disconnected feeling, echoing synths providing a naive melody while a dusty pad shifts simply beneath. A little slice of magic concluding a fresh and interesting EP, we hope you agree.

The second release on MR KIM'S RECORDS, the new house label run by Chicagoan JAMES CURD (of GREENSKEEPERS fame) now living in the land down under. A old skool NY house cut with a catchy chorus and remixes from some big house heads: PAUL JOHNSON, ROBERT ARMANI & RYAN GATESMAN and JOHNNY FIASCO.

A brand new label split between Stockholm and York, homes of the two artists on this first release. Despite the label name, this is far from being the final chapter, simply the beginning of a new collaboration to push raw club tracks and machine tones inspired by Chicago House and Detroit Techno. Full force, full quality electronic music, plain and simple.
Neville Watson - "Loving the original of Warehouse. Lovely booming kick and deep bass. Atmospheric pads, judicial use of those few elements really gives the track plenty of soul" -
John Heckle - "The Perseus Traxx remix of Warehouse is sounding really nice!"
Jared Wilson - "I dig this record. Good Stuff. My favorites are Final Chapter and the remix of Warehouse"
Lee Holman - "Really great Old Skool feelings on this EP. The Perseus Traxx remix and the original of "Warehouse" are doing the biz for me from this EP!"
Dan Monox / Dixon Avenue Basement Jams - "Feelin' this bro. really liking the classic sound of "Warehouse" and Perseus Traxx remix of it is a nailer too. Will def be dropping this"

Lethal Chicagoid acid madness produced by a team of rabid suburban producers who prefers to remain in the shadows. Just one side of extreme loudness. Vinyl only.

Solid tracks from the Batti Batti Crew with Marco Nega (Underground Quality) and Nasty Boy (Shift Ltd) delivering quality dancefloor grooves whilst Nino (Laid) and Owen Jay & Melchior Sultana take the deeper path into the atmospheric realm. Recommended!

Chicago's Beau Wanzer known for his work with Mutant Beat Dance and Streetwalker makes his debut on L.I.E.S. with his first solo ep..absolute killer!
Wanzer who has been involved in the underbelly of American electronic music for many years, cut his teeth working at Magas' now defunct Weekend Records and Soap. Through that time Wanzer constantly worked on music amassing a sizable studio where he worked in various electronic strains creating an impressive body of work. These tracks come from different points of his career and are stripped down functional pieces made for the dj even if that was not their initial intention.

After his excellent Lullabies To Paralyze on Visionquest at the beginning of the year, Hot Creations release the monumental Highbeams single featuring the vocal talents of Benjamin Franklin.. with a remix 12' to follow...
The A Side features the stunning 'Highbeams' which opens with shifting highs and rims and elongated bass notes creating a real sense of drama in the mix. The exceptional vocal talents of Benjamin Franklin then enter the foray taking the track to euphoric heights as Franklin showcases the full range of his vocal capabilities.
On the flip and Butch delivers the darker 'Faith' which gets moving with some intricate percussive work which gives it an incredibly organic swing. Ethereal vocal and more dramatic bass paves the way for yet another vocal bomb with Franklin's vocals again taking centre stage.
A great double header from Butch with a second remix 12' to follow...

French producer Fulbert launches his newly found Rawthenticity imprint with 4 raw deep cuts made by himself. The significant Fulbert sound is heavily present on this piece of wax. Thumping drums are subtly combined with vocal cuts and floating pad sounds. Raw house music in it's essense.

LPH WHITE's second offering picks up where the first one, by Waze & Odyssey, left us. That 12' featured a remix by London-by-way-of-Southern-California house up-and-comer, Urulu, who produced all four of the tracks included on this EP.

Left Coast is an ode to Taylor Freels' home turf, but don't think it's all blissed-out Balearic burners one might listen to while rolling down a palm tree-lined stretch of the Pacific Coast Highway. Every one of the four songs is a cranked-up, high-octane, peak-hour monster.

4 track EP "dripping wet with deep house analog warmth". "DIRTY LAUNDRY" is an old skool Chi-town house cut ala "WASHING
MACHINE", "NOT SO WICKED" a deep jack track B/w "NOCTURNAL EMO" a frenetic acid trax and last but not least "FABRIC
SOFTENER" a slow bubbly groover. On SOO WAVEY.

A_Christopher Rau_ Simple Setup: In fact, this fine tune could have the capability of becoming a true 'summer hit' - unfortunately we will release it not until september 2013. But maybe you like its loose and uplifting atmosphere anyway. Christopher Rau must have produced this good-humoured work with a big smile in his face.
B1_Christopher Rau_Save The Energy: 'Save The Energy' - attentive boys and girls surely realize that we made a misspelling on the label! So what! More unlucky would be if we release a bad track. But Christopher turns out in an experienced way what he knows best: relaxed deep house with a melancholic touch.
B2_Christopher Rau_Athens: What a rumbling tune! One definitively should play 'Athens' on a good sound system to enjoy its profound sub bass. And dear Dj's: Please don't underrate it just because we placed it on position 'B2'. Played at the right time this track can work on the floor as well as the other ones.

Canadian producer Kevin McPhee made his Idle Hands debut back in 2011 with 'Sleep' and 'House 44'
Over a year on, he returns to the label with two floor friendly, house leaning cuts.
A- side 'Unwind' takes the bumping bottom end and swung drums of early Sneak and pairs it with punchy horn stabs and an
infectious vocal hook.
B-side, A-Jam is slightly more subdued but equally as jacking with McPhee's trademark loose percussion providing the foundation
for lush Uk house pads and a heavyweight bassline.

For the inaugural House Masters release of 2013, Defected are proud to present a retrospective compilation celebrating the work of one of house music's true originals; House Masters Charles Webster. Featuring 22 of his productions and remixes - with an additional 14 tracks included on the digital version - the compilation is almost entirely comprised of brand new reedits and remixes and previously unreleased material, including new versions of Furry Phreaks 'Lament For A Dead Computer Part 1', Charles Webster & Cathy Batistessa 'I Am The Sun' , Charles Webster's 'forget the past' and Jullian Gomes featuring Bobby 'Love Song 28' (Charles Webster Live Mix)
Charles Webster is one of the best-loved music professionals of his generation. DJs love him for making their jobs easier, producers love him for the inspiration he provides and his loyal fan base love him because they can trust him to deliver time and again. After twenty-odd years it's fair to say that Webster has proved himself an essential, consistent innovator in the often fickle world of electronic music.
A true innovator in the scene, Charles Webster is one of the few real mould breakers in an increasingly predictable dance music world. He has sold over 200,000 albums without ever being considered a sell-out, has toured the world with a full live band while regularly DJing worldwide, all of which he has achieved without ever having had the need to be feted by the dance media as a 'flavour of the month'.

House Masters Charles Webster attempts to capture the eclectic, inspirational and peerless body of work of this masterful producer in a single compilation; a bold undertaking but one it undoubtedly manages to accomplish.

With no less than 20 exclusive tracks - some of which are brand new edits of some of his best-known records (all tracks are also lovingly remastered ) - House Masters Charles Webster truly spans the entire breadth of his career, affording the listener a complete view of the illustrious producer. The collection includes early works like the re-edited version of Webster's 1994 classic under his Furry Phreaks guise 'Gonna Find A Way' and Presence's stunning 'Better Day', right up to Webster's brand new 2013 Recalibration of his and Cathy Batistessa's 'I Am The Sun'. Other inclusions are either previously unreleased (Lo:Rise 'Life Goes On', Charles Webster's 'tubes' etc)) or have never previously been available digitally (Presence's 'getting lifted).

House Masters Charles Webster is an intimate collection detailing the exceptional artistic range of one of the UK's most remarkable producers, and is an essential purchase for life-long fans and newcomers to his genius alike.
CD1








(Charles Webster Club Mix 1)

Memory Mix)




CD2


Webster Live Mix)

Webster 2013 Recalibration)


Webster's Deep Dream Vocal)

Vocal Mix)

Crazier Mix)

(Charles Webster Dub)

Webster Mix One)


Webster's Love From San Francisco Mix)

DJ support from; Axel Boman, Midland, Auntie Flo, Deep Space Orchestra, Chicago Damn

The second Ep on Tief Music takes a slightly different approach incorporating african influences and sounds. Prophets of the south is the production project shared by Cape Town native 'Esa Mervin Granger' and Glasgow's 'Ooft'.

Ooft, already an established producer in his own right releasing and remixing on labels such as 'Instruments Of Rapture' and 'Lets Play House' and Esa, one half of the 'Auntie Flo' live show, who is fast becoming recognized as an innovative solo beat maker producing 'african influenced' deep house and releasing on labels such as Burek and his own Rememory imprint met in Glasgow when Esa relocated there from Cape Town a few years back.

Esa's African influences and talent for live percussion coupled with Ali Ooft's masterful production skills have come together to create some truly original pieces of music.

A1 - The title track 'Ek Maak Julle Dance' means 'I make you dance' in Afrikaans, and it does exactly that. Its uses off beat chord staps along with hypnotic synth sounds to conjure up a ravey afro-house track well adapt for a peak time dance floor

B2 - Portable is originally from the same area of Cape Town as Esa which made him a fitting choice for remix duties. His mix of 'Ek Maak Julle Dance' offers an alternative mood to the original. Portable (aka Bodycode) employs his masterful production skills and programming to create a slightly off kilter but incredibly addictive and mesmerizing track that slowly progresses cleverly capturing the feeling and soul of the original.

B1 - 'Boesman Lambada' is a beautifully deep, melodic, rhythmic track which combines lush synths with tuneful Marimba melodies and an eerie lo-fi vocal sample.

B2 - 'Die Plain' is a slightly more up beat but equally atmospheric track harnessing a powerful driving bassline, sparing vocal samples and irresistible rhythms so typical of South African produced house music, a perfect example of two sounds coming together and meeting in the middle.

Paris Club kings, Concrete, unleash a series of Textures, representing their diverse and hugely popular events ....
The label say, in a cool french accent : "TEXTURES I, is a collection of tracks produced by foreign and French artists. All have played at CONCRETE and they all try here to transcribe in their respective styles, the atmosphere of these Sundays on the bank of Port De La Rapée. In this second part we emphasis Techno music which is a huge component of the party... "