House News

After 'Take 1' comes 'Take 2', it sometimes really is that simple... Together with the 'Pre-Take' that came out before the summer this third volume in WPH's 'Our Beat Is Still New' project completes the 12 tracks that form the album.
More members of the core WPH family are on board here, but we also welcome some newcomers to the label.

The A-side opens up with what we have always considered to be the Dresden counterpart to WPH, the Uncanny Valley family of Jacob Korn, Credit 00 and Sneaker. With 'Drum Abuse' the provide the roughest track of the compilation, and one that will have techno DJ's play new beat again... The second track on the A-side comes courtesy of Jacques Renault & Mark Verbos aka Goodnight Moon, giving a serious New York rendition of new beat.

On the B-side we have Social Disco Club and Outlander, both no strangers to WPH, and both very much on point again here. Social Disco Club marries his trademark deep house sound with a new beat feel, and Outlander was pretty much there when new beat started, so he provides us with vintage machine slowness straight from new beat heaven.
Is this the end of it Well, you either know WPH or you don't...

Annanan follows up his strong debut on the Forbidden Planet label with another crunched up techno three tracker on the Pinkman label.

A new collaboration of unknown origins inspired by the mathematical works of Carl Friedrich Gauss. Aptly named after Gauss's birthplace, the Braunschweig EP kicks off this new project and label proper!

We all remembered definition:music 001 Horatio & Katoline - Mi Nombre.
A track remixed by the grand master Reboot himself, which shaken the
things and brought this label into the spotlight. We awaited the
follow up and it came as a warm collaboration between this dynamic duo
(H&K) and the uber producer , DJ , vocalist , Roland Clark .

What i like about these guys is that they always adapted their sound
to fit in. This time they surprised us with a warm , deep , nu disco
sound , a richly textured Eastern European influenced black sea sound
. The Original Mix melds the soft melancholy of much Middle Eastern
music with the rapidly changing structures of contemporary music , and
works beautifully. And btw it gets more seductive with every listen.

B1 ... When you lose a friend is following the same line of slow , deep
, sexy , nu disco rhythm that this ep carries out . From what we
understood this track has a special story , actually being a tribute
to a long lost friend of Horatio. A grand master in martial arts that
was a mentor , a friend, a father figure that helped him guiding into
life. It brought chills on my spine when i heard it and for sure you
can feel a lot of emotions when you listen it.

B2 DJ Le Roi returns after his bomb release 'I get deep' offsetting a
remix with a more traditional electronic sound. His remix is a strong
statement: a full-bodied 4/4 cut laced with slightly deep synth and
half-sung, half-chanted vocals from Roland - all in keeping with the
Middle Eastern feel of the record. The Funky bass chords are perfect
for a dancing-barefoot-in the club because you are too sweated to keep
the shoes in...

The III Rivers juggernaut sets forth once again, release number 4 The Charivari EP, putting Voiceless in the cockpit and leading the charge.

Second Nature sets a dark, sultry and ominous tone as Voiceless deploys a plethora of sounds and moods that resonate with all the tense drama of the label's affiliated club night, Bohemian Grove.
Big laser beam synths dart through a thick pitch black haze while a factory line percussion section hammers on.

Always keeping a foot in the sonic warfare division, we get three locked grooves loaded and ready for battle, funky, electrified technoid wobblers that should fight off most opposition with ease.

Flip the disc and Opt-out opens with a controlled urgency as a barrage of kick drums sets the train in motion. Voiceless layers up rich, untreated piano chords against the backdrop of dark industrial chaos, percussion artefacts career around the mix and various elements are put through an aural meat grinder before the familiar and welcoming piano motif returns like a long lost friend, guiding us through the smoke hand-in-hand. A beautiful juxtaposition of soulful melancholy and cold, glacial machines.

Final track Charivari really hits the accelerator as a tough and mechanical rhythm jolts against blurred, radioactive pads and searing string lines before collapsing into a fractal breakdown introducing mystical, weaving high end leads. An eyes-down fist pumper of the highest order and one that commands excessive smoke & strobe light abuse late, late into the session.

One to close off one of their infamous soirees in style, hoards of mutant dancers leaving the industrial backdrop of the club's venue and crossing paths with the early morning dog walkers and Sunday strollers. Four releases in and we've lost none of the quality control, unique drive and free minded 'true spirit' (to quote Tresor's legendary catchphrase). The label goes from the strength to strength and with it, brings a whole new generation of techno shamans under their wing.

Woodsmen & Lady Log takes a new step into the future with this dynamic and impressive 12' EP from Anders Wasserfall. This norwegian producer has reached status as a solid and qualitative music maker with fine releases on Greta Cottage Workshop among others. His music on W&LL004 is no exception, on this piece of vinyl you find impressive skills, jazzy moods and bouncing beats in a pleasurable blend. Dont miss.

New Ep from Anhura Vinyl, now the artist of this solid Ep are Dsan Powell and Gil Montiel, 3 original bombs plus remixes from the big artists like INXEC and JONNY CRUZ

NOBLE SQUARE brings this amazing 12" featuring two killer house tracks.The title cut is a unique composition that's masterfully crafted around aguitar and brings tons of live energy to dancefloors. On the flip, "AMBIENTJAZ ONE" throws down another blueprint of technologic soulful house music.

Perseus Traxx, aka Nigel Rogers, is returning to Photic Fields with a four track outing. This young Briton has time and time again shown his ability to sculpt soulful soundscapes using the building blocks laid down by Chicago House. Harmony of Elements is further proof of this.

G2014 is over and Downbeat records, is back with a new release.Jose Rico and Urtzi , come back again with another 4 tracks vinyl. "Memories from another life" and "no back memory" are two deep house pearls with minimal sequences and emotional synths made by Urtzi. At the same time, Jose Rico is the responsible for the mechanical and powerful "Aint", and the percussive and ethereal "small island" , probably one of his best tracks so far. And, as they did with that "space is the place" ep, they have made here a consistent release, setting their personal view of the dance music.

Yes, the busiest house label on the planet got another bangin' release ready to drop.
Oxford based Timmy P got a fierce House nugget that will drop hard in clubs where the mood is deep, dark and 100% raw.
The original track "What You Sayin" comes across like an ol' school K.O.T or Nice & Ripe house dub...the sick bassline alone will surely make you bump!
If the original doesn't do it for you we're pretty confident that our boy Chesus will deliver with his killer 90's inspired rework.
Last but not least Timmy teamed up with Stefano Esposito for a sweet and sweaty Garage jam to finish off this fine EP in style

Always hard at work unearthing interesting new projects or forgotten old gems, Opilec Music is now serving up a retrospective compilation of highly esteemed Chicago producer Jordan Field's best work from 1986 - 1991.

Field has been active now for some thirty years (on labels like Rush Hour, Headphoniq and Mo Wax) but his best work was arguably done in his first decade or so. Now Opilec boss I-Robots has been given access to a collection of Field's early recordings and has selected, compiled & conceived this project himself. It will be presented as a full-length album but will also arrive in a few select EP parts, with this being the first one.

Says Jordan about the project "This album is one of my most important works to date, as it contains recordings captured during a very special moment in my life circa 1986-1991. At this point I had much knowledge about DJ culture and the art form of house music, I was a product of my environment. I was young, but I had already experienced so much in my first 5 years of absorbing it all! While that may not seem like a lot of time, you have to understand House Music was not even a decade old at this point. What's important for me to explain is I had already gone through my baby steps by the time I was recording the trax that are on this album. This is the point where I was at the next level, chapter 2." Up first is the classic jack of 'That's How It Is' with its perfectly analogue synths and drums conjuring a warm, human and organic mood. Acid lines and slapping percussion all interact and ooze Chicago house authenticity.

'The Answer' is a much rawer and more dishevelled sounding affair with lumpy, rough hewn drums and crisscrossing percussion that screams to be played loud in a warehouse. 'Future Thought's' is alive with the sound of classic Roland cowbells and shuffling drums. It's deep and mystic and sounds as if it's come from somewhere far off in deepest darkest space. Finally, 'Rhythm of Romance' gets a little sleazy with its tight loops, thumping kick drums and mechanical metal hooks. They sound all out of control but are off set by some seriously sombre chords in the latter half.

Often imitated but never bettered, this is the true sound of Chicago house music in all its forms from one of its finest sons.

After five years of throwing parties under the name Green Villain, the label Green Village was founded in 2014. Their second release, Come Through For Me features a single from New York City based DJ/Producer, Policy. Following his two recent albums on 100% silk in 2013, and Rush Hour in 2012, this will be his last release for 2014. The flip features a more dance floor friendly remix by London based, Thefft which focuses on predominant percussion and off beat bass stabs.

The ICEE HOT label has never been busier, and that active streak is set to continue with another new addition to the roster: San Francisco producer Roche (a.k.a. Ben Winans). Having previously released music on Hieroglyphic Being's Mathematics imprint and 100% Silk, Roche comes to ICEE HOT with quite an impressive resume, and this two­ track outing is the latest chapter in what's quickly becoming an excellent body of work.

The a­-side offers an enticingly tripped­ out journey; full of swirling synths and twisting techno rhythms, "Depths" clocks in at more than 11 minutes in length, but every second is worth savouring. On the flip side, "Seers" brings the proceedings back to Earth with its snapping snares and insistently funky bassline, although the track's alien melodies do keep things enjoyably odd.

Strong Detroit influenced techno EP, feat. remixes by Steven Tang, Stojche & Vidinovski!

***repress in red vinyl***
Brand new twelve where Levon confirms not to be just a 1 (or 2) hit producer, for those who where still in doubt. This is some serious club tracks. Recommended!

Cyber Dance Records are back on the attack with a fresh release from the legendary Perseus Traxx aka Nigel Rogers, a 4-track EP entitled after recent scientific developments 'An Apparent Horizon'. It's a firmly machine-based and totally jam-packed affair reflecting diverse sounds from the UK's own rich history of electronic dance music, with elements from the classic Warp "deep space sound" prominent as much as the more usual 303-jacking acid house grooves in the vein of Baby Ford or Bam Bam. 'Lost Dreams' opens the record with a floaty dream-like hipnosis from the depths of space and sets the tone in magnificent style, followed up on Side A with the irresistible roll of 'Reverse The Trend' that takes the groove harder, further and deeperstraight off to the beyond. Dark strings reminiscent of old LFO, B-12 or Autechre vinyls from the early 90s propel us into Side B on 'Darkness Stalks', and then we're transported onto the concluding track on the EP, 'Distances'; an epic closer that opens with beautiful reverbed claps and acid squelches before diving into an inky black void of timeless space-travelling and slow-building tension that could surely echo hauntingly around any M25 rave in the depths of a late 1980s night.