House News

Detroit native Reggie Dokes has been a mainstay of We Play House Recordings since the very early years. The reason for that is simple: his music keeps on moving the mind and soul of WPH boss Red D.

For his latest outing Reggie digs deep into his African heritage, inspired by the godfather or Afro Beat Fela Kuti. Original rhythms, killer stabs and a proud display of his blackness make this E.P. into something that takes house music to a whole other level. Just immerse yourself into this one, no questions asked.

Gerald Mitchell is back on Mother Tongue after the now classic "Another Day" with a new Los Hermanos EP, this time bringing it back to the origins with the Detroit Techno opus "Family".

Recorded in Tokyo with Ian O'Brien, this special extended version has "Anthem" written all over it. Also included is the futuristic tech funk of "Paradigm 4th Shifter" and the intergalactic beatless space jam "Far Beyond Sight".

Another classic in the making...

In great music just like in language in order to express a feeling you have to capture the thought, the experience, the memory, the feeling inside the mind and be able to understand it but in language we often use ready made templates reaching for the nearest possible word and then adjusting our thoughts accordingly. In art or in any accurate or faithful self expression sometimes we have to push a little further than that… beyond the linguistic templates. Sometimes you have to get inside the cracks that exist between the words or at least between the feelings that already have names and you have to kindly blindly and bravely feel your way around and in faithful self expression you go and light up the dark space. That´s a very powerful thing in a world in which we not always have the tools or the context to express the foremost who we are. Music has the unparalleled ability to take all of ones pain, put into a single frame and invite us to relive it with all of the joy of the experience and non of the suffering. Like a wind turbine converts the wind´s kinetic energy into electrical power through art we have the ability to convert the emotional experience, the human experience and convert into sole beauty long after the pain has passed. HDSN is back with his fifteenth studio record full of extra strong pain relievers crafted of a variety of binaural sounds to sooth your body, mind and soul. This record is maybe fashioned for everywhere but the dance floor but that still has the power to make you move and, above all, the magic to make you feel much longer.

Repress

Where it all began! It was only a matter of time before SOPHIE would go on to change music for the better. We will be forever fortunate that our paths crossed and this special record marks a moment in time of endless possibilities. This new issue includes both the vocal and dub versions of NOTHING MORE TO SAY on vinyl for the first time.

Operating from the depths of London’s musical underground since the late ‘90s, Infinity Plus One has been quietly toiling away, letting his music do the talking for the past two and a half decades. Cyphon Recordings draft in the veteran producer for a rare four-track EP of Detroit-infused, future-facing house and techno laced with the compelling lyricism of JaronX.

The Rebellion EP sees Infinity Plus One in some of his finest form to date. Leading the charge, ‘Context is Broken’ opens with JaronX’s poignant and passionate lyric on the state of global media, where sensationalism sells more copies than facts. From there, you dive headfirst into a hit of heavy-duty, contorted house. Crisp hats, punchy kicks and echoing stabs are interspersed with twisted electronics and JaronX’s arresting vocals. A sub-rattling bassline hits you square in the chest taking this neural club cut to the next level.

‘Say The Truth’ follows. A glitching, syncopated roller, woven with an entrancing monologue that is modulated and layered into tripped-out harmonies that echo around your brain.

On the flip side, ‘Identity Keeps Changing’ is a morphing techno weapon, where voices and synthesisers oscillate through different forms with every new turn. Rave-infused synth lines, breakbeats and a warped bassline channel that ‘90s warehouse flavour for a kinetic dose of dancefloor bedlam.

Rounding off the EP, the surging chords of ‘Utopia’ ping between your ears. A pulse that rides the kick drum, as dizzying arps and heavenly strings are layered into the mix to form a transfixing, gravity-defying techno immersion.

Fusing lyricism with the depth and dynamism of house and techno’s roots, Infinity Plus One hardwires meaning within his music. Visceral and thought-provoking, it’s a welcome respite in a sea of conformity.

Octave One continues to visit some classic Never On Sunday tracks with a second installment of their Messages From The Mothership series. This latest 12" finds the pair release two different Mothership mixes of 'The Bearer' and 'Contemplate'.

The pioneering Detroit brothers have shown a different side to their sound with the Never On Sunday project, both back when it was devised in the early nineties, and more recently when they have looked back over some of the project's key tracks and added a contemporary spin to them. Already this year the Burden Brothers have offered up new takes on 'Price We Pay' and 'A Better Tomorrow' as well as dropping brand new cut 'Mirror Image' and now their fine form continues on this latest release on their own 430 West label.

The A-side features a new Mothership Remix of 'Contemplate' from 2022 that unfolds over an epic 11 minutes of enthralling deep techno. The synths bring classic Detroit soul and the impassioned vocals layer in emotion to the sleek, compelling drums. The Instruments Version strips out the vocals and places more focus on the sublime rhythm and drums.

On the B-side, ' The Bearer' from the 2023 album Never On Sunday gets a fresh Mothership Dub. It is another masterful and almost 12-minute journey that rides on compelling drums and is lit up with a majestic vocal that soars up high while the warm, dubby undercurrents keep things moving in dynamic fashion and smeared cosmic synths bring a great sense of scale. A Mothership Instrumentals version closes out the package.
These are for more fresh perspectives on timeless house and techno fusions from the ever-innovative Octave One.

IF YOU CAN READ THIS, YOU ARE A PART OF RESISTANCE.

LONG AWAITED RELEASE FEATURING THE ORIGINAL SCAN 7, THE “TERRENCE PARKER” INSPIRATIONAL MIX AND THE POWERFUL “UR-DETROIT RUSTED METAL MIX…

AS ALWAYS, THERE’S A MESSAGE AND A CALL OF ACTION IN THE MUSIC. NO WEAPON FORMED AGAINST US SHALL PROSPER. “UNITED WE SCAN”!...

Club Pez is Anthony Naples' (me) first dance music EP since the release of OTT/ZTL in 2018.

Produced on the cusp of New York's summer reopening, these five tracks express a state of optimism and excitement for club and dance experiences equal parts real and totally imaginary. As always, at Club Pez, everyone's on the guestlist.credits

Written & Produced by Anthony Naples
Mastering and Lacquer Cut by Anne Taegert @ Dubplates And Mastering
Artwork by Jack Anderson

Vibraphone Records starts the new year with another banger from Basic Realities! Dubtroit is a classic techno hommage to Motor City and it comes around with an stunning remix by the Legend, Mr. "Inner City" Kevin Saunderson! The Vinyl is expected to be out last week of January!

Subwax Excurssions, the trippiest arm of the multifaceted label family pivoting around Barcelona's via-Sweden most active electronic agitators, has a fifth record on the pipeline. After some brilliant efforts -including the comeback of long forgotten Jordan Fields and a brand new album from Rush Hour's new totem Orlando Voorn- the label presents a split record meant to highlight the work of two middle class workers of the club scene whose works are screaming for some recognition. On the first side, Chronophone teams up with Detroit's vocalist Mike Anderson on a Motor City House affair called 'In The Sunset'. The original track goes straightforward to the dance floor employing pounding rhythms and a catchy bleepy bass that serve as the perfect grounding for Anderson's dark vocal intonations. On the other side, Barcelona's JMII -of the duo Aster- show us what he's learnt after signing releases on 100% Silk, Hivern Discs and Mathematics and hits us with 'Leo', an uplifting mix of off-kilter Juno sounds, 707 drum hits and vocal samples extracted from a well known Soul song sampled two decades ago by Rave enthusiasts Altern-8. Germany's House veteran Werner Niedermeier rounds up the release with an atmospheric remix of 'In The Sunset', adding some dramatic strings and round pads and taking Chronophone's original into deeper territory.

House of Hits is a vibrant new DJ and production collaboration between Waajeed and LADYMONIX. Their debut EP, "Work That," seamlessly blends LADYMONIX's Baltimore charm with Waajeed's innovative Detroit finesse, creating a sound that's both nostalgically groovy and refreshingly modern.

After a decade of sharing neighboring studios, this long-awaited union delivers a banging 4 track EP that is sure to light up dance floors worldwide. With their exceptional production and dj skills on full display, House of Hits is primed to be a dance-floor favorite.

Record Store Day repress!


Detroit rooted house tracks from Ladymonix plus a remix from Waajeed.

Mike Grant's Moods & Groves is one of Detroit's strongest deep house torchbearers and it has been for years. Raybone Jones has also been turning out the tunes for years but has kept a low-key profile while doing so. It's been a decade since his last outing on this label but that time hasn't diminished his skills: 'Detroit Driven (feat Bill Beaver)' is a dusty and ramshackle opening groove to get you in the mood and 'The Part We Dance' then layers up loopy broken beats and roughshod percussion with wispy pads that bring a future feel. 'Far From Over' brings some diffuse synth soul and jumbled percussive funk to another lush deep house excursion.

Technically, Yeah. Detroit artists Eddie Logix and Jo Rad Silver alchemize sonic matter on Real, No. The EP emerges from years of creative collaboration and blends each of the artists’ strengths into a deep-house, hi tech jazz, dubby leftfield assemblage straight from the pulse of today’s Detroit.

Since 2017, the pair has been producing tracks and co-curating Technically, Yeah., an influential monthly happening that encourages (Live) electronic musical expression. The duo’s curation is grounded in community, widely genre-diverse and steadfast in commitment to technological experimentation. The Real, No. EP distills this ethos and puts it on wax.

While Jo Rad is known for techno leanings and Eddie for organic jams (recently on Rocksteady Disco,) the two transform beats into substance with a diverse and thoughtfully constructed release. Glued together with attuned mixing from Salar Ansari and cut loud at Archer Pressing in Detroit, the EP’s range puts deep grooves in the bag for every discerning DJ.

AKKA’s Side: “King David” sticks the synthy deep house groove right in gear with a driving, bubbling bassline and floating effervescent vocal chops from and for a special someone. “Mango Strut” offers a slight island twang and dives into a breaky depth of a bracing cathartic arpeggiated, hand drum ecstasy. A vitamin filled chugger.

BEEP’s Side: The duo recorded “June Buggy” the first time they jammed together on a borrowed Juno. This propulsive Italo-ish conga groover is a mechanical piece of action. The record ends by summoning the ancestry of “Callin’ Dybbs,” a textured hi-tech jazz heater. Kasan Belgrave, young-gun horn of known pedigree, lays down the sax. The sultry brass tones lock in with buxom stabs. For those who know and those who don’t yet. This one holds depths!

“Fierce jazz buggin futurism in outerspace” - Luke Una

“Driving and psychedelic and gorgeous hi-tech.” - Peter Croce

“Perfectly crunchy soul squeezed jams begging to be rinsed” - 2Lanes

“Funky, jackin’, atmospheric, groovy, ravey and ethereal”- Father Dukes

“I’m calling dibs on callin’ dybbs!” - DJ Etta

Repress!

V.A. 6 YEARS CéCILLE RECORDS
Long awaited limited Cécille Sampler with 17 tracks of high class producers. 5 LP Box plus mix CD by Uner !!!

Warehouse FInd!

With the back catalogue burned to cinders and the last few dog eared copies at Freerange HQ looking more than a little shabby, here's your opportunity to grab some of the labels highlights on the blackstuff. The complete boxsets have all gone now but you can still buy the box with Part One and add the individual releases. Here we have Part Three including Marcel Wave '27 Holton (Serafin Mix)', Jimpster 'Dangly Panther' & the classic Solid Groove remix of Only Freak 'Can't Get Away'.
TRACK LISTING

Ladies and gentleman, we would like to introduce to you; Nachtbraker (Dutch for Night Hawk). This energetic dude from our hometown might not be a familiar name to you, but don't let that put you off. If you're into the darker shades of deephouse with a serious chunk of funk, have a listen to this. Gute Laune is the track that really captures Nachtbraker's style in all its facets. It starts of modest with basic percussion and a nice bended pad, but when the bassline comes in, every element in the track makes your head bop, ass shake en smile grow. The real kicker is the changeover where the long pads makes way for a set of filtered stabs that give the whole track the energetic vibe it deserves, without going overboard. The whole track just exudes the detailed way Nachtbraker produces his tracks, and we love him for it. Bluebottle is a wholly different animal. This track keeps a lower pace with a crunchy pad and mysterious synth setting the tone. With a lovely ever-changing bassline, a couple of changeovers in the percussion and a clever gate-effect on the pad, don't be surprised if you find yourself humming this tune several hours after the first listen. Last but not least, there's Xantippe. Xantippe is hard to classify because of it's two-faced character. What starts of as an atmospheric broken beat dreamy tune, jumps into a raw burner after the break with a haunting buzzy loop. Bassface-WTF-material for the after hours. Nachtbraker delivers a quality EP that is definitely one for the heads, more than for those in search of peaktime bangers. We're excited to share this solid slice of deephouse that represents everything we started the label for: Great music, no matter where it's from or who made it. Sincerely yours, Lars & Maarten

Santiago Salazar, ladies and gentlemen! Member of Underground Resistance, producer of Los Hermanos, recording artist for Planet E. A biography made in heaven. Macro pulls the most incredible people these days and there's a method to the madness: "Arcade"