A couple of unsigned cuts...

Gonna be a bit quiet on the blog front this week cos I'm up to the eyeballs in iDJ reviews for the Summer issue (out early June)... but been sent a couple of nice unsigned bits that can't really go in the mag so thought I'd give 'em a shout on here.

First up is Jay C & Shena's The Music. I'm guessing this is the same Shena that used to work with Full Intention – sounds like it could be, anyway. This is a full-on vocal 'funky house' cut that'll suit those of us with an inner Unashamed Disco Dolly… yagetmi? Not very hip or clever or cool, but I quite like it. Packed with hands in the air pianos and a wobbly breakdown bit that reminds me of N-Joi's Anthem (one of my all-time favourite records... told you I was unashamed haha). Find out more about In Bed With Space resident Jay-C at www.jay-c.co.uk

Meanwhile Party Time by Polish DJ Matush lifts chunks of vocal from Todd Terry's version of Weekend and sticks 'em over a check-yer-brains-at-the-door funky/electro-house backing. Even less hip or clever or cool than the Jay-C track, but I can see the Poles lovin' it. Which I guess is what it's for. This one comes at you as part of Cardiff-based Grooveland Records's 'unsigned' project so click the link to find out more about them.

Larse - Caveman EP

A three-track EP from Germany's reliable Conya stable. All three cuts are deep house instrumentals, with the title track and Tonic being in late-night, sofa surfing mode*, which leaves it up to My Mind to rock the dancefloor. It's all good stuff, though all three tracks are more solid set-building tackle than out-and-out killers.

*or warm-up fodder, take yer pick

About the label: Conya is part of the Clubstar family out of Deutschland. Roughly speaking (and apologies to those that know) Clubstar tends to be where they put their more accessible stuff, Soulstar speaks for itself (and is my fave), Conya is where you'll find the more deep/druggy/proggy bizniss, and Little Angel turns out a series of sometimes remarkably good albums by artists you seldom hear of again. Have I got that about right Henri?! The label is owned by Italian deep house dons Harley & Muscle and is ALWAYS worth checking: start at Clubstar.net whydon'tcha? And check the album by Defloristics, one of the best multi-genre (house, acid jazz, disco, chill out etc) albums of the past 10 years and CRUELLY overlooked!

Kerri Chandler - Track 1 Revisited

In which Kerri revisits an old track of his called Track 1. See what he's done there?

For me Kerri is one of the best house producers of the last two decades, and probably one of my Top 5 favourite DJs (if I had a 'top 5 favourite DJs', that is), but I'm not gonna wax too lyrical cos I know the guy so it's embarrassing! Anyway yeah, this totally rocks but I'm guessing/hoping you probably don't need me to tell you that. Didn't make the iDJ reviews cut for June only cos it came in way too late - a March release when we were looking for May releases - but if it had come in in time, it'd have been an 8 or a 9 at least. Props must also go to Nadir Simon who blasts his saxomophone over several of the five mixes on offer on this rework/rerelease.

About the label: this is out on Max Trax, which is one of several offshoots of Digital Soul Inc. And Digital Soul Inc is the new label empire run by Rob Wunderman – the man, the legend, the guy who used to run King Street – so you know this is gonna be a stable to check. Hit up www.simplycoolmusic.com to find out more.

Claes Rosen - On My Own EP

Again, this is where this blog comes into its own cos there's no way I could have reviewed these three tracks on iDJ's house pages but they're certainly worthy of your attention. 

I don't even know how to describe Bored, Wonder and Generic Underclass... 'chilled electronica' would come closest I guess. Influences from house, sure, and a touch of the System 7s about 'Bored'... but you'd have to hear the music for yourself. It's post-club comedown/chill-out tackle, if you will, but I hate to describe music in those kinda terms cos it implies you need to have a skinful of illicit potions to enjoy it, whereas really this is just beautiful music that's melodic and dreamy and just nice to listen to. I wish when I was having acupuncture/cupping they'd piped this through the speakers instead of sub-Enya 'new age' drivel.

About the label: Stripped Recordings is a new-ish, UK imprint that I don't know a great deal about, I guess prog/tech/minimal/deep would be the obvious reference points. Can't find a website but here's a list of their releases so far at Discogs. Oh and here's Claes Rosen's MySpace as well.  The music there is more of his dancefloor bizniss but, well, think a chilled version of that and you'll get an idea of the On My Own EP.

Huggy & Dean Newton - 747/Spectrum

Now then, older readers will remember Huggy used to be resident at the legendary Burger Queen in Edinburgh. Lately he's been busy in the studio and has kindly been keeping me up to date with his doings, we reviewed The Dukes in the May issue of iDJ which is why these two didn't make it into June cos we can't KEEP reviewing unsigned stuff! 

Spectrum is a piece of driving techy, almost proggy house while 747 has a slight touch of the current electro, main room sound… and both are pretty good. At the moment they're doing the rounds on very limited promo but keep your eyes/ears peeled and in the meantime hit up http://www.myspace.com/deannewtonandhuggy

Agent Matteo - Get Up

If you like old-skool Chi-town deep you'll love this. Neither track ('Get Up' or b-side 'The Groove') does a huge amount, but what they do do, they do so well... just some nice locked-on grooves for the proper heads!

Agent Matteo is actually Matty Gillespie, who's resident DJ at The Empire in Middlesbrough. I'm guessing Deep Class must be his own label. Find out more at  www.myspace.com/djmattygillespie  

Mr Morning - Tomorrow

Hmmm… not really feeling the original mix here, which sounds like Chris Rea doing minimal, but never mind cos on the flip there's a remix from Nacho Marco, which is more of a straight-up deep house groove that chugs along rather nicely with an ever-so-slight Afro feel to the percussion and some fat synth-bass breakdowns.

About the label: based in Miami, So Sound recordings is run by Fabian G AKA Jazzy Eyewear. Think of it as the Florida Battalion of the East Midlands Deep House Regiment, and you'll get the idea. To find out more visit www.sosoundrecordings.com where – I've just discovered about 5 seconds ago – you can also read the Jazzy Eyewear profile from iDJ, written by some chump…

Butane - Inferno Jack

Okay, here's one I quite like but didn't review cos it's not really a house record. Or is it? It's more like a house-y version of minimal, I guess, with this way out spoken vocal from what sounds like an English woman, though the producer is a Yank based in Germany so go figure. It's also mellow enough for Sunday chill-out type sets I reckon, and it's got some nice pianos which is always a plus in my book. Anyway yeah, it's quite good and it's out on May 11 on Crosstown Rebels.

About the label: shouldn't need any introduction really. Very hip and trendy. Can't say I'm a massive, massive fan but they've been putting out some good shizzle of late so I might have to change my mind on that. Find out more at www.crosstownrebels.com

Oh, and if you like this one, then track down 'Squirrels… Yeah!' by Lunamoth from 2003, a much-overlooked record on a similarly quirky/balearic kinda tip

http://www.discogs.com/Lunamoth-SquirrelsYeah/release/751164

Distant People ft Chappell - Simple Things

Another good record there just wasn't room for last month. Features a soul/R&B-style male vocal from Chappell which is okay – stops just short of that line of being too whiny – but for me it's all about the rolling jazzy keys and wigged out synths of the Kuningas Remix, or alternatively the dreamy, lazy vibes of the the Patrick Green Instrumental, the latter of which will suit those who like it 'deep' more than 'soulful'

About the label: it's on Sofitone, about whom I don't know a great deal but their website is at www.myspace.com/sofitone

iDJ magazine

Oh and I forgot to mention iDJ's own website which is www.i-dj.co.uk. Click on 'shop' and you can subscribe (hint hint) or sign up for the snazzy new digital version.

S-Groove – Lisbon Sunrise/NYC Haze

This is exactly the kind of thing this blog is for… a great record that just came in too late for inclusion in the house pages of iDJ. And that was last month, so it's certainly too late for this issue… but it's worth talking about all the same.

Forensic Records is always a label worth checking if you dig that kinda borderland between deep house and prog. Their stuff is generally quite dark and druggy and yes, a bit proggy, but also nice and chunky and funky – perfect eyes-wide-shut dancefloor tackle. This is no exception, though I've gotta say I'm feeling the drifty synths of 'Lisbon Sunrise' more than 'NYC Haze', which doesn't quite DO enough for me.

S-Groove, by the way, is a lad from Belfast called Sean Grieves, who had an earlier record also on Forensic called 'Feel Your Soul'. 

About the label: Forensic is run by Scott Bradford, a man I've had the pleasure of dealing with for, ooh, about 14 years now, since the days I edited a Manchester magazine called Metropolis and he was running what was then quite a new (but already quite successful) club night called Shindig. Actually I should stress it's not JUST Scott but he's the chap I deal with, and a very nice bloke he is too! Anyway, visit their website at  http://www.forensicrecords.co.uk/ 

My first blog post (woohoo!) and a little bit about me

Hi, welcome to my new blog This Is Why We Dance.

The blog name is taken from a very, very, VERY good record by Deep House Souldiers. It's one of my all-time faves and if you need any more explaining than that as to what this blog is about, then it's probably not the blog for you.

As a reviewer for - actually Associate Editor of, dontchaknow, but that's not important right now - iDJ magazine here in the UK, I get sent tons of music. Some of which is actually quite good :-) but unfortunately we can only fit about half the good stuff into the magazine pages. Plus I get sent things that don't really fit my iDJ reviews brief: for iDJ I write about house but I also get sent some nice minimal/techno, D&B, cosmic disco etc. So all the good music I get sent that can't fit in iDJ, well, it can find some lurve here.

I also reserve the right to wibble on about older music that I love, moan about the state of the world, and generally prattle on. It's my blog. No-one else has any say over/input into/control over its contents. We're all equal in cyberspace baby, yeah! Or something. You get the idea. Remember, you don't have to read it. But I hope you will.