Da Funk - Weekend Rubdown

A pretty straightforward slab of instrumental house here, in what for Da Funk is a slightly more big room style than normal… but not in a horribly cheesy way or anything. It's just big and chunky a a tiny bit proggy.

Weekend Rubdown in its Original form is all dramatic, building synths and steady, pulsing bassline: it's got White Isle written all over it. Mastercris's remix takes us slightly deeper, and then the Ricky Inch Galactic 77 Remix goes deeper still and flirts ever-so-slightly with nu-disco.

All told, a package that's worth checking, with Ricky Inch's rub getting my vote. If we were voting, that is.

Out: Tomorrow (July 29), officially, though it's been available as a Beatport exclusive for a few weeks.

About: Da Funk is the boss of the excellent Acryl Music label, but this actually comes atcha on Dave Storm's Cabrio imprint, who are based in Estonia.

Yukio Berghholdt - Future Diamonds

Evening all... gonna keep this short and sweet cos I'm not really in the mood, for various reasons I won't bore you with... still, the show must go on eh?!

So on to Future Diamonds, which is the latest from Ooze Recordings. It's another very deep number, although this time more from a deep techno/minimal rather than a deep house perspective. It's quite blippy and glitchy, and we're definitely talking warm-up/comedown fodder rather than a floor-filler (except maybe in specialist minimal clubs?) but s'good. Not my favouritest release of the year or anything, but good.

Just the one mix promo'd, don't know about the full release...

Out: This week

About: This is the 19th release from Ooze, who are based in Wolverhampton and who seem to cover quite a broad spectrum of house, techno and prog... but their tracks are always worth a listen, at least! Find 'em online here.

Rich Jones - Components For The Journey EP

Not sure I've featured anything from the Greta Cottage Workshop label on here before… they send me various bits n' bobs but it's usually been a bit too much on an arty/weirdy downtempo/leftfield tip for me. This EP though is more in a slo-mo house kinda vein… it's slow, it's mellow and it's so laidback it's horizontal, but it's house (of sorts) all the same methinks.

Just when you thought it couldn't get any deeper than the Anton Lanski record below!

So yeah, four tracks, all of 'em definitely aimed at post-club listening, but all round it's an EP that's definitely worth checking.

Out: Friday (July 30)

About: As I said, this is on Greta Cottage Workshop, who I don't know a lot about cos as I say, other releases haven't grabbed me as much… but anyway, they're based in the UK and here's the website so you can find out more. They say their "sole purpose is to get great unheard electronic music out into the world" and you can't argue with that, really...

Anton Lanski - The Common Language EP

There are no fewer than four tracks in a total of eight mixes on this EP, so I'm not gonna go into every one of them... suffice to say if you want it proper, proper DEEP then this is gonna be right up your alley! Head for Kuroi for laidback late-night pleasures, or Sturme for something a little techier and more dancefloor…

Out: Today!

About: Yeah, another winner from the ever on-point Etoka stable… obligatory website link here

Dekata Project - Your Number/Shake It Up

This is about as poppy a release as you're ever gonna get on TIWWD, but then this blog's meant to be non-genre-specific so that's okay, I guess...

Your Number features a vocal from Natalie Williams – one of the great under-rated soul voices of the current generation, since you ask. In its original form, it's a lo-slung, funk-dance-pop groover that will appeal to those who dig, f'rinstance, Crazy P, or Roisin Murphy's solo output. It then gets a stutter-tastic percussive makeover courtesy of Zed Bias in his Maddslinky guise – this mix is aimed most directly at UK funky floors, with its fat squelchy b-line, but is surely upbeat and energetic to also have broader appeal...

Rounding out the EP is Shake It Up, another pop-dance offering, this time featuring the near-falsetto (female) vocals of Neo Joshua. One for the summer BBQs and Brand New Heavies fans.

Out: Now (but only quite recently, don't panic)

About: I've told ya about Dekata Project before… but here's the website if you missed it.

Andy Compton - The Plan

I've bemoaned* a few of Andy's more recent releases for going too far down that noodly kinda avenue where 'soulful' = 'a bit wishy-washy'. No such complaints here.

Instead, The Plan is a deep-as-you-like deep houser, with a spoken vocal from some black dude about police harrassment sitting atop crisp beats and more of those luvverly pads we just can't get enough of. The beats in question are kept minimal on the brace of Andreas Saag mixes, or are more rolling on the Rurals Mix; the latter also features some of those dreamy wah-wah'd jazz-funk geetars that have become something of a Compton trademark in the past coupla years, and so would be my choice for late-night listening.

Out: Good question. Now-ish, I think, but they didn't specify an exact date.

About: This isn't on Peng for once but rather on an Australian label called Deepermotions, who I've not come across before… BUT they've had stuff out also from Matt Bandy (of This Is Why We Dance - The Record fame) and, while they don't seem to have a website as such, they HAVE got a Soundcloud page where you can HEAR THIS FOR YOURSELF. Hurrah!

*mostly in private, though I've said as much to Andy himself so don't mind saying it here

Holger Flinsch - Sultans Im Tanzcafe

I wasn't sure I was gonna review this cos it's a bit more proggy than I'd normally go for… only then iTunes happened to wander onto it the other night while I was doing something else, and it really got under my skin.

There are two tracks, Sultans In Wind and and Ein Sonntag Im Tanzcafe, with two mixes of each. And probably the reason I wasn't grabbed immediately is that this is the kind of slow-burning, dreamy fodder that needs to be heard in full, to really appreciate it.

Actually, to REALLY appreciate Sultans In Wind, you'd probably want to be in a field or big dark room somewhere, feeling a little 'altered' circa 4am as it came pumping out of a very large rig. Just close your eyes, forget the world, forget the people, forget your name… get lost in the music, baby. Yeah. Ein Sonntag Im Tanzcafe, meanwhile, is like the same kinda thing, if Georgio Moroder and The Grid had collaborated on it.

Remixes come from Gabriel Le Mar and Shabu Vibes, respectively, but neither does anything that different; never mind, cos this is still tough, driving, epically-inclined house done the way it should be.

Out: This week

About: This is only the second release on new German label Spielstaub. Find out more and HEAR THIS at their MySpace.

Gorge - Freaky Flies EP

Anything new from Marc Romboy's Systematic Recordings is usually worth checking, and so it is here with this three-tracker from Gorge.

The three tracks are called Houseflies, Time Flies and Humming Fireflies, and operate largely in what I guess you'd call the tech-house arena. Houseflies is yer basic percussive chugger and doesn't do much for me; Humming Fireflies is better, a more flowing affair with some nice old-skool keyboard stabs.

But what's winning it a coveted TIWWD reviews slot is Time Flies, which puts snippets of jazzman chat over swung beats and deep, meandering keys… this is the one for the deep house floors, with a distinctly west coast kinda feel.

Out: This week

About: Gorge runs the labels 8-Bit and Katchul and has provided remixes for Solomun, Chelonis R Jones and Steve Lawler, among others. This single follows on from a recent album called Mood, apparently… there's a profile of him on Resident Advisor, and here's his MySpace.

As for Systematic, find them here.

Bass Clef - Hey Ya EP

A simple two-tracker here from Fresco Records, a label I'm not 100% sure I've come across before though this would appear to be their 28th release.

Tough, techy house is the order of the day on A-side Hey Ya itself, which should keep floors chugging along nicely. B-side The Dub Lesson, meanwhile, is in a similar vein but slightly sparser, and reminds me of Strictly Rhythm's trackier output circa 1990-91. It does have a certain skank to it, as well… insofar as a tech-house track can, anyway.

Out: This week

About: Apparently Bass Kleph is one of Australia's top 10 DJs… who knew? He's also prone to wearing singlets, which is never something I'd advise personally but there you go. Anyway, you can find out all about him at his website or MySpace. Or you can find out more about Fresco by clicking here.

Bruno From Ibiza - It's Your Time

A male voice speaks, telling you not to worry about the future, it's your time, over a backdrop of squelchy 80s-style bass and pads that echo off into forever… It's Your Time is a proper floataway late night number and no mistake, guv.

It's accompanied by a Deep Dub, which isn't particularly any deeper but does lose most of the vocal, and a Master Dam Greg Cilhune Remix, a very different, percussion-led workout for bigger dancefloors… but I'd stick to the original if I were you.

Out: This week

About: This is on Conya, part of the Clubstar family out of Germany. Their actual website appears to be offline at the mo' but here's the Conya MySpace.

Stephen Rigmalden - Your Love Keeps

Might as well stick with 'soulful things beginning with S…'! This one comes from Californian DJ, producer and Soso Deep label owner Stephen Rigmalden.

Whether it's Rigmalden himself singing isn't made 100% clear, but yeah, Your Love Keeps is a male-vocalled affair. It comes in four mixes, although for some reason the Deep Mix seems to have gone walkabout… in the meantime, the Original has quite a nice old-skool trippy/floaty feel to its little synth squiggles and the Afro mix will suit those soulful clubs/jocks currently getting all excited about the South African stuff, but for me the Dazzle Drums Remix is the one. It's got that kind of deep-meets-prog feel that's also quite current right now (as well as the SA stuff I mean), and would work equally well in the specialist clubs, or as warm-up fodder for a broader range of DJs (on the White Isle in particular, methinks).

Out: This week

About: This ISN'T on Rigmalden's own label, but rather on London-based Centric Music, whose website might magically appear in your browser if you click with your mouse roundabout… ooh, here, say.

Steal Vybe - Passion In Me

Not had anything particularly "soulful" on here for ages, which says a lot about how my personal listening tastes have altered over the past couple of years… but there are plenty of people out there who still love the soulful stuff and this is certainly a pretty strong example of the genre.

There are four mixes in total on the full release, but only two promo'd, Ezel's Remix and Ezel's Dub. The tune itself some of you will know - it was first out in 2005, in fact I'm pretty sure I reviewed it in iDJ at the time. The new rubs marry shuffling percussion with some crazy squealin' and squallin' Hammonds that sit quite subtly in the mix; of the two I'm preferring the Dub, cos it brings those organs a little more to the fore.

Out: This week

About: Not much I should need to tell you about King Street, but here's the website just in case.

A/D/S/R - DJ Whore

A/D/S/R are a Brighton duo who've had stuff out previously on Toolroom, among others, and here they deliver a three-tracker for Thessaloniki's Erase Records.

The title cut is a rolling, looping house groove with an infectious 'ba-da-da-da-da' female chorus (think of The Muppets doing Phenomenon). S'good – and you gotta love that faux-Bronx accent on the occasional spoken drop-downs - but it's the Wasabi Remix which is getting my vote, a tuffer disco-tech rework in a Sneak-ish kinda style.

Rounding out an EP that's well worthy of your attention is Cantaloupe Island, which is a reworking of the Herbie Hancock jazz standard (as sampled by Us3 and used on various adverts), and which lends a nice playful air to proceedings.

Out: This week

About: Erase Records are, as I mentioned, based in Greece; this is the label's 122nd release no less, and you can find out more by visiting their MySpace.

The Odd Couple - Lady Shaker/Grass Roots

After all that moody Berlin tech-house here's something altogether jollier and more organic.

Not sure I've ever featured a Jalapeno Records release on this blog before – and they're probably not speaking to me anyway, after I only gave the new Max Sedgley album 6/10 in iDJ – but this is in line with the label's recent 'less breaks, more funk' kinda direction. Two summery, good-time grooves from the pairing of Sneaky Fox and Ernesto Picaro, with Grass Roots a little more house-ified and Lady Shaker more just an eminently playable slab of contemporary funk.

Grab this and get down wit yo bad self. Or something.

Out: This week

About: I do actually like a lot of Jalapeno's stuff, the rather disappointing Sedgley long-player notwithstanding! Find 'em on the worldwide web here.

Weichold, Babicz, DJ Earthian

Is it house? Is it techno? That's a question that's harder to answer these days than it used to be, isn't it? And here are three singles that continue the boundary-blurring.

First, Robert Babicz comes with the Remote Kiss EP, which features three new tracks NOT taken from his recent Immortal Changes album. The Sun and Simple Feeling are more deep techno than deep house for sure, but for househeads, the title track Remote Kiss is where you want to be heading.

Out: This week

About: Remote Kiss comes atcha on Babiczstyle: it's his own label, obviously, and this is the very first release. You can HEAR THESE TRACKS at the equally brand-new (and still quite basic) Babiczstyle website.

Next up, Rainer Weichold, whose Reis comes in five mixes and operates in a similar techno-gone-disco kind of arena to classic Dave Angel, Carl Craig or Cajual Records material. You might expect to hear the likes of Derrick Carter or DJ Sneak playing this one.

Out: This week

About: This samples Helge Schneider, who as far as I can see appears to be some sort of German Bill Bailey. And it's on BluFin, a German label I've not come across before; they've had stuff out from the likes of Martin Eyerer, James Talk, Cass & Mangan and John Acquaviva, and you can find out more by visiting their MySpace.

And finally in this little mini round-up there's DJ Earthian, who's apparently one-half of Animaltek but who's making his solo debut with Te-Nos on dubKULT's Living Records label.

Deep, chugging tech-house is the order of the day here as well, with three mixes of Te-Nos plus bonus cut Skrower. The Kife Remix is more a straight-up techno affair but the other rubs should work on open-minded house floors, while the 5:4 Dubbed Mix is particularly interesting because it does, indeed, operate in 5/4 time. Admittedly the track's so stripped and minimal you'd hardly notice the difference, but still…

Out: This week

About: Think I've told you most of what I know, but DJ Earthian is from Azerbaijan via Israel and now lives in New York, if that's any help? Oh yeah and here's the Living Records website, though it doesn't look to have been updated in a while (ha! says Mr Sudden Week-Long Gap... I can't really comment, can I?)

**UPDATE: As per the comment received below... you can now find an up-to-date Living Records website here

Monsieur Electronique - I Really Need You

Let's go nice and deep now with another quality release from Liverpool's under-rated Etoka Records stable.

Don't know much about Monsieur Electronique, though his MySpace tells me he's from Athens and Disco G's says that he's had just one previous single out, also on Etoka. Let's hope there's plenty more to come if it's all gonna be as good as this: I Really Need You is a mellow deep house groove perfect for warm-ups, after-club sesssions or, as I write, lazy Sunday mornings. Four mixes to choose from, though only the slightly more pumped-up and discofied Mikele's In The Morning Mix varies much from the Original. But if it ain't broke, etc.

Out: This week

About: As stated this is on Etoka Records, based in Megacity 0151 - find out more about 'em at their website or MySpace, where you can also HEAR THIS for yourself.

Gerd - For 12 Minutes She Danced With An Alien

Dutch producer Gert-Jan Bijl, AKA Gerd, has been putting out house, techno and downtempo/leftfield records since 1994, though it's really only in the last few years he's come to wider international attention, most notably with 2006's excellent Perspectives long-player.

Here one of his earliest releases - originally forming the B-side of 1995's Arkest's Blaze – gets a 2010 re-release with new mixes by Gerd himself and fellow Dutchman Joris Voorn. Gerd's own 2010 Remix is a chugging, eyes-wide-shut groover with proggy/Balearic overtones, while Voorn scatters just a little more disco dust over it on his Ruff Mix, which has a slightly west coast kinda feel to it.

Out: This week

About: This is on Gerd's own Rejected Music, which he runs with Edwin Oosterwal.

ATP/Inside Man - Lost My Way/Thoughts Can Kill

A split EP here from my favourite under-rated D&B label, Vibration Records.

Lost My Way by ATP is a piece of sheer liquid funk bliss: ethereal and summery, it's a piece of music that should appeal way beyond the D&B soldiers (in fact, that might arguably appeal more to a general audience than it does to the junglist massive, but who am I to say?). Thoughts Can Kill by Inside Man on the B is a headier steppers' number, dubbed out to the max with just a hint of gnarliness to it, but not so much that it'll frighten the horses…

I think Lost My Way is my fave but I do like both tracks… put the two together and it's another fine release from this criminally slept-on imprint!

Out: This week

About: As stated, this is on Vibration Records, a mostly liquid-oriented D&B label based in darkest Essex (or was it Kent? one of 'em anyway). Find out more and HEAR THESE TRACKS by visiting their website, whydon'tcha?

Sonny Fodera - Roadkill EP

The latest from the mighty Drop Music here, and something of a surprise, cos it's a fair bit more accessible/poppy than you might expect. Not in a horrible way, though – only in the way that, say, a lot of Naked or Om stuff used to be quite accessible/poppy.

And if you can leave your cool credible underground prejudices at the door for a moment, you might find this kicks some booty all the same. With a vocal that's got definite R&B leanings, Never Knew in fact reminds me a little bit of classic UKG circa 1999 – you could play this next to, say, Bizzi's Party, and it'd sound right at home. Well, I'd give it a go, anyway. What You Want has a little of that old skool 'house n' garage' feel to it as well, while the Inland Knights Typewriter Mix of the latter sees the boys venturing into electrofunk territory – not to mention giving a cheeky little nod to Ma Foom Bey in passing.

So yeah… not your standard Drop fodder for sure, but definitely well worth checking!

Out: Monday (12 July)

About: Oh come on, you don't need me to tell you about either Drop Music or the Inland Knights. As for Sonny Fodera, he's from Adelaide, Australia and he's had stuff out on Salted before as well as Drop.

Lopazz, Betoko & Zarook - Lopazz & Friends EP

The latest from Get Physical is actually attributed to Lopazz, Betoko & Zarook featuring Imagination but all that would never fit in the box...

Anyway, no major surprises from Get Physical with this squelchy, wonkified Berlin-style houser, but it'll do the do. The lead track is New Dimension, which comes in four mixes, of which my pick is probably the Lopazz & Zarook Vinyl Version, being just a little bit housier and less techy than the rest. You also get bonus cut Mafaldhinha, more shuffly post-minimal Berlin fare, albeit with a little nod to vintage Chi-town in the bassline.

Out: This week

About: You surely know Get Physical by now… Lopazz meanwhile has had stuff out before on both Get Physical and Cocoon, which gives you an idea of the kind of thing to expect here…

Groove Cocktail - Deep Touch

Seamless Black deliver the goods once again with this offering from Poland's Groove Cocktail. It's fairly non-wheel-reinventing deep house fare, but when it sounds as smooth yet driving as this, who's grumbling? Remixes come from Budai & Vic, and the ever-dependable Karol XVII & MB Valence.

Out: Now on Beatport, from Monday (July 12) everywhere else

About: Seamless's website can be found here, or you can find Groove Cocktail on MySpace

Neil Quigley – Atlantium EP

Urbantorque continue their recent run of form with this two-tracker from Neil Quigley, who's had stuff out on Renaissance, Plastic City and Dessous before, as well as (apparently) working with Erland Oye and La Roux.

As you might expect (given the labels mentioned above), what we're talking here is tech-house that veers slightly into prog territory. Only slightly, though. Both tracks are instrumentals and either should keep a locked-on dancefloor moving nicely.

Not much else to say, really.

Out: This week

About: Find out more (and HEAR THIS) at the Urbantorque website

Rio Padice - Sleepless Nights EP

D'Julz's Bass Culture imprint delivers yet another cracker: this is the label's ninth release and I'll admit to having loved every release to date.

There are four tracks in total, called Azimuth, Ghus, Deepstation and Ravestation. We're talking some seriously tracky shit - don't expect big hooks or lots of build n' drop drama, ain't nothing goin' on but a groove here, people. But what grooves they are. Ravestation is the most 'up', Azimuth has a slight scent of disco about it, Ghus has a west coast-ish flava with its bumpin' stop-start rhythms, but it's all good. As they say.

Play this and you'll soon sort out who are the real househeads and who are just the passing pop tarts!

Out: This week

About: More info on Bass Culture at their MySpace or their own blog (you can HEAR THIS at the blog, too)

Cosmic Cowboys - Lost In Berlin

With a title like that, you'd think you'd know what to expect with this. Well, you'd be… almost right.

Room 13, certainly, does the stripped-down, druggy, post-minimal thing that we've come to associate with house music from Berlin. Lost In Berlin itself kind of does, too… but then surprises with a piano riff that owes more stylistically to Italia (whence this twosome hail, don'tchaknow). And then Zossener Str is a different proposition altogether, much more a straight-up deep houser, far warmer than typical Berlin fare and with strong jazz leanings evidenced in its tinkling lounge bar ivories.

All told then, a very solid EP that's not as one-dimensional as its title may make you fear.

Out: This week

About: This is on Dieb Audio, who've put stuff out before by the very respectable likes of Kruse & Nuernberg (both together and individually), Russ Gabriel and Darko Esser - not to mention the excellent Jazzer's Slight Return EP by Adryan that I seem to recall reviewing on here last year. They're based in Athens, describe themselves as a "tech-house, deep house and techno" label and you can find out more from their website or MySpace

Phonic Funk - Northern Lights EP Vol 2

Blimey, has it really been a week since I wrote on here? Sorry peeps, been stupid busy with paying jobs, plus a friend's wedding, plus umpteen trips to the doctors (I'm fine BTW). So not had a lot of spare time! BUT there is light at the end of the recent tunnel of madness, in fact got a few free days next week when I HOPE to have a bit of a bloggin' splurge… once I've caught up with the download mountain anyway...

Anyway, enough of the lame-ass excuses and half-baked promises, what's good and groovy to listen to this week? Well, this, for starters. Normally a release on the mighty Salted would be a cert for the pages of iDJ but this just came in too late. It's still a cracking slab though, with four cuts of house that's a little bit more electronic than Salted's usual lush west coast fare. It's still definitely file-able under 'deep house', though, and still definitely made for moving booties on the dancefloor! Oh and I Want You is a bit more traditional Salted style, as well.

Out: This week

About: Salted Music is of course Miguel Migs's San Francisco-based label, I don't think they've ever released a record that wasn't hot so you should know 'em by now! But here's the website anyway so you can HEAR THESE TRACKS