Russell & Woods – Brothers & Sisters

Now here's a turn-up for the books, as diehard soul boy and Black Vinyl boss Alan Russell teams up with former trance producer Torsten Stenzel (known for his work with Sakin, DJ Taucher and the like)… not a combination I'd have seen coming in a million years.

These days, though, Mr Stenzel is going under the name Jack Woods, and here, he and Alan have come up with a sheer gem of a house tune. The original mix is a funk-fuelled, bass-rumblin' deep house groover, with hand percussion to add energy and a sampled, spoken vocal (from Malcolm X, apparently). Oh, and some flutes too, but NOT, I should add, in an irritating, noodly way!

Sonically rich and with plenty of wiggle in its hips, this will get any house floor worthy of the name moving for sure. Over on the B, the Dub Mix strips things back to allow the bassline and percussion elements to shine through, resulting in a rub that's almost tribal, only without the boring/laddy connotations that word often implies.

Since their relaunch a year or two back, Black Vinyl have definitely been going down the 'quality not quantity' route, and this release is a prime example. Very classy stuff for discerning househeads.

Out: This week

About: The best place to find Black Vinyl these days is on Facebook.