TIWWD has a new home!

I promised you some exciting news… well here it is.

As of today, this Blogspot blog will no longer be updated. Instead, you can follow This Is Why We Dance at the new, much simpler address of:

www.thisiswhywedance.com

This 'old' blog will still be here so that the links many of you label types have kindly posted to reviews will still work.

But all existing content has been ported over to the 'new' site and that's where all new updates will be going as of today, so please update your bookmarks etc.

So many tunes, so little time 35

Here we are then, the last day of 2012. And for once, what with it being Xmas and hence a quiet week for releases, I actually got through most of the stuff I wanted to tell you about last week… but here are a few other bits n' bobs that are worthy of your attention.

First up is Claes Rosen's Starlight. You may remember this spangly, Balearic-leaning and slightly poppy nu-disco gem from a Spring Tube V/A sampler back in the spring… if not no worries cos it's now getting a full single release complete with new mixes from Acryl boss Da Funk, Latvia's Blood Groove & Kikis and Chile's Aerotek. For deeper thrills, it's the BG&K and Da Funk rubs you want to be heading for.

Next, the Soul World EP comes from Georgia Cee and is the first release on a brand new Italian label called Soul Town Records. Georgia was 'discovered' by Timmy Regisford and has worked with Quentin Harris, which should give you a pretty good idea what to expect here… as the hype sheet says, "fans of Shelter and Body & Soul, rejoice"! Of the EP's four Latin-tinged cuts, Fallin' Down stands out for me.

On an even mellower tip, Ir.Replaceable comes from Losing Rays on Incepto Smooth, and is a beautiful slice of downtempo/ambient electronica topped off with a blissed-out female vocal… with B-side Touch venturing even further into all-out ambience.

At the other end of the spectrum, Lyle Quach is a producer you can always count on for some jacking deep/tech house grooves and Check This Out is no exception. Pascal Daze's remix goes a little harder/techier, Aldo Del Rey's a little deeper, so a range of floors should find it in themselves to move to this one, which comes on New York's Yellowjax Recordings.

Finally, a couple of nuggets on a D& B/dubstep tip. Coming on Section 8 Dub, Agari Tachi by Malicious is as deep, dark and minimal as it gets, and definitely worth checkin. B-side Peter Kurten collab Mitochondrion is a little too hard and industrial-sounding for these ears, but not to worry because there are more deep, minimal D&B delights to be found on the Tenderness EP by Mechanical Pressure, a two-tracker coming from the ever-checkable Plush Recordings.

And that, dear readers, is it for 2012. I'd do some big end-of-year spectactular but, y'know, places to go, people to see, etc. So it just remains for me to wish you a most exuberant NYE and I'll see you on the other side… and DO check back tomorrow cos I've got some very exciting news for ya.

Happy new year!

Various – One Year Of Frole

A couple of weeks back I reviewed a single by Desos on Frole Records, which was the first time I'd heard of the Italian label. Following that review they very kindly sent me this compilation, which is being released to mark them reaching their first birthday.

I'm very glad they did, too, because this rocks. "Proper deep house in various shades" is the basic story, supplied mostly by artists you probably haven't heard of (unless you're more on-the-ball than I am, of course!) by with some familiar names – Kevin Griffiths, Moodymanc, Hector Couto, The Echonomist – cropping up on remix duties. Ellroy's Everything, which does strange, downtuned things to Whitney's Love Will Say The Day vocal, is one highlight; Echonomist's early 90s-tastic refix of Kevin McCallister's Swing Piomb is another, LDF vs Lostrocket's Loose In Mind yet another. Oh, and Gastek's laidback, organ-flecked Grey Crystal another.

You getting the idea yet? When I say "this rocks," I mean it rocks from start to finish. Go seek.

Out: This week

About: You can find Frole Records at their website, on Facebook or on Soundcloud.

Sunshine Jones – We Are What We Are/Come To Me

A new EP from Dubtribe Soundsystem man Sunshine Jones here – and one that might surprise you.

Because on We Are What We Are it's OUT! with the winsome, soulful loveliness and IN! with a big chunky b-line, tuff beats and a spoken male, poetry-style vocal. Come To Me, presented here in two mixes from Nicko Vee and Jones himself, similarly sees him looking to contemporary European sounds for inspiration.

Both tracks are taken from Jones' recent Belle Ame Electronique album, which came out in November and which I must admit got overlooked when it landed – I was busy and, y'know, I'd had enough of all that winsome soulful loveliness, truth be told. On the evidence of this EP, I'm gonna need to go back and check that album again…

Out: This week

About: This comes on King Street Sounds, who live here and here (web, Soundcloud)

Ruben Mandolini – Slevin

More dancefloor-oriented tech-house frolics here, courtesy of Riva Starr's Snatch! label and Italian producer Ruben Mandolini.

Both Slevin itself and Forget About It are hi-octane, prime-time pumpers with more than a hint of disco, while Fonky Death works a more stripped-down, jackin' groove altogether. The latter's also accompanied by a drum-tastic 'DJ tool' mix.

I've love Fonky Death more, were it not for the angry-sounding man who keeps shouting "Funky crowd out there!" in a rather annoying fashion. Even taking him into account, though, what we have here are three solid bets when you need to keep 'em moving.

Out: This week

About: You can find Snatch! on Soundcloud, on Facebook or at their website.

OR'L – Confusion EP

A five-tracker here from France's OR'L on F*** House Music that, as is often the label's wont, fuses (deep) house and (nu) disco vibes.

Confusion itself leads the charge, a low-slung, pulsing, sleazy nu-disco groover with a wibbly, trippy synth topline reminiscent of N-Joi's Anthem. Bougie Solitaire is house with disco edges and reminds me a bit of Direckt's 2 Fat Guitars in a weird kinda way, while Tools 890 is a more straight-up deep/tech house jam with some jazzy, lounge-y flourishes.

Finally, you get two mixes of Disco Sluts: the original's long on space disco synths and wukka-wukking geetars underpinned by a solid, if understated walking b-line, while Will Berridge flips the script and turns it into a dubby, afterhours excursion that for me is actually the pick of a very fine EP.

Time to get your shimmy on, peeps!

Out: This week

About: You can find F*** House Music (sister label to Sleazy Deep, dontchaknow?) on Facebook and Soundcloud, or at their own website.

Groovebox – Gangster

Needn't detain you long with this one, cos what we have here are some straight-up pumpin' tech-house grooves aimed fair and square at the dancefloor. And once you've said that, what else is there to say?

I guess I could tell you that the track's predicated (vocally) around that Henry Hill "as far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be a gangster" sample from Goodfellas. And I could tell you that the original's a bass-y, push-y affair while the Johnny Kaos remix strips things back a few notches to fashion a vaguely Sneak-y roller.

But yeah, "pumpin' tech-house grooves aimed fair and square at the dancefloor" just about covers it.

Out: This week

About: This comes on Italy's Deeperfect, who are quite good at all that tech-house malarkey, y'know. Find 'em on Soundcloud or Facebook, or hit up the home page of parent label Sound4Group.

KANT – Burn, Hurt, Touch EP

An EP of typically cerebral/leftfield house grooves here from Denmark's Gartenhaus.

Just to make life a bit easier, the three words in the EP title are actually the names of the three tracks involved. Burn is a dubby, chuggy deep/tech affair, but definitely one more aimed at discerning grown-ups rather than dancefloor drug monkeys; Touch is an ever-so-slightly more upbeat number with subtle disco stabs and a nice big throbbing b-line.

But the standout, as with yesterday's Switchbox single (below), is a cut that draws heavily on a classic from days gone by. In this instance, it's the slow-pulsing, Balearically-tinged Hurt, which lifts a hefty chunk of vocal from Carly Simon's Why. To great effect, it must be said!

Out: This week

About: You can find Gartenhaus on Soundcloud, on Facebook or at their own website.

Paolo Marturano – I'll Be Waiting For You

Seems like a while since we heard from Chester-based Muchiq Records, but here they come again now with a surefire floorburner courtesy of Italy's Paulo Marturano.

There are three mixes to choose from. The Original is a deep, techy house throbber with one SERIOUSLY chunky b-line, a neat wibbly synth topline and a male voice intoning "I'll be waiting for you, there's nothing else I can do." One to drop in those heads-down, locked-on moments in the wee small hours. The Forshure Remix ups both the BPM and the tech factor a notch or two, while Dansco's rub adds busier percussion to give the track a driving, proggy, almost tribal feel; both retain that same mantra-like vocal.

It's the original that stands out for me, but with the other two mixes in tow you've got the ammunition to slay a range of floors. Go get 'em.

Out: This week

About: You can find Muchiq on Soundcloud, on Facebook or at their own website.

Mirock – Hot Ice Cream EP

Two tracks of muscular, jackin', funk-fuelled house/techno here, courtesy of Macedonian producer Mirock.

Hot Ice Cream itself is the techier of the two cuts, an uncompromising fierce rulin' diva of a tune that you could equally well imagine hearing early doors at Trade back in the glory days, or at 6am in some dubious warehouse now. Er, probably. Complications, on the other side, is a tad housier but just as fierce and firing.

Both should serve your dancefloor-moving purposes admirably.

Out: This week

About: This comes on Artefact Records, who are also from Macedonia and who can be found on Soundcloud, on Facebook or at their own website.

Switchbox – When It's Hot

Three very different mixes on offer on this newie from German duo Switchbox.

In its Original form, When It's Hot is a midtempo, lolloping deep/tech groove with one of those currently trendy treated vocals ("when it's hot, you must go outside"), while a remix from Australia's Jamie Stevens takes us into more plinky-plonky wonky experimental techno pastures. The reason it's here, though, is the remix from French twosome Solead, which transforms the track into a squelching synth bass-astic nu boogie workout, then puts the vocal from Rick James's Give It To Me Baby over the top.

It's only reasonably clever, perhaps. But it is definitely is BIG.

Out: This week

About: This comes on Open Records, who can be found here or on Facebook.

Sound Gypsy – Way I Feel EP

Having warmed up with all that deep stuff, time to move towards the floor now with this latest from Sound Gypsy, aka Dobara Music boss Harsh Puri.

There are three tracks in a total of six mixes, so you can't fault this one in the VFM stakes! Way I Feel itself is in its original form a chunky deep/tech houser, done in that very 'now' stylee but tempered with soulful vocal samples and killer space disco stabs. SION's remix then dubs things right out in quite a satisfying fashion.

The original version of Just Like That has more of those ace stabs over a more upbeat backing, with some rave-y keyboard stabs thrown in for good measure, while the Rafael Cerato remix heads off again into dubbier but this time also into slightly proggier territories. Havens & Hart perform a similar dubby trick with Everybody Keep On Movin' but here it's the original that stands out for me – a wicked little slice of soulful, disco-fied deep house done properly, with boogie-era male vox and lashings of fat bass.

So that's: Just Like That for the youngsters, the original of Everybody Keep On Movin' for the older heads and SION's rub of Way I Feel for the sofa surfers. Everybody's happy!

Out: This week

About: This comes on Sleazy Deep, who can be found on Facebook and Soundcloud or at their own website.

Geometriae – Subtransformer EP

We stay in Denmark, and stay on a very deep tip, with this three-track EP from Danish producer Geometriae.

"Dub-based techno and deep ambient soundscapes," is how the hype sheet describes Geometriae's style, and they're not wrong. Dubbermann is a bassy, spacey dub techno excursion, Strings Of Space is a sparser, more cinematic/atmospheric ride, while Subtransformer itself is slightly more 'dancefloor', but no less deep n' dubby for it.

Lights out, lay back and enjoy. Nuff said.

Out: This week

About: This comes on a label I don't think have featured on here before, CPH Undersound. Find 'em on Facebook and Soundcloud.

Distortion Inc – Echo Of Tape

We stay in pastures uber-deep now with this newie from Denmark's ever on-point DeepWit Uncovered.

In fact, Echo Of Tape marks one of the label's deepest excursions yet, and that's saying something! Across the EP's three tracks, then, expect warm pads, muted percussion, disembodied vocal snips, tinkling minor-key jazz piano licks – you know the story – all at a tempo that means this EP is best filed somewhere between slo-mo and ambient. And that makes it perfect for those moments when you just want to lean back, shut your eyes and drift off into inner space.

Out: This week

About: You can find the DeepWit crew on Soundcloud, on Facebook or at their own website.

Fraser Owen & Thom Norton – Dominos

Well, that turned out to be a slightly longer Xmas break, blog-wise, than I intended… sorry bout dat. But here we are again now, with this latest from Savoir Faire Musique.

It's a three-track affair, with Owen and Norton supplying a track apiece and collaborating on a third. The joint effort is the title track Dominos itself, a bassy deep chugger with disembodied, echoing vocal samples and luxurious muted kicks. Owen's solo offering is Polaris, a slightly more jaunty number with garage-y organ stabs and an unhurried feel, while Norton gives us Just Beyond The Trees, a deeper-than-deep ride with a male, spoken vocal that's reminiscent of the mighty Gil Scott-Heron.

If you like it a little bit tech-y and very deep, this EP is seriously worthy of your attention. Just Beyond The Trees, in particular, is a killer.

Out: This week

About: You can find Savoir Faire Musique on Facebook and Soundcloud.

Evan Iff – Sweet Babe

Finally for today, we move back into deep house territory with the latest from Jesus Pablo & Di Riviera's Something Different.

In its Original form, Sweet Babe is an interesting mix of influences: the soulful vocal's classic west coast, while the synths and percussion come from a more contemporary deep/tech school of thought. Mix-wise there's a self-explanatory Dub and a typically fine rub from Matches, who puts the vocal through the FX mangle and sparses things right up while adding lots of shuffly top-end. But taking top honours for me is Malin Genie, who gives (give?) us a deeper, sultrier rub.

You won't go wrong with any of 'em, to be fair. But Malin Genie is the one for me here.

Out: This week

About: You can find Something Different on Facebook and Soundcloud.

Jonny Love House – Alfresco Disco

Staying firmly in dancefloor territory, here we have the latest from rising UK producer Jonny Loves House.

It's a four-track affair. Bounce is big, squelchy and lightly disco-fied, and wouldn't have sounded out of place on Credence back in the day. Matter is pacier and techier, Loose pairs a strident, techy riddim with slightly housier leads, while finally Even If – the pick of the crop for me – is all about the big fat bassline, which is augmented by (quite poppy) female vocal snatches and wonky, off-kilter keys.

Should you be of a mind to jack your body this festive season, these four tracks will serve as musical accompaniment admirably.

Out: This week

About: This comes on Jonny's own self-titled label… they live here and here (website, Soundcloud). And also in Brighton, if you must always live so relentlessly in the real world.

Dave Martins – Natural

The latest here from Switzerland's Southpark Records, who've definitely been on something of a roll this past few months.

Label co-founder Dave Martins is the man at the controls, with remixes taken care of by Kenny Ground and Hector Couto. Martins' original of Natural is an atmospheric tech-houser with a touch of deep prog around the edges, Kenny Ground's remix rides much more strident percussion while Hector Couto's rub, the standout for me, filters the drums and takes us into deeper territory.

Another solid dancefloor bet.

Out: This week

About: You can find Southpark Records on Facebook, on Soundcloud or at their own website.

Darren Marshall – Groove Like This EP

More jackin' tech-house grooves here courtesy of Canadian producer Darren Marshall.

Unlike the very drummy Bimas release below though, here the emphasis is more firmly on the house side of the equation. Groove Like This itself tops its fierce percussion with parping sax and Negro-esque space-disco stabs, while We Know Jack veers even further towards disco house territory – albeit in a grown-up kinda way, and still with those rolling techy drums.

Two very solid bets for the slightly slinkier floors, then.

Out: This week

About: This comes on Kozmik Hype Recordings, who are based in Toronto and who can be found on Facebook, on Soundcloud or at their own website.

Bimas – Koala's Rolling

There's a koala, y'see, and he's rolling. I'm not sure how or what he's rolling (down a hill? in the aisles? back the years? up a fatty?) but he's rolling. Bimas says so.

It's long been my contention* that there aren't enough house music records that name-check koalas, so this was forced to get a mention. What does it sound like? Oh, y'know, rolling percussion, atmospheric synths, disembodied vocal snatches, yada yada yada… basically three slices of yer standard issue, perfectly serviceable, if not particularly ground-breaking, tech-house floor fodder.

But come on, it mentions koalas. What more do you want?

Out: This week

About: This comes on Italian label Aealla Music, and is their 14th release. Find 'em on Soundcloud, Facebook or at their own website.

Oh yeah, and Bimas is from Belgium and has had stuff out on Martin Buttrich and Loco Dice's Desolat! before now.

*It hasn't.