Mike De Costa - Last Breath EP

And speaking of labels who are so consistently good that I suspect them of doing it purely to annoy me, here's those infuriatingly ruddy dependable 5 And Dime blighters out of the USA's highest city, Denver (which is in Colorado).

I went to Denver (which is in Colorado) once, but I was only 9. All I remember is that it's the USA's highest city. As in above sea level, I mean. Not that they have the best chronic or anything. I haven't been there since I was 9, how the fuck would I know?

Anyway yeah, more deep house music here. Three tracks in five mixes, ranging from the Loft-flavoured percussion groove of the title track to the live-sounding jazz-funkitude of the Rubberlips Remix of Rise to the psychoactive, tech-tinged throb of the Pleasurewave rub of Time, and if you play them to the right group of people, jigging about may well ensue.

Out: This week

About: 5 And Dime blah blah Denver blah blah but none of them are called John blah blah Soundcloud blah blah Facebook blah blah website stop.

Phasen & Refurb – Market Street EP

I've waxed lyrical about 5 And Dime Recordings on many an occasion, I know, but this – this could actually be their best yet.

Coming from a Florida-based duo I've not come across before, Phasen & Refurb, the three tracks/five mixes here all operate in fairly similar territory but omigosh do they do it well. Think the very deepest, dreamiest, dubbiest, most sumptuous of house music yet – crucially – with enough bite in its beat and enough beat-beat-beat in its bones-bones-bones to work on the dancefloor just as well as the sofa. In fact, it's all just generally so 100% goddamn spot-on groovalicious that short of pointing out the two additional remixes come from label regular Loz Goddard and perennial TIWWD faves Karol XVII & MB Valence, I'm not even going to tell you any more.

I'm just gonna tell you that if you consider yourself a deep house lover, you NEED this record.

Out: This week

About: You can find 5 And Dime on Soundcloud, on Facebook or at their own website.

Various – Full Circle EP

A five-track EP of deep grooviness here from the ever-reliable 5 And Dime stable. Actually, I say five-track but now I come to look it seems only three have downloaded – don't remember that happening.  I'll just have to tell you about the three I've got...

So, Quin's You Are It is a dark, moody, slow-paced affair in its Ben A Remix form, a track that owes as much to deep techno as it does to deep house. The same track, as remixed by Maxim Laskavy & Derek Turcios, becomes a dubbed-out deep house workout bordering on chill-out territory, while finally (for me) label stalwart Zach DeVincent's Cabrillo Hwy is a somewhat more uptempo number, but still one aimed fair and square at lovers of the deep… especially lovers of the 'deep with a little bit of prog around the edges'.

Obviously I can't tell you what the other two are like but on the evidence of these three tracks, plus the fact that this fledgling label really haven't put a foot wrong so far, you're unlikely to be disappointed!

Out: This week

About: You can find 5 And Dime at their website, on Facebook and on Soundcloud.

Loz Goddard – Mimic

I wish 5 And Dime would hurry up and release a rubbish record… cos it gets a bit embarrassing when you're singing the praises of a label's every single release. But here they've let me down on that front yet AGAIN, serving up yet another EP packed full of sumptuous deep house goodness, damn them.

This time around, the man at the controls is Manchester's Loz Goddard, who serves up two original tracks that come with remixes from Omar Fayyad (x2) and Quin. And yeah, 'sumptuous deep house goodness' pretty much covers all of 'em but if pushed, then Quin's rub of Move Back and Fayyad's of Mimic itself share top honours for me.

Class in a glass. Now then, lads… how about getting some gnarly electro-step in for the next one so yours truly can have a night off?

Out: This week

About: Denver-based purveyors of all things deep n' luxuriant 5 And Dime can be found at their website, on Facebook and on Soundcloud

Ivan Garci – Sunday Clouds EP

And speaking of 'the deep', few labels currently do deep better than Denver's 5 And Dime Recordings, who this week bring us this EP from Ivan Garci. The EP's made up of three originals, plus a remix of the title cut from label stalwart Zach DeVincent.

Generally speaking, 'very deep house' is the order of the day but looking at the tracks in more detail, Sunday Clouds itself is a midtempo, relaxed kind of affair, flecked with Spanish guitars and "welcome to the summer" vocal samples. The Mindfulness Remix from the aforesaid Mr DeVincent drops the vocal and six-strings, instead using a different vocal sample from a self-help/meditation tape and some nu-disco-ish synth flourishes on what ends up more of a late-night than a sunny afternoon rub.


El Aire then sees us back in Balearic-leaning territory, but this time with slightly crisper, pacier beats and an atmospheric breakdown in the middle, while finally Mi Ventana is a slightly more pumping joint… albeit that's 'pumping' in so far as very deep house ever can be!

5 And Dime on-point as ever, nuff said.

Out: Tomorrow (30 May)

About: 5 And Dime can be found at their website, on Facebook and on Soundcloud. Ivan Garci can mostly be found in Amsterdam, these days, though he originally hails from Barcelona.

Various - It's Like That EP

5 And Dime do it again, with another V/A ep packed with deep house goodness.

Heading up the charge is Tony Rodelli, who supplies two of the EP's four tracks. Lost Love is an atmospheric, near-instrumental groove with drawn-out synth washes, old skool chords and chopped-up male vocal snips sitting atop chugging, rolling beats, while the EP's title track is another slow-moving, moody cut with "it's like that" vocal insertions (nothing to do with the Run DMC track, btw) above mournful chords, glitchy clicks n' pops and a bassline that's got 'mid-80s Easy Street' written all over it.

Elsewhere, Kurtz's Retrostatic continues the Jersey connection with its languid organ-led stylings, while completing the EP is a surprise appearance by none other than Bid Muzik boss Sean Biddle, who here leaves the hi-octane disco-house alone for a minute and shows he knows how to move the more underground floors as well, The Chicago Blueberry being a tuff deep chugger with a male voice namechecking the Windy City on a loop throughout and synths that nod, just a little and to these ears anyway, to Guerrilla-style progressive house circa 1992/93.

Four solid, driving cuts best suited to afterhours action in dark basements, with Kurtz just edging it for me.

Out: This week

About: Denver's 5 And Dime can be found at their website, on Facebook and on Soundcloud. Incidentally I've just noticed them saying some very kind words about this blog on their Press page, so thanks guys!

Various - Guilty Birds EP

More seriously deep goodness here from Denver's 5 And Dime Recordings. Once again, it's a V/A EP featuring the usual label suspects: F Stop, ben A, Mateous and Zach DeVincent.

ben A is up first with Signals, a driftaway late-night groover sporting analogue synth washes, birdcalls and sampled NASA Mission Control dialogue. Next, F Stop's Luna is an ominous slab of deep techno with a huge fat bassline, coming complete with a more ambient-leaning Omar Fayyed remix (there are beats though, so it's not an entirely ambient affair).

Detour from Mateous is the standout track of the EP for me, another late-night house groove with an obscenely large bottom end, and then Zach DeVincent closes the EP on a dancefloor high with Close To Me, a heads-down tech-house chugger with proggy overtones and a breathy female voice inviting you to do what the title says.

Out: This week

About: This is number five from 5 And Dime, and every one has been a winner so far – if you like it deeper than deep, this is a label you need to be checking for right now. Here's their website, Facebook and Soundcloud, so you can do just that.

Various - Now Departing: 5D004

Now let's go from deep to deeper, with another new offering from some of the most promising new kids on the house block, 5 And Dime Recordings. Once again, it's a V/A affair featuring F Stop, Zach De Vincent and Quin.

F Stop's Sense Of Perspective is like an object lesson in how to do deep n' dubby house music properly, so much so that this could equally appeal to lovers of deep techno or future garage. Ain't a whole lot going on but crisp, insistent beats, lashings of bass, dubbed-out sub-aquatic FX and some meandering Mr Fingers-esque synths… but if that isn't enough to satisfy then you might just be reading the wrong blog.

ZdV's Walking On Down is a more upbeat, more obviously dancefloor-oriented affair, with a PHAT n' funky b-line, disembodied and heavily effected 'aahs' by way of a vocal and, again, not a huge amount else! And finally Quin's Everything Is Alright works pounding kicks, Afro-esque but non-noodlesome hand percussion and another full-phat bassline, and tops it all off with some soaring, dare I say even euphoric synths.

The latter's the one that could find its way into the sets of a broader variety of jocks – it's just a good groove that's packed with sunshine and smiles – while the first two are more your 'connoisseurs only' tackle… but that's a good thing. Proper deepness for those that know.

Out: This week

About: Only four releases in and Denver-based 5 And Dime is already rapidly establishing itself as one of the hottest labels to watch… in my humble opinion of course. Here's their website, Soundcloud and Facebook, if you wanna know why!

Various - 43 Degrees And Cloudy

Denver's currently on-fire 5 And Dime return with another V/A ep that'll delight those who like their house from the deepest end of the spectrum.

Proceedings kick off with Zach De Vincent's Phase II, a classic-style sumptuous, dreamy deep houser with lush pads, muted percussion, floaty synths and a whispered male vocal intoning the title. Tony Rodelli's gorgeous The Way We Go comes next, a slightly more upbeat but nonetheless very mellow number with piano chords to die for. And then finally we have F Stop's It's Complicated, which is somewhat techier in its sound palette but still a near-horizontal affair made for post-club sofa sessions and lazy Sunday mornings.

Top stuff all round, so another winner from 5 And Dime.

Out: This week

About: 5 And Dime are only a handful of releases old but every one's been a cracker so far. Find 'em online here, on Facebook or on Soundcloud.

Various - Morally Casual EP

Some really nice deep/tech house vibes on this v/a EP from 5 And Dime Records.

The three tracks are Under Water by Zach De Vincent, Quadratic Souls by Wyatt Earp & ben A, and Transitional Period by Mateous. And, to be honest, I haven't got huge amounts to say about any of them, but all three are quality instrumental grooves that'll suit warm-up sets or post-club sessions to a T.

This is only the second release from this label so take time to check 'em out, people! You won't be disappointed, this is very cool stuff indeed.

Out: This week

About: 5 And Dime are based, like a lot of people these days it seems, in Denver, Colorado. Find out more at their website and Facebook page.

Fiver & ben A - Wisdom Comes Suddenly EP

The first release from a brand new label here, always an exciting thing, and naturally enough it comes from the label bosses. Fiver and ben A are Matt Fiveson and Ben Archuleta, respectively, and described on the hype sheet as "veteran producers and audiophiles." Well… I can't say I've come across 'em before, but on this evidence I'm certainly happy to hear more.

There are just two tracks featured here. Remember Sammy Jankis is a deep/tech dancefloor workout with a funky kinda feel, while Transparency (credited to F-Stop) is a somewhat deeper, more sedate affair that's contemplative in mood, with some lovely jazzy keys and garage-y female "oo-oohs" atop crisp but not overly forceful beats… niceness!

A flying start… more soon, please.

Out: This week

About: Fiver and ben A's new label is called 5 and Dime Recordings, and they're based in the US. About all I know so far… but here are the tracks themselves for your listening pleasure!