Matteo Barile – Inspirations EP

In keeping with something of nostalgic/ retro/classic theme to a lot of this week's releases, here's another that wears its Inspirations on its sleeve – quite literally!

There are just four tracks on the EP. Keep It Raw does what it says on the tin, pairing old skool Chi-town drum sounds with more contemporary-sounding throbbing bass and whispered vox. There are more of those raw, jackin' beats on Unstable Mind, Ocean Way is a fat  n' funky deep house dancefloor cut with some great organ sounds, while finally the more soulful King Street features a full female vocal atop a sparser, dubbier backdrop with a smidgeon (but just a smidgeon) of that future garage vibe.

Four very strong tracks paying homage to the glory days, from a producer who wasn't even BORN until 1990. Expect big things.

Out: This week

About: This is the first to land in the TIWWD inbox for a while from Denmark's ever-checkable Deso Records, and a very welcome arrival it is too. Find Deso on Facebook, on Soundcloud or at their own website.

Sarp Yilmaz – Spread Love/Various - Autem 001

Two releases here from Sarp Yilmaz… one under his own steam, one on the debut EP from new Chicago label Autem Audio.

Looking at the solo effort first, Spread Love is taken from his recent album As If I Care. I must admit I didn't hear the album but the version presented here is a very now-sounding, shuffling deep/tech houser with soulful male vocal elements, crisp percussion and an underlying chordal throb thoughout.

But Sarp is also one of the co-owners of new label Autem Audio, and his Down On Me is offered up as the A1 track on the label's debut V/A ep. It's a more thoughtful, melancholic kinda groove than Spread Love, its sparse rhythms and warm atmos' topped with anguished diva wails in a manner that makes me think of old Terrence Parker records, only without the pianos. Elsewhere on the the EP you'll find Be Someone Else and Funkass, from co-owners Hearthug and Gvk respectively. Be Someone Else is another atmospheric deep/tech groove but this time laced with acid, while Funkass is a more uptempo and slightly sunnier affair, but with pleasingly filthy synth-bass squelching away underneath.

The two releases together are further evidence that this Turkish producer is one to keep an eye on, while the Autem EP marks a very promising start for the label.

Out: This week for Spread Love; Autem 001 was out last week but it came in a wee bit late, hence it's getting squeezed in now.

About: Spread Love comes on Apparel Music while you can find out all about Chicago-based Autem Audio at their website.

Smok – Sure Thing

Seems like a bit since we had anything from Jafar & Poussez's Artizan Music on here… but now here they come again with a rather splendid three-tracker from Finland's Smok.

"Deep house in the classic Chicago style but with contemporary production values" is pretty much the order of the day, generally speaking. For me, the bouncy Back To Basics and more dreamy, driftaway Sure Thing battle it out for top honours but Light Of Day is cool too, making this a very solid bet for those in search of classic-style house vibes rendered in 100% fromage-free fashion.

Out: Thursday (July 26)

About: Find Artizan Music at their website or on Facebook

AM/TM feat Navid Izadi – Back To Acid

A nice easy one to start the day with here, cos Back To Acid doesn't really take much explaining!

So I'll just tell you that AM/TM are of course Anthony Mansfield and Tal M Klein, and here they deliver 4.5 minutes of sheer retro squelch, complete with an Adonis-esque whispered vocal from Izadi ("Melting in my brain, you can keep your cocaine, I'm on acid"). On the B, Mansfield and his other regular production partner Nick Chacona bring us a slightly pumped-up remix that, if anything, is even better.

This is as good a slab of vintage-sounding 303 thrills as you'll hear all month. Go seek.

Out: This week

About: This comes on Hector Works, which is Mansfield's own label… find 'em here, here and here (website, Facebook, Soundcloud)

Oh, and here's something else from Mr Mansfield as well… free to download so enjoy!

audioJazz - Momentum

More fresh vibes from the US of A here, this time from a trio based in Chicago and coming on their own label.

Just the two tracks to choose from (and props to them for not, therefore, trying to label it as an 'EP'... a personal bugbear I noticed Mixmag having a grumble about this month as well). Momentum itself is a slow-burning, jazz-tinged groover with tribal/bruk influences in the percussion and a neat line in gently undulating organ/pad sounds, understated trumpets and softly tinkling ivories. It's more one for warm-up play than anything but it's very cool all the same. On the B, meanwhile, Take A Chance is a more uptempo affair with solid, steady kicks, disconcerting vocal overlays and some more nifty keyboard work… plus a little 303 squelch for good measure.

Interesting, slighly esoteric stuff for the more discerning heads.

Out: This week

About: As stated, this comes on the artists' own audioJazz Music imprint, which is just five releases old. Here's their website, or you can find 'em on Soundcloud and Facebook.

QuestionmarQ - Emotive Worlds EP

A five-tracker here from Cork's Vision Collective and fellow Cork resident QuestionmarQ, AKA Marq Walsh, who for many years was resident at the city's famous Sir Henry's nightclub.

Do It gets proceedings off to a fine start, fusing old-skool Chicago and Detroit influences in the sound palette, adding a little disco sheen and topping it all off with "let's do it!" vocal exhortations. Emotive is more yer typical moody late-night deep house groove, but still very cool, before Law Of The Worlds ramps up the funk factor. This latter somehow manages to be decidedly funky yet kind of blissed-out and dreamy at the same time, while Verma's Fluffed Up Mix of it leans more heavily towards the latter part of the equation, using considerably more of the new age-y spoken vox for a start.

I'll be quite honest, the more straight-up techno of Maydayz doesn't do it for me so much, but that's just me… its inclusion nevertheless serves to underline the fact that this is a very strong EP that sees Mr Walsh flexing his production muscles across an impressive range of styles.

Out: This week

About: Here's the usual links, then… website Facebook Soundcloud

Dance Spirit – Stay

House music all the way from Chicago here, courtesy of Angel Alanis' Home Audio Recordings label and, apparently, "an established techno outfit that wishes to remain anonymous".

Surprising, then, that there's little in the way of classic Chicago house sounds here, and not a lot that's particularly techno-fied either! Instead, Stay is a multi-layered and very now-sounding deep house production, moving along at today's lower tempo and with that currently hot mix of slightly tech-y beats and soulful vox. Gotta say the male vocal's a little too soulful for my tastes these days though – there was a time I'd never have said that – so for me it's all about the Dub. Which is, it has to be said, rather sumptuous.

On the B, Where You Feel It is a more upbeat affair, again with the soulful male vox and, this time, with a relentlessly throbbing synth hook to draw 'em in. Again, though, personally I'm feeling the dub over the vocal mix… but with soulful vocals all the rage, this should go down well in the clubs.

Out: This week

About: Find out more at the Home Audio blog, Facebook and Soundcloud pages.

Joshua Iz – The Figure

New label alert! Dream In Audio is a brand new label based in San Francisco, "inspired by the late 90s sounds of San Francisco and Chicago", and their first release comes from none other than deep house hero Joshua Iz, of Iz & Diz fame.

It's a two-track affair. The Figure itself is a bleepy-squeaky, Chicago-y houser that jacks relentlessly along for the best part of nine minutes, albeit at not too demanding a pace! Meanwhile on the B, What U Like is a deeper cut, underpinning lush Rhodes pianos, soaring, dreamy synths and occasional echo-ing, disembodied samples of the Class Action Weekend vocal with some SERIOUSLY phat bass.

As you can probably guess, it's the latter I'm feeling the most. Not much else to say really, but I did chuckle at reading the biog on the hype sheet…

"Joshua Iz is a DJ, music producer, designer and slightly better-than- average tennis player. He likes trainers, good design, dub reggae and vodka. Joshua has been DJing since 1986 and has played on 5 continents and been to 6. His music productions have graced labels such as Classic, NRK, Om Records, Nordic Trax and Seasons. He runs his own record label called Vizual which launched in 2010. He currently has DJ residencies in Chicago, San Francisco and London. Joshua also sometimes DJs and makes music with Diz as Iz & Diz and they are currently working on their upcoming debut album. Joshua also makes a killer salsa and is generally fun to be around."

Out: Saturday (March 23) on vinyl, not till April 13 digitally

About: Here's where to find Dream In Audio online… and check the TIWWD Facebook page for a Dream In Audio WMC 2012 mix lovingly prepared by Jonny Fiasco.

ALBUM DJ Sneak - Fabric 62

It's been, ooh, 17 years since Sound Of Ministry put out a compilation called The Future Sound Of Chicago; that was the first time, I'm pretty certain, that yours truly came across a man called Carlos Sosa, better known as DJ Sneak. Not long after that, I first saw him DJing, on a Thursday night @ Sankeys Soap in Manchester. Then still pretty much an 'up-and-comer', he blew the place away – it's one of those rare nights from back in the day that actually sticks in the memory! I was covering the night for a long-defunct Manchester magazine, where I described Sneak's set as "a jazzed-out, techno-infused trip to the jacking, pulsating disco heart of house music", or something equally pretentious.

Well here we are a decade and a half later, not a lot's changed. I'm still talking shit about house music, and Sneak's still one of the best in the game at it.

I'd like to leave this review right there, but I should probably also tell you that this features lots of tracks and mixes from names that will be very familiar to readers of this blog – Ramon Tapia, Mike Jules, Luca M, Mendo, Darius Syrossian – and some other names that might not be… yet. Oh yeah, and I should tell you as well, that it includes a remix by Mr Tapia of the classic 'Special' by Sir James. That track aside, though, this is long on truly upfront shizzle, and of course several tracks from Sneak's own Magnetic label.

But mainly I just wanna tell you that this is the absolute mummy-cuddlin' BOMB. And we really will leave it right there.

Out: This week

About: You've probably heard of Fabric… they've got their own discotheque in London and everything!

ALBUM Sleazy McQueen - 5+1

Florida's Sleazy McQueen mans the decks for the first label compilation from Boston-based label Headtunes Recordings, featuring 16 tracks in both mixed and full-length, unmixed formats. Headtunes have featured on this blog a number of times, so you should have an idea of the kind quality straight-up house, long on classic sounds, to expect.

With cuts on offer from a host of today's hottest names – Grant Dell, Jesus Pablo, Peckos, Do It Proper – as well as some producers that are brand spanking new, there's plenty to delight, but special mention must be made of Sleazy's own Big Times, Big Tings (presented here in Cole Medina's Buffalo Times Mix form) and Cosmic Boogie's Feel It. The latter is the closest you'll ever get (now, anyway) to dancing to Chi-town house at Ku or Amnesia circa 1987, while the acid-dripping former is a plastic dream come true for lovers of old skool sounds brought right up to date…

Elsewhere, Grant Dell's House Tribute should raise a smile among older heads who remember House Of Gypsies' Samba from back in the day, while Need Ya (also from Dell) comes on like Booker T & The MGs got a gig as house band at Berghain. There are disco frolics from Mario Dujic, squelchy slo-mo vibes from Do It Proper, soul-infused grooves from Noise Destruction and more besides.

Excellent stuff all round, and it's being released to mark the label's 6th anniversary (hence the title), so happy birthday guys, here's to the next six years!

Out: This week

About: There's an interesting story behind this album, because Headtunes used 'crowdsourcing' site Kickstarter.com to raise the cash they needed to release it. So respect to all those who contributed! Click the link for the Headtunes website, or find 'em on Facebook or Soundcloud.

ALBUM Jazzy Eyewear - No Limit To Love: Chicago

The second installment in the No Limit To Love series from So Sound Recordings focuses on the city where it all began, Chicago. That's not to say all the tracks featured COME from Chicago, though… the concept's a little more involved than that, as Fabian himself explains:

"I moved from Argentina to Chicago in 1990 and lived there for 11 years…when I put this compilation together I was thinking of my early days, when I started producing house music in my apartment on Wolcott & Division. The cold weather and snow was the perfect background for a dreamy creative journey, sampling my favourite jazz & funk records and getting into the late night sessions without even noticing. This compilation features the brilliant work of some of the hottest new producers from around the globe - from the UK, Russia, Argentina, Puerto Rico, and Germany, as well as Chicago & San Francisco - all bringing their own take on 'Chicago House'.

“This is also a tribute to Mark Farina, whom I met at Shelter in Chicago in 1991. Mark is the man who invented the style of house represented on this compilation - he was the one who brought all these styles together and made them all work, shuffled on top of chunky house grooves. I want to specially thank Mark Farina for being of so much inspiration."

So much for Jazzy Eyewear's intentions, what about the TIWWD verdict? Well, deep house is essentially the order of the day… but ranging from the (nu) disco-fied to the jazzy to the techy and all stops in between, so it's by no means same-y. There's plenty of dancefloor bounce throughout, as would befit the Chi-town theme, but two tracks from Freaky Behaviour, Chunky Butt and Table Magic, are particularly worthy of your attention.

So: wicked stuff, in a word. Or rather two words, but you know what I mean. Acquire.

Out: Last week… I didn't get round to it then, for various reasons, but it was just too good to ignore.

About: So Sound Recordings is of course Fabian AKA Jazzy Eyewear's own label, but you knew that, didn't you?

Nique - Hoyne EP

Some quality house vibes on Manchester Underground Music here. Unusually for this label though, the artist involved isn't actually from Manchester... but rather from the birthplace of house music, Chi-Town itself. The Hoyne EP marks his first full release on MUM, following on from his remix of Rulers Of The Deep's Fettle.

Again there are three tracks to choose from. Left On Hoyne fuses techy and soulful elements to great (deeper) dancefloor effect, Right On Hoyne is a sparser but still brings da funk while Two Blocks West is a deeper groove with snippets of sampled speech, truncated Rhodes chords and all kinds of weirdy FX and atmospheres going on deep in the mix. One for those locked-on, 'eyes wide shut' 4am kinda moments.

A strong EP that suggests you might want to be keeping an eye out for Nique in the future.

Out: This week

About: Find out more about Manchester Underground Music on Facebook and MySpace

Goulet - The Spins

Funny how things change… I never thought I'd get sent a house record and find that my favourite mix was the "bassy tech-fidget" one. But such is the case with this.

The mix in question comes from Lee Jarvis, and it's definitely my pick of five rubs of The Spins on offer. Although a) I wouldn't have used the f***** word myself, I'd have just called it deep, techy house and b) Roy Davis Jr's spaced-out, organ-led pass ain't half bad either.

The other mixes come from JT Donaldson and Justin Reed (plus of course Goulet's original), and you also get bonus cut Extra Long Polo thrown in, which is a kind of wiggy slap-bass and Rhodes workout over a deep house backdrop.

Anyway, with six tracks to choose from, you're gonna find something to play, so check it. This is straight from the Chi-town underground, people, just the way we like it!

Out: Tomorrow

About: Like I said, this is from Chicago where the Revolutionary Music crew have, I'm reliably informed, been putting on loft parties for some years now. This is the 25th release on the resulting record label.

Oh yeah, and I should probably tell you Goulet is originally from San Antonio in Texas, and is one of the Revolutionary Music co-founders. Sorry, I know this review's a bit lacklustre, but I've got toothache and a million things to do.

Miles Moore - Werk

Some straight-up jackin' Chi-town house here, with a main "c'mon and work that body" vocal hook. Mixes come from Jaimy, Manny Ward, HiBudget and Honey Dijon & Sebastian Manuel, and any one of 'em will work on the floor for sure, but it's the latter's Relief-style rub with its almost tribal rhythms and relentless groove that's working the best for me.

We're kickin' it old school with this one!

Out: This week

About: This is on Mile End Records – yet another label making its TIWWD debut this week, we're doing well! Find 'em online here.