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.

Rory Phillips – Mixed Fortunes 3

The third release in a series apparently, though the first to wing its way TIWWD-wards.

It's a two-track affair. On the A, Don't Stop is a) a collaboration with London producer Martin Dubka, and a) a lo-slung slab of nu boogie/electro with a vocoder/voicebox vocal that Roger Troutman himself would be proud of. Over on the B, meanwhile, E-Bow could safely be filed under 'slo-mo house' methinks, its opiated beats and reluctant b-line topped with a lead line created using the epoymous guitar tool.

It's Don't Stop that stands out for me, though.

Out: This week

About: This comes on Mixed Fortunes, which isn't so much a record label as a project by Phillips in which he'll be releasing six two-track 12-inches over the course of the year, instead of an album. Which means the good news is, if you dig Don't Stop as much as I do there's plenty more to come and not too much backtracking to do! Anyway, you can find out all about it here.

Bruno B & Eddi M - 2nd Floor EP

Some very now-sounding grooves here from stalwart German label Conya Digital.

2nd Floor itself is a low-slung groover sitting somewhere between slo-mo house and nu-disco, with a synth line that's so Around The World it almost hurts… but in a good way. On the B, Woodwind is a slowly-evolving warm-up or post-club affair, with plenty of woodwind of course but also a vaguely Afro feel and some cosmic disco synths.

It's 2nd Floor I'm feeling the most but Woodwind will also find its way into many sets I'm sure.

Out: This week

About: You can find Conya Digital on Facebook, or at the website for parent label Clubstar.

Poussez - Sandcastle Society

A five-tracker here from Poussez, taking in mixture of deep house and slo-mo/downtempo styles… and featuring as disturbing a sleeve as you're likely to see all month. Brrrr.

Sandcastle Society itself opens proceedings, a slow-moving deep houser with a heavily reverbed female vocal, throbbing b-line and plenty of dreamy atmos. Hairy Jaw drops the tempo yet further, being a low-slung groove with a spoken (male, French) vocal and a vaguely Balearic feel to the percussion – one for those lazy beach/poolside sessions. Hairy Jaw then gets dragged to the dancefloor by a brace of dubs from the ever-prolific Danny Ward AKA Moodymanc, his Close Shave Dub being my pick from the EP as a whole, before finally the rather peculiarly-titled Trinity Remix [Original Mix], which again is downtempo and somewhat filmic, closes out the EP.

Good stuff as ever from Jafar and Maxime. Apart from the cover, which is just wrong.

Out: This week

About: Poussez run their own label Artizan Music, but this one comes on Al Bradley's 3am Recordings, the latest label to join an illustrious list the lads have recorded for that also includes Toolroom, Neurotraxx Deluxe, Universal Vibes and Hudd Traxx.

For more info on Poussez, see their own website which features a handy player with snippets of almost everything they've done!

Sarp Yilmaz – Ro Vibes EP

Some deep, techy, tracky shiznit here from Trendy Mullet, as supplied by Turkish producer and cat-lover (apparently) Sarp Yilmaz.

Got My Money is the standout for me, a slow, headnoddin' slab of soulfully-tinged, techy deepness… like listening to vintage deep Jersey garage on downers. Ro Shuffle works a similar sort of vibe, and is then given a beefed-up remix by James Johnston that's really your only hope here if it's dancefloor action you're seeking! And then finally Urban Vibe goes to the opposite extreme, being a downtempo/uneasy listening kinda thang.

A varied EP then, and one that won't have much appeal for a lot of floors… but if you like your sounds a little more challenging, this is well worth checking out.

Out: This week

About: Here come the usual links… Facebook, website, Soundcloud

G-Ron feat Polar - I Like EP

The latest from fledging NYC imprint Dance Through Life comes in a range of mixes that mean it could find favour with a range of DJs.

Although the EP's called I Like, the one track featured is actually called Like Like. Go figure. In its original form, Like Like is a moody, beatdown-esque slow-builder with glitchy beats, some ominous rumbling bass and insistent minor piano chords. The Mr Pepper mix maintains the slo-mo feel but livelies up the percussion a tad for dancefloor purposes, while the Gerard Mix is a considerably more driving but still dark n' moody tech-house take that could have come straight outta East London (actually, I don't know where Gerard's from, so it might well have done). The standout for me, though, is the Ivan Fernandez Mix, a more musical and funkified pass in a deep/tech vein.

But like I said, with a range of mixes to choose from there'll be something to suit lots of tastes here.

Out: This week

About: You can hit up Brooklyn label Dance Through Life via their website, Facebook or Soundcloud.

Ejeca - Drive EP

Let's stick with the Danish house vibes for a minute, with this latest from DeepWit Recordings. Ejeca is a new name to me and, as he doesn't feature on the DeepWit website artist page, I'm guessing a newcomer to the label as well. Oh yeah actually it says so on the hype sheet… well anyway, that's always exciting, isn't it?

The EP's made up of two tracks, in four mixes. The original of Bumbled is something of a departure for this deep house label, sounding like nothing so much as a UK rave track circa 1991 with its sub-threatening b-line, scratchy vinyl sound and hardcore-style micro-stabs. You know the score! You'd need to pick your moment to drop a track as retro-fied as this, but get it right and it's easy to imagine it absolutely slaying 'em. Or, if you like, you could opt for the remix by label boss Alvaro Hylander, who basically uses the vocal over a completely new deep house track… as far as my cloth ears can tell, anyway! S'good though.

The other track Danehill similarly gets a complete overhaul on the remix. In its original form, this is a slow-burning chugger in a slo-mo disco kinda vein, but in the hands of Canada's Big Al (not to be confused with Big Al of Escape fame in Swansea) it becomes an energetic houser with a fat, bumpin' bassline and a hot, sweaty, tropical feel… the spirit of The Loft lives on.

With four varied tracks from a very new artist, this is one you need to check for sure.

Out: This week

About: As well as the website above, you can find DeepWit on Facebook and Soundcloud.

Stanny Abram - It's Magic

Well, wonders will never cease, as they say! I think this is the first record I've been sent with a Deso remix, where said remix actually ISN'T my pick of the crop.

Don't get it twisted, the Deso Dope Remix of It's Magic IS very good, a slo-mo gem of a deep, druggy groove tailormade for warm-up or afterhours play. The Patrick Podage & Nikola Kotevski Remix is also very good, a midtempo deep houser in the traditional sumptuous, mellow and melodic vein.

But at the end of the day, dear readers, TIWWD is a bit of a tart, an Unashamed Disco Dolly™, and as such, neither of the aforesaid can compete, in terms of sheer joyous 'whack it up loud and dance around the room'-ness, with the Original, which is a BIG-with-a-capital-BIG organ tune that'd give Show Me Love or Morel's Grooves #4 a run for their money any day… or indeed any of the early bassline house organ tracks out of Birmingham on labels like Jump and Ecko, that got yours truly so excited circa 2004/5.

So yeah, the original wins out for me but with two other top-quality remixes on board, all three of which will suit different floors/moods/times, you NEED this.

Out: This week

About: This is another winner from Savoir Faire Musique, one of those labels who I've raved about so much on here it's getting a bit embarrassing now…

I'm Fine & Antonio Olivieri – If I Were Music

New label alert! This is the very first release from a new label outta Berlin called Steyoyoke, and sees Berlin's I'm Fine teaming up with Italian-born but Berlin-resident Olivieri, who's previously had stuff out on Darkroom Dubs, among others.

It's a three-track affair. If I Were Music itself will be instantly recognisable the first time you hear it, based as it is around a slowed-down male vocal intoning the title over and over again. Musically it's a slow, brooding affair and to be honest, a dub or instrumental wouldn't have gone amiss… but at least that vocal does make the track stand out.

Your Ghost, similarly, might have benefited from a mix without the very 80s, European-sounding female vocal. But never mind, cos the main event here for me is Do Not Care, which teams a dark, ominous bassline in a vaguely Plastic Dreams/Positive Education-ish style with tuff beats, chanted vox and what I THINK is either a Hawaiian guitar or a sitar, all adding up to a track that's got something of the hypnotic feel of Indian ragas about it.

It's probably only the latter that I'd play myself but with three very distinctive, and very different, tracks on offer this is a strong debut release for the label all the same.

Out: This week

About: Find out more at the Steyoyoke website

Proj3kt Dharma - Forgotten By The Universe

And from the bouncy, ravey, big-silly-grinny vibes of Munich Disco Tech, let's jump right to the opposite end of the spectrum with this latest from Denmark's Deepwit Recordings… if you like it deeper than deep then this is for you.

The original of Forgotten… is slo-mo house taken to the Nth degree, with a three-note organ riff, an echo-drenched, breathy female vocal and the most fragile of high-end percussive sounds drawn out over four-and-a-half luxuriant, lazy, head-nodding minutes. This chilled beauty then gets reworked into a dubbed-out post-club deep house groove by Jeff Fontaine & Deep Spelle on their Lost In Space Remix; into a Balearic/Italo-flavoured smoocher by tONKPROJECT on his From Another Galaxy Remix, which reminds me of those glorious Irma and Antima dubs from the early-mid 90s; and into a quirky warm-up number with techy tinges by Addex.

Just gorgeous. Now sit back and relax…

Out: This week

About: Find out more about Deepwit at their website, from their blog, on Facebook or on Soundcloud. You can currently HEAR THIS at the latter.

FREE TRACK from Owen Howells & Stanky

More free goodness for you, this time from Owen Howells & Stanky. Caffeine Persuasion is a forward-thinking slab of experimental/abstract techno with a dub influence, tailormade for late nights, sofas and jazz cigarettes…

It's being put out there to help raise awareness of their recently-formed Shades Of Grey collective/label – not to be confused with Shades Of Gray the artist who we had a freebie from last week! And when I say 'out there', I mean here, obviously… enjoy!

Owen Howells & Stanky - Caffeine Persuasion [FREE DOWNLOAD] by OwenHowells

Sleazy McQueen - Reconnect EP

Don't seem to have had as much nu-disco on here lately, but here's good ol' Sleazy McQueen keeping the flame alive…

Rollin' Me By is meandering, languid groove based around a lo-slung bassline, while Under My Spell is an even slower affair with elements of both cosmic disco and late 70s/early 80s NYC punk-funk and would surely make the perfect mixtape coda.

But the standout for me here is We Need To Reconnect, that kicks off with a sleazy (if you'll pardon the pun) electrofunk bass n' handclaps intro before some joyously old-school house pianos join the party. This one could have come out on Easy Street circa 1983/4, no problem at all… if your vinyl collection includes any of those classic Garage Trax or Garage Sound of Deepest New York comps then you need this in your life, believe!

Out: This week

About: This comes atcha on the mighty Paper Recordings, and you can HEAR all the tracks on their Soundcloud page

Adam Coley – Detroit Scene

I mentioned at the start of the week there were a couple to come from the Endemic stable. Well, here's the next one, and it's a corker…

Detroit Scene features a sampled, spoken vocal (which appears to be AN Other producer talking about how he got into making music. though I couldn't tell you who it is) and comes in three mixes. The mix I'm feeling the most is the Original, which is kind of reminiscent of early UK garage what with its vocal snips, insistent snares, subtle jazz b-line, and overall skippy feel. But Lee Daines' slo-mo/Leftroom-ish mix and a darkly groove tech-house rub from Adam Clark are both pretty damn good also.

Making this something of a must-check. So check it!

Out: This week

About: This is on Unrivaled Music, which is generally the housiest label in the Endemic portfolio, as if you hadn't twigged that for yourself by now…

Tanner Ross - B-Side/4 U

If you like your house music very, very deep and bordering on the downtempo/experimental, then check for this new EP from Tanner Ross, whose CV includes releases on labels like Freerange, Dirty Bird and Culprit.

B-Side (which is the A-side, naturally) is a lo-slung groove that sashays along at a mere 117bpm, and as such would fit nicely into slo-mo, nu-disco or warm-up sets… though it'll stand pitching up to a house tempo as well.

4 U, meanwhile, features a vocal from Flo Night (such as it is, cos all it is is her saying "I make song for you" or something similar) and is in a similar slo-mo (120bpm this time) kinda vein, albeit with an 80s electrofunk/boogie b-line rather than the more Chi-town style bassline on B-Side. Rounding out the EP is a very minimalist Deniz Kurtel remix of 4 U, which takes AGES to get going and has lots of atmospheric beatless bits, but does rock along at a slightly more energetic 123bpm.

Out: This week

About: This is on Toronto house/techno stable No.19 Records, who were picked as a 'label to watch' on Beatportal and who can also be found on Facebook and Soundcloud.

The Bionics – Love Chains

We've had quite a lot of tech-house today so let's go now to the other extreme with this slice of new-old-retro-future funk. In other words, I don't know what it is baby, but sure looks funky… to coin a phrase.

It might help if I told you that The Bionics are Crazy P's Danielle Moore and Tim Davies plus Paper's own Ben Davis, AKA Flash Atkins. And that Love Chains is every bit as groovy as you'd expect from such a combo and that yes, of course it's got Danielle singing on it, which in and of itself generally makes anything all right, any time, anyway.

So all you need to know now is that the original's a down-to-midtempo affair with something of a slo-mo house feel and some hefty acid squelches, Mic Newman's remix maintains the languid tempo but brings some warm Rhodes chords and LOTS of reverb to the party, Neil Diablo accentuates the fat funk b-line and the Balearic elements, and then last but by no means least, Max Essa ups the BPMs and takes us to the (nu) disco.

Oh yeah and that all four are pretty darned spiffing and you should probably, like, buy this or something.

Out: Ah now, y'see. It just says Septemer. So either now or at some point in the next three weeks, what can I tell ya?

About: This comes on Paper Recordings, whose reinvention of themselves as purveyors of more leftfield grooves – rather than endlessly regurgitating the kind of Brit-deep they made their name with in the 90s* – seems to be working rather well, don't you think?

*That's not to say I didn't love the old Paper, I've got more Paper records than you've had hot dinners and damn it I actually BOUGHT most of 'em! I'm just saying, it's good to see 'em moving on as well.