"As well as coverage of records, mixes and production work in the Deep House scene, I'd also like to use this blog to promote recommended local nights. Whilst a lot of readers may not be from the same area, it is hoped that some people in the East Midlands area of England may come across this and check these nights out. The first event that I'll bring to attention is held in Stamford featuring a top local line-up that's not to be missed if you're anywhere near the area."
Awakening's Black Eye Friday night will take place between 9pm and 3am at Opus Dai in Stamford, Lincolnshire on 21st of December
"The act most familiar to me is the SAS crew that host upstairs. I shared the decks with them many a time a few years back so I can personally vouch for the sheer quality that is in their record collection.
Also on board and over-seeing the event is local DJ Matt Taylor. To check out an example of his sounds, hit play below. Feel free to download to!"
After the huge success of their previous House nights, Awakening is back to start your xmas holidays with a bang! Work is over for the year and it's time to party!
Come and join us on 21st of December for Black Eye Friday, for your monthly does of Deep House from the areas most talented DJs.
As always, entry is free from 9pm to 3am along with plenty of drinks promos to keep you moving.
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Over the last week or so I've been immersing myself in Brock Van Wey's new project Earth House Hold. It comes in the form of an album entitled 'Where Love Lived', released on CD by the relatively new Love's Label. Brock's work usually manifests itself in the ambient scene, under his Bvdub moniker with a wide spacious, dreamy kind of sound. Clearly someone heavily influenced by various forms of music, he has tried all sorts of approaches to production from dub techno to downtempo/R&B. In the 80s and 90s, Brock spent a great deal of time DJing, when House music was young. He has created the marvellous 'Where Love Lived' album in an effort to capture the magic that swept through those decades before the music became saturated and bogged down with modern effects. This is an honest look at the scene back then, stripped back, simple and leisurely and pushing nostalgia for this era to the very fore. Brock has placed raw emotion at the very heart of this music in a similar way to his work as Bvdyub yet he has pitted it with a raw and repetitive Deep House structure to really drive home the impact. As someone who shares the same idealistic reflection back on those days, this is something that has really grabbed me and as I consider my end of year favourites, it is quickly rising to the top of the pile. Below is an embedded Soundcloud preview of the album from the label. If you like what you hear, click through to www.darla.com and run a search for it - you won't be disappointed!
I've been using Juno to build my record collection since I was in my teens, so I'm delighted that I've been able to make my debut EP 'Connection' available for download from there. As a distributor, Juno takes some beating with its easy to use interface and it's healthy stock of vinyl and CDs.
Add to this the charts section, where both renowned DJs/producers and everyone else can share their favourite records and then there's brilliant 'embed' feature, allowing you to share the functionality across a range of platforms.
01> Fabio Monesi/Kastil - Split Grooves EP Part 1 [Wilson]
"It would have been almost impossible for me to not order this one - two of my favourite artists combing for a split EP. Both have a reputation for an old-skool style and this has been thrown to the fore here, presented on beautiful yellow vinyl. All four tracks are bombs and it really is difficult to single out a particular track or even to say which artist comes out on top. Simply a must have."
02> George Davis/Kastil - New Saft EP [SAFT]
"The long anticipated first catalog release on Patrick Luca's SAFT label has landed at last. I heard a sample of the Kastil track months ago and decided that it was possibly one of the finest slices of House music that I'd ever heard. Eventually hearing it in full on this record did little to change that opinion. It's a playable cut sure to have an instant impact on the dancefloor, masterfully crafted as usual by Kastil. On the flip, there is an original by George Davis and a remix from another favourite artist of mine, Shane Linehan."
03> Jason Grove - 313.4 Ever [Skylax]
"I discovered Jason Grove last month and bought a couple of his records. The first was charted last month and the other, his album from earlier this year, just had to be charted this month - based purely on the amount of play its been getting from me. Grove's album is a melting pot of subtle differences in style whilst always retaining a raw, old-skool feel to the production. It's difficult to choose a stand-out track but I have probably mixed with 'Raw In '92' the most."
04> Andres - Second Time Around EP [La Vida]
"A fan of Andres' work yet never having bitten the bullet before and ordered anything of his on vinyl, I grabbed 'Second Time Around' based solely on the sheer excellence of 'Skate This Way'. The EP is slumped back in terms of tempo, allowing the groove to really carry itself alongside the generous helpings of funk woven into the tracks. All three pieces are excellent, but the strings, bass and groove of Skate This Way make it the obvious choice."
05> Benedict - We Ctrl 002 [We Ctrl]
"Despite being an excellent EP overall, which I'm sure to pick out regularly over the years to come - it seems difficult for me not to talk immediately about the Fulbert remix. French artist Fulbert is a big part of this growing fondness for old-skool sounds in House music and I've always enjoyed his material. Here, he churns out possibly his finest work, a remix of Benedict's 'Why Don't You Finish With Me'. Benedict is championing the old-skool sound too though and each of his cuts are solid but 'Problem With My Snuffbox' is just about the winner."
06> BLM/Flori/James Johnston - Black Key EP Vol 1 [Black Key] "These compilation EPs seem to be flavour of the month, and this is another that boasts a great line-up. BLM provides something deep and Housey, Flori's piece leans heavily on the acid side and the consistent James Johnston cooks up something special in the form of Lights Off."
07> Fabio Monesi/Mirco Violi - Back To Back Part 1 EP [Aurour] "Another fine split EP for Fabio Monesi as this time he joins Mirco Violi. This record doesn't have quite as much of the Old-Skool feel that gleamed through his EP with Kastil, instead it provides something slightly more robust and dancefloor friendly - particularly on the Monesi side. Mirco Violi, who's name I'd normally associate a little more towards the minimal scene, turns out a pair of beautiful cuts on the 'deep side', giving the record an extra dimension."
08> Fred P/Pjotr/Vakula/Benedikt Frey - It's All In The Mind [Ethereal Sound] "Russian label Ethereal Sound curate a four-track EP that will surely win the interest of the rest of the world - not least because man of the moment Vakula is included in the line-up. True to form, Vakula's piece is absolutely outstanding. Elsewhere, Fred P provides a deep acid work out, Benedikt turns in a dubbed funky piece and Pjotr has contributes something deep and moody."
09> Mike Huckaby - Baseline 88-89 [Synth] "The legendary Mike Huckaby is at it again, with two more superb detroit style cuts. The stand-out for me on this is Baseline 88, in which his baseline literally throbs. Reminds me of Theo Parrish' Heal Yourself And Move a little, but it's much more playable on the dancefloor. Both pieces use the baselines to propel the track, with little in the way of melody - making them ideal tools to play out. Baseline 89 on the flip is joined by a full percussive work out to give it a different feel."
10> Giovanni Damico/Sek/Volta Cab/Flori - Seven Days A Week (Part 2) [Morris Audio] "Morris Audio have been one of my favourite labels over the years as their consistency has never dropped. This second installment of Seven Days A Week sees a quality line up of artists. A year ago, I'd be unfamiliar with them but over the last few months I have bought records by all of them. Each contribute a top notch track and it really is difficult to separate them. Damico's is a little more chilled than the other three, which have a more dub infused atmosphere to them."
"After over a decade of listening to, mixing and making House music, I've finally arrived at a short set of tracks that I'm happy to share with the world. 'Connection' is a set of four digital tracks inspired by all my favourite artists from Inland Knights, Theo Parrish and Moomin to name just a few. The EP was produced in Zynewave Podium using a broad range of samples I have collected over the years. Feel free to give it a listen and download if you wish. If anyone wants a free copy for promo purposes then let me know and I will sort it out"
PRESS RELEASE
Connection is the debut EP from Lincolnshire, UK based artist Magnofon. It precedes a full album release due out in 2013, containing a couple of tracks from the album. Harry Towell, the man behind the project is already an established producer within the experimental/ambient scene, recording as Spheruleus. He also runs netlabel Audio Gourmet, which specialises in releasing free 15 minute ‘tea break’ EPs.
Harry got into House music whilst in his teens, building a collection of vinyl and eventually playing out in bars and clubs. His time spent as a DJ peaked around 2007 when he played alongside the likes of Fred Everything, Nathan Coles, Inland Knights, JT Donaldson, The Littlemen, Da Sunlounge and DIY. Shortly after, a change in circumstance meant that DJing had to be sideline and that is when he began to spend any spare time creating ambient music.
In 2012, a move meant that Harry was reunited with his records and decks. He began to catch up with the Deep House scene, buying records to supplement his collection and mixing them into ‘Warehouse Decay Sessions’, a nostalgic nod back to his DJing days. He began to experiment with recording his own Deep House tracks and before long, he had enough material for an EP, which became ‘Connection’.
The name Connection refers to Harry connecting to the Deep House scene as Magnofon, marking it clearly as the first EP in his discography – hopefully the first of many. The sounds are inspired by the likes of Theo Parrish, Inland Knights and Global Communication – deep, but with plenty of groove.
credits
released 24 October 2012 Written and produced by Harry Towell Cover artwork by Richard Outram
12 James Johnston - Get Back To The Feeling [No Matter What]
13 Jordan Peak - Don't It Feel Good [Robsoul]
14 Wil Maddams - Rip & Run [Traxx Underground]
15 Malone and Mollison - Paradise [Underground Vibe]
Warehouse Decay Session 5 was influenced by the nostalgic old-skool House sound that seems to be present in a lot of my favourite records since getting my turntables set up again. Of the records I've been ordering, I'm increasingly drawn to that 90s garage sound that you can hear on labels like Local Talk, Traxx Underground and Saft and so I decided to put together a pile of records on which this is particularly prevalent.
I must confess, I did try to order them properly so that everything would flow on the mix - listening back, it doesn't sound perfect but it will certainly do. I've been meaning to get a mix of this sound together for weeks now, so I'm pleased that I'm finally able to share this music with you.
Most of my favourite current artists and labels feature here and Jason Grove features twice for reasons that your own ears will reveal if you listen. If you're new to this house sound but it sounds too familiar to be new, then I'm afraid you're mistaken and your ears are playing tricks. All of these records are recent and have been released in the last couple of years, that is...until the last track. The Malone and Mollison EP has been a secret weapon of mine for years. Released in 1995, this one was dubbed as old-skool back then!
Warehouse Decay Sessions number four continues the series, delving through yet more of my ever growing collection of House wax. This session, I intended to mix everything on the fly, including some of my recent purchases against older records. It starts off deep and dubby but doesn't stay like it for long. Housier moments come and go here and there and towards the latter stage of the mix, things get heavier as I throw in a few records I used to play out just before I packed it all in. The mix is rounded off with a couple of quirky records, starting with Tom Ellis' 'Thing One', a superb piece that uses sax to great effect. The closing track is by Hugo from a great EP on Floppy Funk.
