April: 16 house releases you need to hear this month

Jazzanova 'The Remixes 2006 - 2016' (Sonar Kollektiv)

German collective Jazzanova are celebrating 20 years of impressive remixes with a three-part compilation series, with each release covering a different period in their career. This final instalment shows where the heads have been over the last decade, with their take on house remixes partiucularly grabbing our attention. Their smooth, silky version of Outlines’ ‘Listen To The Drums’ sounds like early Maya Jane Coles, while their huge-sounding rework of Atjazz’s ‘Parallels’ (feat Dawne B) features guitar licks and dramatic pads. Other highlights include the Balearic-inspired take on Malika Ayane’s ‘Dimentica Domani’ and a remix of Paul Randolph’s ‘Believer’, which evokes a moody Theo Parrish.

9/10

Amberoom 'Rhit' (Ovum)

Amberoom is a new project from old friends Manuel Tur, Adrian Hoffmann and Ramin Nouyan. The title track from their new EP is a slow-burner with sturdy drums that would happily stand-alone holding a dancefloor but still give way for shimmering pads and a sprightly piano line. ‘Hover’ is a bass-heavy late-night cut with an infectious wood block, and ‘Machine’ pays homage to the hardware used on these sterling productions.

9/10

Adam Shelton/Subb-an feat Isis Salam 'Only Now/Self Control' (One Records)

One Records head honchos Adam Shelton and Subb-an team up on this new split release, with both ‘Only Now’ and ‘Self Control’ featuring vocals from Isis Salam (who previously worked with Subb-an for a release on Beste Freunde). First up, Adam delivers a Roland 808 drum workout which, when coupled with Salam’s haunting refrain, makes for a late-night acid attack. Subb-an’s sultry house contribution, meanwhile, sounds like Derrick Carter doing an all-nighter with its raunchy vocal bouncing on top of a staunch beat.

7/10

Riva Starr 'The Basement Shit' EP (Snatch Raw)

Riva Starr has long been dominating charts with his no-nonsense dancefloor destroyers for the likes of Hot Creations, Crosstown Rebels, Cajual and Moon Harbour. The lead cut from his new ‘The Basement Shit’ EP, released on Snatch Raw, features a rising space synth that continues to escalate throughout; add some hip hop vocal snips and tough beats, and you’ve got yourself a party. There’s a storming tech remix from Skream, too, as well as a handy DJ tool of the gargantuan crescendo for you to play with. ‘The Flame’, meanwhile. has a sassy diva vocal, thumping beats and jazz stabs that sound like Kerri Chandler jamming with Eats Everything.

8/10

Sean Branton 'Night Mode' EP (Virtue Records)

Sean Branton has previously dropped tracks on labels including Hot Creations and Electronique. The title track for his latest release (which is coming out on the vinyl-only label Virtue Recordings) gets off to a melancholic start before sparking into life with a bouncing bassline and sprightly top-line. The organic percussion takes thing up a gear and, when the high string creeps in, you’ll feel like you just want to hug someone. ‘Flights’ combines clicking beats and vivacious percussion on a classy late-night house cut, while ‘Lead’ finishes off this strong EP with syncopated synths and elegant pads.

8/10

Andre Salata 'Magnetism' EP (Get Physical)

Sao Paulo’s Andre Salata is welcomed to the esteemed Get Physical roster with this solid inaugural release. The title track combines frantic arpeggiated synths, sturdy beats, dark pads and mechanical wooshes, ticking all the boxes for an effective late-night jam. Next up is ‘Symbols’, which comes on like a hungover Funk D’Void with its hefty beats, bleak tones and heads-down vibe. Once the Brazilian is done with the track, Dubspeeka is on hand to beat up in a Berlin alley before taking it out for a whole weekend of Berghain on his remix.

6/10

Matt Caine 'Like A Fool' (Nordic Trax)

Canadian producer Matt Caine returns to the Nordic Trax label with a new EP of silky deep tech. ‘Like A Fool’ trundles along with staccato stabs, smooth stabs, crisp beats and luscious vocals, but it really shifts into top gear when the opulent pad drifts in. Elsewhere, ‘Needin’ You’ has a jaunty synth that’s underpinned by graceful washes and pads topped with a diva vocal, while ‘Feel The Heat’ has a smattering of sultry vocals with analogue synths and crisp beats. Completing the release are the darker ‘Walk Don’t Run’ and ‘Cave Dweller’, which is a jazz-tinged delight.

8/10

Rogerio Martins '300' EP (Piston Recordings)

With Piston Recordings preparing to put out its 300th release, label boss Rogerio Martins steps forward to claim the landmark honour all for himself. For the last decade, the Portuguese producer has stuck to his guns by favouring quality house releases, and he keeps the same mantra here. ‘No Gimmicks’ is a bumping track injected with huge, powerful organ stabs, while ‘Find The Love’ is smooth house with filtered piano, vocal chops and lush pads. Here’s to another 300.

8/10

Tube & Berger 'We Are All Stars' (Kitball)

Taken from their album of the same name, ‘We Are All Stars’ finds German duo Tube & Berger absolutely going for it. The pair have an extensive back catalogue, but here they move away from their club roots and shift their focus towards a more mainstream audience. This track has all the elements needed to be a commercial success: disco loops, colossal build-ups, Chic-style guitar licks, bold repeated vocals and twisted bass-face moments.

6/10

Burnski 'DNA Remixes' (Constant Sound)

Burnski follow last year’s ‘DNA’ album with a new remix collection of some of the LP’s best bits. French trio Mandar tackle ‘Another Source’ with a space-tech remix and Diego Krause delivers a rumbling dubbed-out mix of ‘Cosmic Warfare’. Laura Jones takes on ‘I Like You’ in a breakbeat style, while the glorious original version of ‘Another Source’ is also slipped into the package – just in case you’d somehow forgotten how good an album ‘DNA’ was to begin with.

7/10

JeanGa & George T 'Compromise' (Greco Roman)

The impeccable Greco Roman label brings us a sincere, low-slung gem from JeanGa and George T. We’re big fans of George thanks to his releases on NRK, Farris Wheel, Honchos and his own Pohm Pohm imprint, while his progression through the Tirk label has seen him grow from a dancefloor maestro to an accomplished recording star.This is a midtempo live-synth jam with a gloriously melancholic piano, cinematic vocal snips and effective atmospherics (not to mention a distant glockenspiel). This would be a perfect choice to soundtrack a fashion show – we’d definitely welcome a whole album.

8/10

Saull & Unknyo 'Les Bains' (Origine)

Given that Origine is a French project covering art, clothing, records and design, you’d be forgiven for thinking that the music it puts out might suffer from a lack of focus. Thankfully, that’s not the case. The standard is always high at Origine, as shown by this vinyl-only four track EP from Saull and his childhood pal Unknyo. ‘Les Bains’ is fathoms deep with its swelling bass, skipping drums and kipper top synth. Saull’s solo cut ‘Jut La’ is a straight-up dancefloor house cut with bulky beats, electronic beeps and soaring pads, while Unknyo’s track has metallic tones and a driving bass that will find favour with MJC fans. There’s also a remix from Terence Terry, who gives the drums a frenetic workout.

8/10

Citizenn 'Songs Of Praise' (And Worship)

Citizenn’s album ‘Human Interface’, released on Crosstown Rebels in 2015, was a stunning piece of work. Here, we find him on Waze and Odyssey’s Street Tracks label with new three-part release ‘Songs Of Praise And Worship’. ‘Part 1’ is a hefty percussive number with a simplistic but mesmerising piano line that sounds like a haunted house soundtrack recorded in London’s XOYO. ‘Part 2’ tones things down slightly and will be effective as a warm-up cut with its heartfelt vocal, sombre pads and dusky atmospherics. Finishing things off is ‘Part 3’, which is peak-time tech with driving groove, build-ups and a bliding break down.

8/10

Austin Ato 'All I Want' (TMT Records)

Austin Ato has been gaining momentum with releases on labels such as Eton Messy and TMT Records, as well as garnering support from influential figures such as Pete Tong. The time has come, then, for the talented producer to make the step up into the big leagues with these two dependable, club-ready tracks. ‘All I Want’ is a peak-time banger with thundering retro drums and a repeated keys line that builds to a growing crescendo. ‘Say Something’ sounds like Steve Bug jamming with Josh Wink, as subtle pads and screaming banshee wails give way to intense drum rolls.

8/10

James Curd 'I Get Up (To DC)' (Exploited)

With the time he’s spent cultivating an impressive back catalogue on Classic, DFA and Permanent Vacation in addition to working on his Greenskeepers project, Jamed Curd could never be accused of being lazy. ‘I Get Up (To DC)’ boasts a vintage analogue synth with elastic bass, liquid acid, electronic stylings and sliced-up vocals (there’s a remix from Red Rack’Em, too, although it doesn’t have to stray too far from the original). ‘Disco Fool’ has a walking bassline and an undeniable disco feel with its smooth pads and freestyle organ, and Curd also cheekily manages to sneak in some audio of Derrick Carter chatting to a crowd.

8/10