December: 15 house releases you need to hear this month

Various 'Hot Jams' (Hot Creations)

We love the fact that Hot Creations keeps pushing on and signing new names. The label could be inundated with releases purely from their heavyweight alumni, yet it refuses to rest on its laurels and strives to uncover new sounds instead. Relative newcomer Lee Walker is best known for his track ‘Freak Like Me’, which was previously picked up by Defected; his contribution here, ‘That Little Ditty’, is high-octane house with punchy stabs and a huge breakdown. Pete Dorling’s ‘Manyana’ brings a repeated tribal chant over a meaty bassline, while Neil Parkes jumbles up his name on ‘Peil Narkes’, which mixes a swinging bassline, sharp drums and dark, swelling synths. It’s left to Greeko to step up to the plate and finish things off, with his edgy and dubby closer ‘Magma’.

7/10