December: 15 house releases you need to hear this month

Claptone 'The Masquerade' (Defected)

A lot of mystery follows Claptone thanks to masked performances in Ibiza and beyond, but this impassioned mix is proof of time served in the booth. What could have been filled with Claptone singles such as ‘No Eyes’ and ‘The Only Thing’ instead opts for club-ready cuts from Purple Disco Machine, Riva Starr and Subb-an – plus that timeless Gregory Porter re-rub, the Planet Rock and New Order reworks and various other secret weapons like the Claptone unification of Ultra Nate and Roland Clark; there’s also an adept use of the piana-pella of ‘Wrong’ which has been slung over the top of Raumakustik’s ‘Raider’ to great effect. The day mix CD will get you in the mood to go out, while the night mix soundtracks a party we want to go to.

9/10

Dino Lenny & Doorly 'The Magic Room' (Play it Say it)

Dino Lenny and Doorly’s new track for Seth Troxler’s Play It Say It trundles along with a disco drum loop and bumping bassline, before a spoken-word vocal takes over and lush pianos complete this perfect house jam. Dino also teams up with Seth for a re-edit, too, before Doorly steps up to provide a fatter re-chunk mix. Best of the bunch, though, is Luke Solomon’s ‘Live Forever’ remix, thanks to its disco shuffle and catchy synth line.

9/10

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

Christian Jay '117/Contrail' (Idle Hands)

Bristol’s Idle hands has long been an exponent of minimal house sounds, and Christian Jay’s new release on the label continues the same tradition. ‘117’ combines effervescent percussion, garage-tinged drums and subtle melodies to make something rather beautiful. On the flip, meanwhile, ‘Contrail’ has a darker low-end feel, with a cheeky pitched-up bongo line working in tandem with some shuffling drums. With the dubbed-out processing giving a nod to its Bristol roots and pristine production throughout, these are two self-assured tracks that do what they do well.

8/10

Komon & Will Saul 'Eve’s Seven' EP (Aus Music)

After a plethora of strong releases from the likes of Bicep, Midland and Huxley, it’s time for label boss Will Saul to release again on Aus. Joined once again by Komon after the pair’s recent Kompakt release, they load ‘Eve’s Seven’ with organic drums and dreamy melodies that break into a jacking horn stab, while ‘Bloom’ is a stark house track with a hypnotic, clanging riff. The title track also gets tackled by Recloose, who makes things a bit more playful with his expanding synths and energetic drums. It’s a lovely mix, but the original just pips it.

8/10

Leigh Morgan 'There’s No Meat On Your Love' (Fancy Human)

We loved Leigh Morgan’s recent ‘Project Pickle’ and ‘Sandy Peanuts’ EPs. He’s also a co-founder of Fancy Human, a label which shows no signs of slowing down thanks to its constant stream of solid tracks coupled with eye-catching artwork. ‘There’s No Meat On Your Love’ has kipper drums, synthesised squelches and classy keys, while ‘I’ve Got Strength In My Hands’ has a lead analogue synths and lush pads. Elsewhere on the release, ‘Patting With A Purpose’ utilises shimmering keys, and ‘Searching For Steve’ is full of mellow deepness.

7/10

Subb-an 'Do it' EP (Wow! Recordings)

Subb-an has already racked up an impressive discography with releases for labels such as Saved, Suara and Crosstown Rebels, and now he can be found on Mar-T’s vinyl-only imprint Wow Recordings, too. ‘Do It’ has a walking bassline, tech-house clangs and energetic drums. It’s then handed to label favourite Hector for a stripped-back remix, as he chops up the vocal and adds atmospheric melodies for a version that’s more mid-set than the peak-time vibe of the original.

7/10

Eats Everything 'Girl Powder' EP (Edible Music)

This is Eats Everything’s first release since January and the first to come out on his own label. It’s a full-on main-room cut, with the Bristol-based producer showcasing his studio capabilities with some energetic, jaunty and bass-driven club fodder. The delightfully named ‘Veronica Electronica’ is a twisted cut for the afterparty, and sounds a little like Green Velvet due to its rave stabs and crunching drums.

8/10

Sophie Barker 'I Do It To Myself' (Disco Gecko)

Sophie Barker was one of the original singers in Zero 7 and also provided some vocals for Groove Armada, too. Her new single, ‘I Do It To Myself’, is a shimmering 80s groover that’s also a taster for her forthcoming third solo album. Little Thoughts take it to a Balearic beach bar for their remix, which encapsulates lush pads and mournful strings, before DALI switches things up by underpinning Barker’s strong vocal with analogue synths and Roland drums: it sounds like Marshall Jefferson collaborating with Kate Bush.

8/10

Phonique 'Grass Is Greener' (Ladies and Gentlemen)

This is a sneak preview of Phonique’s next album, which is set to be released next year. The Berlin resident’s first single, which features stunning sultry vocals from Antonia Vai, is capable of generating potential crossover interest: it’s a track that would arguably sound as great on the radio as it would on the dancefloor. Phonique also supplies a club mix, too, injecting some Chic-style bass licks and kicking the drums into top gear.

8/10

Guti 'Swings' (Desolat)

Guti has previously put out releases on Crosstown Rebels, Defected and his own Rompecorazones label. Here he returns to Loco Dice’s Desolat, a label he also has links with. ‘Like The Old Days’ shows his Latin roots with organic drums, block hits, off-kilter synths, guitar strums and an odd noise that sounds like the bouncing of
a ping-pong ball. ‘Rawcid’ is what space-techno would sound like if it were a real genre, while the stuttered vocal and crisp drums of ‘Judge Me’ are made for peak-time and the blissed-out hip hop of ‘I Was Yours’ shows off Guti’s production skills. Finally, ‘Swings’ makes use of loose drums, pulsing sine waves
and a sexy vocal.

6/10

Stylo G and Jacob Plant 'Bike Engine' (Raffa FL/Doorly mixes) (Skint Recordings)

Skint has been responsible for some big tunes over the years, and this latest package suggests that it’s still on form: with a falling bassline repeated in every bar, this sounds like an Atlantic Jaxx release with its garage-tinged low-end. Raffa FL flips the original version on its head, turning it into a peak-time stomp, before Doorly turns in a super-cool and laid-back disco version for al fresco sets.

7/10

Session Victim 'Matching Half' EP (Delusions Of Grandeur)

The German duo make their return to DOG with ‘Matching Half’. With its combination of authentic retro drum rolls, percussive disco loops and building keys lines, it’s full of musicality and groove. At the four-minute mark, a joyous piano slides in to transform it into an even more memorable house cut. This could be on repeat for a long time and we would still be happy; it’s not a club banger, but instead a classy piece of house music that would sway any hardened detractors of the genre. Byron The Aquarius is on remix duties and gives it an injection of pace, but his version is hard-pressed to better the original. ‘Up To Rise’ is lovely on the flip, too, but for us, the A-side is still the one to watch out for.

8/10

Sandboards 'Visa' EP (Feel My Bicep)

Until now, Feel My Bicep has solely been an outlet for Bicep releases – but this landmark release changes all that. It comes courtesy of Sandboards, a new duo discovered in Dunedin, New Zealand. Tomas Krammer and Eden Burns immediately feel at home in the FMB series with their use of 80s pan pipe synths, analogue bass and sprightly drums. ‘Visa’ is then remixed by London producer Shinra, who decides to break things up with his electro breakbeat remix (something we’re sure Bicep will approve of). ‘Pink Slippz’ has shuffling drums, dramatic tones, floating synths and an all-around epic feel that definitely justifies Bicep’s decision to open up the label to other artists.

8/10

Sandy Rivera feat DaNii 'You Work Hard For Your Enemy' Dirty Soul

Sandy Rivera has been responsible for helming some amazing dancefloor tracks over the years. On his latest release, ‘You Work Hard For Your Enemy’, he takes things down a notch for a 116bpm house cut which also features striking vocals from DaNii. This is a song that’s been on heavy rotation everywhere for us – on our office stereo, in our car and when out DJing – and we still don’t think we’ll ever get bored of it. It’s not a full-on dance track like ‘Finally’ or ‘Come Into My Room’; instead, it’s a sincere, brooding and mellow house cut with simple bass, epic strings and lush pads that you’ll greedily want to keep all to yourself.

8/10