September: 16 house releases you need to hear this month

Darius Syrossian 'Do Not Sleep' (Balance Music)

The first disc of ‘Balance’, the new double album from Darius Syrossian, is a live DJ mix that was recorded at the Bow in Buenos Aires, and it’s a masterclass in how to build a set properly. It starts with tracks from Demarkus Lewis and Darius himself before easing into Dennis Ferrer’s emotive ‘The Red Room’ and then breezing through cuts from Apollonia and Tim Deluxe. From there, it slides into top gear with DJ T’s ‘Music Is Therapy’, followed by Laurent Garnier’s ‘Crispy Bacon’. Darius keeps the pressure up with his own tracks ‘What You Say’, before closing with an updated version of ‘Pacific State’ and Deetron’s ‘Photon’. The second disc, meanwhile, is a polished studio mix that displays both his fine discography and excellent tune selection.

9/10

Blaze 'Lovelee Dae' (Bicep remix) (Feel My Bicep)

With the original version of ‘Lovelee Dae’ coming out in 1997, you’d be forgiven for thinking this track had had its day. But with Bicep’s sublime remix of ‘Dominica’ storming the world, they’ve now crafted another timeless rework. With the stunning vocal floating over galloping 909s, they’ve captured a moment of sincere dancefloor unity with their stunning remix. This will be the track you asked about all summer.

9/10

Bodyjack 'Cobra Effect EP' (Dext Records)

Bodyjack previously appeared on Dext with a Dubspeeka remix, and now returns to the label with this storming three-track EP. The title track has a sinister bass drone, tin pot percussion and drums, all of which make it perfect for those twisted dancefloor moments. It’s followed by ‘Hydra Effect’, which makes use of an infectious bassline, loose broken beats, analogue bleeps and an unexpected diva vocal, while main-room jam ‘Slo Wine Effect’ rounds things off with mammoth bass, snapping snare and eerie synths.

6/10

Kurd Maverick 'The Rub Remixed' (Kitball)

You may remember this from 2006, when it was one of Pete Tong’s Essential New Tunes and garnered support from Carl Cox, Loco Dice and Wink. This re-release features remixes from label owners Tube & Berger vs Juliet Sikora and DJ Fronter. The first remix, from Tube & Berger vs Juliet Sikora, has crunchy claps, solid drums, an elastic bassline, distorted vocals and an analogue squelch that dances about with every tweak. There’s also a revisited remix that boosts the original for 2016, while DJ Fronter’s contribution will appeal to techno heads with his peak-time rework.

7/10

Thomas Gandey 'Sun In Your Eyes Remixes' (Dear Deer)

The Dear Deer label loved Thomas Gandey’s debut release so much that they’ve decided to give it another shot with remixes from Animal Picnic, Climbers, Touchtalk and Donatello. Animal Picnic deliver a twilight festival stormer, Climbers turn it into a moody modulating synth track with a piercing tone and Donatello lets the top-line synths breath with his peak-time jam. Touchtalk also does a humungous breakdown with his main-room mix. We wish there was a new version from the man himself, too.

6/10

Love And Other Drugs 'Love And Other Drugs Vol 6' (Love And Other)

The Love And Other Drugs compilation series keeps rolling with another collection of chunky tech-house. ‘Sentilo’ comes from DJ Cameo, Myles & Gavin Francis and chugs along with familiar whispered vocals, piano stabs and snare build-ups. Lucky Day, meanwhile, is a new secret pseudonym – we don’t know who it is, but we do know that they’ve turned in a dependable main-room track with pitched vocals, snare rolls, low-end and loose percussion. Elsewhere, Mandal & Forbes give us their second sterling release on the label with the piano-led ‘Gravity’, before Dantiez & Greco (NYC) are roped in to give us a brisk house track to finish off this solid four-tracker.

7/10

Andrea Oliva 'Time To Get' (Saved Records)

This solid EP comes from Nic and Mark Fanciulli’s Saved Records. Having brought us tracks by Hot Since 82, Noir, Oxia and more, we know the calibre of tracks to expect from the label, but this could be one of its hottest releases to date. ‘Time To Get’ kicks in with sturdy beats before releasing a walking bassline, rubbery, off-kilter synths and a subtle vocal lick, while the relentless, intense synths of ‘We All Love Chords’ brings things to a close .

8/10

Ilija Rudman feat Andre Espeut 'In Her Eyes' (Imogen/Classic)

This slow-burning jam is based around a simple groove from Rudman, which allows the silky vocals of Andre Espeut to breathe with subtle nuances and a catchy top-line horn synth; it’s what they leave out, rather than what they put in, that makes this a piece of classy house. Charles Webster is the perfect remixer to take this into dancefloor territories –and while it would have been good to get a dub and vocal version of his mix, that’s just us being picky.

8/10

Six & Belly 'Silly Me/No Longer' (F*CLR)

Ashley Beedle’s Back To The World label camp decided to launch F*CLR after deciding that they were inundated with too much good music to solely be released on vinyl. Its inaugural release comes from Sarajevo production duo Six & Belly, who deliver two club-ready cuts. ‘Silly Me’ has a camp, playful vocal which drifts in and out of the solid stabs. ‘No Longer’ has dark, ominous vocals, pounding bass and frenetic drums.

7/10

Octave One 'Lounge Act' (Made in Glasgow)

This is the inaugural release from a new Glasgow imprint, with Octave One taking Pete MacLeod’s version of Nirvana’s ‘Lounge Act’ and turning it into a bass-driven, late-night monster. With a grounded bass, floaty synths and an effected vocal, the label has pulled out all the stops for its debut release. Whether it’s the darker dub on the flip or the original, this has already found favour with Andrew Weatherall, Sean Johnstone, Funk D’Void and Terry Farley.

7/10

Silk 86 vs Blamma! Blamma! 'Never Think' (Emotive)

This will be played by both disco and house heads alike, and comes rubber-stamped by Laurent Garnier, Jacques Renault, Agoria and Axel Boman. ‘Never Think’ has a filtered loop that teases in-and-out with a lazy disco clap, authentic percussion and a stunning vocal hook. ‘Still Love’ sounds like Tom Moulton jamming with Todd Terje and is lovely, but it’s the storming A-side that comes out on top.

8/10

Per Hammar 'Dixie’s Dubb' (Dirty Hands)

Hailing from the Swedish city of Malmö, the Dirty hands label wants to bring some grit back to house music. It achieves its goal with this release of relentless, dancefloor-friendly house. ‘Dixxie’s Dubb’, with its crisp beats and pulsating groove, is handed to Argy from Bpitch Control, These Days and Cadenza fame. He delivers a solid after-hours work-out, before the rolling ‘Severnaja’ rounds things off.

7/10

OC & Verde 'Maasai' (Knee Deep in Sound)

Hot Since 82 has been sitting on this one for a while: it’s been his secret weapon for the last six months, and now he’s finally letting us have a shot of it. ‘Maasai’ has a hypnotic groove, pounding bass, whispered vocals and jaunty, dramatic synths. It’s a memorable track and another essential release for KDIS, while ‘Iboga’ carries on the same vibe on the flip with an echoing vocal, knockout breakdowns and an unrelenting groove.

7/10

Gavin Froome 'Don’t Come Home' (Nordic Trax)

Has it really been a decade since Froome’s last outing on Nordic Trax? ‘Don’t Come Home’ is a piece of shimmering, polished house that features synthpop duo Golden Ears. Nordic Trax alumni The Revenge is on remix duties and takes the smooth original to a debauched beach party (and also delivers an instrumental version). Gavin also gives us the smooth ‘I Worry About You’ and the lush soundscape that is ‘Erupt The Quietus’, both of which whet our appetite for a new LP.

8/10

Nils Noa 'Makeover Man' (Troll Records)

Norway’s Nils Noa is back with a new release on his own label Troll Records. Nils is the booker and resident DJ at The Villa in Oslo and has recently put on Mathew Dear, Stimming and Dubfire. This shows exactly where his head is at: the Villa mix is a warm, rolling house track that delivers a thick bassline, sweeping vocals and warm atmospherics. There is a retro sounding acid mix and a Balearic mix, too, but the stunning Villa mix is the one to head for.

6/10

James Curd & Diz 'It’s So Much Fun' (Repopulate Mars)

James Curd and Diz are both esteemed alumni of the Classic Music Company, with Diz also previously releasing on Curd’s own Greenskeepers label. For their new collaboration, the pair have produced something that draws on their extensive knowledge of Chicago house, disco, techno and more. ‘It’s So Much Fun’ has a lazy disco clap, hypnotic vocal cuts, wiggles, bump and pops, which all combine to bring us a feel-good house jam. Felix Da Housecat teams up with Montreal producers Pfreud and Lebaron under the FFF name to bring us an earthy basement house remix, while Lee Foss takes time out of making his own album to bring us an 80s-influenced remix with shimmering keys and sprightly percussion. Nice remixes, but nothing touches the infectious hook of the original.

7/10