Freerange Records present the second jazz-flecked EP taken from Crackazat's recently released 'Evergreen' album, featuring a stunning rework from irrepressible Berlin-based producer, Cody Currie.

Following the arrival of the recent Beacon Of Light EP, the word is well and truly out about Ben 'Crackazat' Jacob's breathtaking metamorphosis from dubbed- out dancefloor igniter to fully-fledged singer/songwriting talent. Incorporating a new level of compositional mastery while maintaining his well-earned club credentials, Jacobs continues breaking new stylistic ground with the 'Everybody Talks About It' EP.

Curating an organically-inspired match between two of UK house music's most outstanding and musically refined artists in recent years, Freerange invite Cody Currie to commence proceedings with his typically deft interpretation of 'Everybody Talks'. The London-born producer has made an enormous impact on the dance underground since emerging in around 2016, releasing a flurry of jazz- inspired titles on benchmark labels including Toy Tonics, Razor N Tape, and Classic. Making his Freerange debut, he elegantly reframes the track while retaining the essence of the original. Gently nudging the drums to add a touch of floor-focused gravity, he carefully spaces out the instrumentation and effect- laden vocal, allowing driving chords to power the US garage-inspired groove deep into sun-kissed dancefloors.

Next to appear is Crackazat's original version of the title track, a song that perfectly encapsulates the intelligent pop-centric focus of the forthcoming album. 'Everybody Talks About It' explodes with emotion, with its searing vocal rising over shimmering pads and bass before building to a horn-filled crescendo. The composition sees Crackazat at his song-writing zenith, adding an irresistible crossover sheen to the propulsive club groove.

On the flip, we find Crackazat's 'Mana's Dub' of 'I'm Easy', stripping back the vocal and adding bite to the drums as looped instrumentation and celestial synths build to a club-ready fervour. As with the previous single, the inclusion of this well-crafted instrumental transports the track into dubbed-out realms and is sure to hit home with admirers of the vintage Crackazat sound. Finally, the deep disco of the original version of 'I'm Easy' sees blissful chords glide over weighted bass as the vocal powers across the panorama, bursting with Quincy Jones-inspired horns above delicately woven keys and raw house drums.

This neatly varied package once again demonstrates Crackazat's meteoric artistic development while tipping the cap to his dance-focused roots.

BURNING HEAT is a potent tincture, a focused distillation now years in the making. Carefully chosen from over 20 new productions and extensively play-tested at parties across New Orleans and beyond, BURNING HEAT is the latest collaborative effort by locals Quickweave (Jalen Dilosa) and Redance (David Yaconi); a split EP forthcoming on Hiatt dB’s New Orleans-based Mystery Zone Records July 1st 2022.

The 180-gram 12 inch features 2 tracks from each artist along with a pair of remixes split evenly between the “WHITE HOT” and “RED HOT” sides courtesy of Toronto’s Nick Holder and NYC’s AceMo, respectively. Its sound draws inspiration from the lessor-dug House stylings of the early 00s. With BURNING HEAT, Quickweave and Redance have repositioned the era’s lush textures and sensual atmosphere against heavier rhythms and more circular, hypnotic arrangements. The result? Deep club workouts focused on fostering connection, joy and romance on the dancefloor.

These hard-hitting, DJ-friendly productions were made in part to power the duo’s post-lockdown come-back party venture, Mercy. Early demos and updated edits became part of the sound of our collective reconnection as lockdowns relaxed and infection numbers fell in Summer 2021. On BURNING HEAT you’ll hear late-night New Orleans in the dead of Summer – warm and inviting club cuts to soundtrack a low-lit, neighborhood backroom disco-dive. Polished from a trove of DJ tools made for the artists’ personal sets, this selection features nothing but guaranteed party-starters, vetted both in the studio and behind the booth.

Capoon crafts organic and eclectic soundscapes, inspired by a worldwide musical view and a penchant for emotional storytelling, having collaborated with musicians from all over the globe. Following his lauded ‘April EP’ on Human By Default in 2020, the Antwerp-based artist returns to Bedouin’s essential imprint with a pair of lush productions.

Leading the A-side is the title track ‘Mi Mem’, which sees the DJ/producer merge emotive vocal chops, shuffling percussion, and evolving synthesis for a driving and powerful opener. ‘Mano y Mano’ brings rolling drums under soft, gentle instrumentation as swirling soundscapes engulf the stereo spectrum.

Following releases from label founder Palms Trax, a reissue of eighties Chicago House innovator Rog’e, and a pair of cassette mixtapes from Berlin-based selectors Enchanted Rhythm and Budino, CWPT looks to the North-East of England for its next release, live and direct from REES.

Hot on the heels of a twelve-inch on Bordello A Parigi and underscoring a slowly simmering reputation as one of the brightest stars of his community, REES’s debut on CWPT is a classy and globally informed perspective on house, disco and acid styles.

Undistilled rhythm is at the heart of Rees’s vision of club culture; on title track, Devils Club, it’s effect makes itself known immediately, driving a channel of lively percussion towards a series of tasteful breakdowns that are both propulsive and alluring. On ‘Magic’, a confidently raw, loose drum loop accelerates into a glossy, psychedelic speed-chase that’s pure Miami Vice reimagined in Middlesbrough.

On the flip, two versions of ‘The Spirit’ tastefully expand beyond REES’s musical borders and into warm, cinematic territory, blending tropically tinted instrumentation with (and then without) an entrancing vocal sample.

Change is good. It’s inevitable. It’s the general nature of how the universe works all around us. Change comes in many forms, and this particular one is the debut EP from 2Phargon. While it might be the debut, the veteran producer behind the new alias isn’t a stranger to Dirtybird, Lee Mortimer aka Friend Within.

The EP features three brand new tracks under the new guise covering a wide landscape. “Feel A little Strange” is a monster attention grabber - the perfect piece to kick off the new venture. “Micro” is fast-paced filled with moments of drifting away before snapping back into stride. Rounding it out is “Dwelling”—a bubbling kaleidoscope of sound.

We welcome the change with open arms.

Höga Nord Rekords kindly welcomes Teecwa back to the label, following up his last full length-album “Beyond the Altai” with “Elysian on Moon Lake”. He is still exploring the intersections between house, electro, techno and dub and once again he manages to harness the analogue electronics in his machines to produce modern psychedelia.

“Elysian On Moon Lake” is rawer, less airy and not as sparkling as his last album. This is a tighter, and slightly darker experience than Teecwa’s previous work, maybe caused by being in quarantine for extensive time during production, letting some of the dreaminess aside for the harsher reality in a pandemic world. Still, you get a mind-altering experience in a lot of tracks since the album starts off in a lighter tone than how it later develops. Switching from the A- to the B-side works as a rite of passage going from dusk to night; the sun rays through the blinders are replaced by neon light dancing on the walls and ceiling.

Regarding the dramaturgy of “Elysian On Moon Lake”, this album has movielike qualities; a well-directed piece from the opening impact and setup through the confrontational part where intensity builds up to the climax in “Hythmdoser” to the cooling down effect of the peaceful closer “Celestial Trails”. The trip eventually ends up in a safe and happy place after the cathartic finale.

This is not a just collection of songs, this is an album made to experience in full length without interruptions.

Following the 7” revisiting Candi Staton’s much-loved gospel anthem, this Glitterbox Recordings 12” features four diverse remixes of ‘Hallelujah Anyway’, three of which are new to vinyl. Kicking off with Larse’s Vocal mix, touching deeper territory with a mid-tempo house rendition, Dr Packer’s indulgent piano-littered mix is next, picking up the energy and re-introducing the disco beat. Italian producer Moplen delivers a 90s-influenced Classic Club Vibe mix, maximising Candi’s uplifting vocal. Finally is FK’s Director’s Cut Signature Praise 12” Edit, a Frankie Knuckles and Eric Kupper production which is available here on vinyl for the very first time. Picking up the pace with soaring synths and a grooving beat, the mix takes the anthem firmly back to the dancefloor, compelled by the original song’s call for jubilation. Four must-hear mixes from Glitterbox, breathing fresh energy into this timeless record.

3 expansive edits of Turkish funk and psychedelia, each dubbed out through tape delays and spring reverbs, as well as carefully EQ-ed and mastered for an enhanced sonic experience.

Side A kicks off with the low slung funk of 'Ayçiçeği', featuring an infectious bassline which weaves between subtle flashes of spring reverb, whispered vocals, each underpinned by pounding drums. Side B begins with 'Biz Burdayiz' , a relentless drum loop and singular vocal hit looped around and manipulated with tape delays, and the record closes with 'Güneşi Kesin', a tense funk break which builds before reversing inside of itself. Hand stamped vinyl only.

Örtmek comes back round, presenting another vinyl only pressing of three invaluable edits of vintage Turkish funk, rock and disco delicacies. Following the raw, percussive experiments of the first release. Opening track 'Özil Dans' rains down crashing cymbals and freak-out-worthy wah guitars, maintaining an irresistible and authentic groove that doesn’t falter for five minutes of Eurasian hypnosis. 'Dokuz Sekiz' weaves traditional string elements alongside bursts of wild chanting. Finally, 'Mozart'in Davul' stitches a frantic, dense rhythm from the fuzz and feedback of an unknown slab of Turkish psychedelia.

Mint Condition - A reissue label focussed on excavating the outer fringes of classic House and Techno. Unreleased mixes, classics and overlooked gems mined from the last 20+ of contemporary dance music are the order of the day. From Chicago, Detroit and New York to London and beyond, Mint Condition have got their expert digging hats on to bring you exclusive heat and those rarer than rare jams that have been on your wants list for years! Dig in....

If we told you that you'd be seeing the future back in 1996 would you have believed us? Maybe not, but Armando may beg to differ, yes that Armando. Chicago's prodigal son (RIP) hooked up with one of Chicago's other prodigal sons - Cajmere - to drop this stellar piece of jacked-up, hi-tech, slamming house on the infamous Radikal Fear imprint ran by Felix Da Housecat. Yeah, that's a lot of legendary names right there, for sure. Sit back, take it in for a second, let it marinate. 'The future' is a banger, no doubt about it. Punishing kick drums, manic synth stabs and that creeping trademark Armando acid is all there, it doesn't let up. Driving in all the right ways it's a surefire weapon. Classic Chi-town sounds here, second wave style. Over on the b-side we are lucky to be treated to an exclusive, respectful re-edit of Cajmere's absolutely heavyweight remix of 'The future', again this one kicks hard in Curtis' unique style. We were granted access to our homie and long time freak, Chicago house aficionado and advocate Luke Solomon's private edit of this jam. To say that it works is an understatement, Luke knows what he's doing 100%, decades spent behind the mixing desk and turntables all over the world have made sure of that. Oh, by the way, be careful with that bassline on the remix, it's capable of bringing out the weird side of anyone exposed to it on the dancefloor.... in the best possible way, of course! Essential stuff here, for the heads for sure!

'The future' has been legitimately released with the full involvement of the rights holders for 2017 and remastered by London's Curve Pusher from the original master sources especially for this release. 100% legit, licensed and released. Dug, remastered, repackaged and brought to you by the caring folks at Mint Condition!

NYC Disco and House legend Danny Krivit has 45 years in the DJ game under his belt and having played endless gigs all over the world during that time it's safe to say the original Mr.K knows exactly what he's doing when it comes to this DJ thing! Pair Danny with his long time collaborators and family King Street Sounds and you're having a party!
 
This is exactly what happened in 2001 when the label asked him to contribute to their legendary 'Mix the vibe' series where top flight selectors like Danny get to dig deep and produce a fresh DJ mix for the label. Now, you know the quality control is going to be sky-high on a project like this and this limited DJ sampler featuring tracks from the compilation proves just that!
 
All featured tracks have been fully licensed from King Street, remastered and reissued with %100 involvement from the label. Essential House music for the seasoned heads and neophytes alike!

Having kicked off in Galway and then quickly on to Brisbane, we travel across the pond to Durham, to pick the brains of one dance music’s freshest minds and most exciting talents, Tommy 2000, for the all-encompassing GTOWN 003 - ‘2K Musik’.

5 tracks that will travel the length and breadth of your brain; from the epic opener and lead single, ‘Whales’, to the algebraic break sequences of ‘T-2000’, Tommy’s follow up to his debut EP on DJ Haus’ Dance Trax is about as mature a sound you could expect from any artist, let alone an 18 year old just dipping his toes in the water.

‘Whales’ leads the way as an almost orchestral breakbeat builder-style track that reaches its peak gradually and really takes us for a ride as we step into the world of 2K Musik. Following on from that, is the most classically-conventional track of the lot, ‘Baff’. The four to the floor backbone lulls the listener to be sucked into what is an entirely unique club track they’ve never even come close to hearing before. That is then spun on its head entirely when Tommy’s almost bookmark sound comes into play on the title track, ‘2K Musik’. Hammering us with breaks and unapologetic bass, this marriage of old school sounds with entirely dynamic arrangement and all around ingenuity tells us exactly what 2K Musik is all about.

We swap over to the B side then, without much of a break for air, and kick off with the ever-nautically themed ‘Tuna’. At this point, it’s more than evident that Tommy 2000 is entirely worthy of his placement as an artist that’s here to stay, as if he’s pulled us underwater to listen to what the sea creatures have to say to us. Totally transforming even more modern sounding breakbeat drum patterns and bending them to his will, GTOWN003 is almost like a portal into the mind of a music genius, not just an EP you sit down and listen to; this is an immersive exhibition into the world of Tommy 2000. The final stop on the line is ‘T-2000’. You want to stop and get off, but you can’t. Everytime you think you’ve got this track figured out, you haven’t. Snares coming crashing down and attacking the breaks just as you’ve began to comprehend the synthlines and pads that eb and flow off of each other as this crescendo takes us home and back to reality, as the needle lifts on what is only the beginning for one of dance music’s brightest stars on one of its realest labels.

GTOWN003 - 2K MusiK by Tommy 2000 lands on G TOWN RECORDS on June 24th. Are you Ready?

LGR015 sees Locked Groove teaming up with Gacha Bakradze for “3 Variations Sur Un Thème”.

After linking up online in 2020, Gacha and Tim decided to join forces and make something they believe is truly special.

Gacha Bakradze hails from Georgia’s capital, Tbilisi. He has deservedly earned plaudits after releases on Apollo, Cin Cin, Die Orakel, Fever AM and Lapsus. Gacha regularly redefines his musical ideology; always bestowing it with mood based authenticity and excitement through rhythms and harmonies.

Just like Locked Groove, his musical output is diverse and always evolving, which makes them great collaborators.

Like the EP title suggests, the 3 tracks are loosely based on the same theme but explore different sonic landscapes.

Variation 1 opens the EP with skittish percussion and melodies weaving in and out. Variation 2 pushes the tempo to 150+ BPM with synth sounds reminiscing of rave years gone by. Variation 3 dials things back and provides a more subdued yet euphoric addition to the EP.

For the remix they’ve enlisted Deniro. The Dutch producer, known for his precise use of melody and rhythm delivers a soulful and timeless rendition of Variation 1.

The EP is due 10 June on all digital platforms and will also be available on vinyl from 20th May.

Artwork by Ollie George with photos by Locked Groove.