You can't possibly call South African producer Ryan Murgatroyd on his ambition. Likely to be known as 'that piano track' for the bulk of the summer, this moody, intriguing thing is nothing if not ambitious. Contemplative, melancholy, oddly uplifting and sometimes slightly unsettling, 'Bantwana's Piano' will lodge itself in your psyche from the first listen - a towering achievement in the landscape of modern house music. Coupling its abstract classical piano with a heart-wrenching African vocal, it's possibly unique, but certainly the most haunting track of the year so far.
Bantwana's Piano
Ryan Murgatroyd
Tenth Circle
All About Youx
Kon
Soul Clap Records
DJ Kon, aka King of Nothing, aka Christian Taylor, turns out a joyous, soul-cleansing release for the Soul Clap dudes, nailing just what the Bostonian party persons are all about. Kon has decades of form, known for his sprawling record collection and hook up with Amir and DJ Muro for BBE, and this is every bit as soaked in dancefloor knowledge as you'd hope. 'Runaway' is a melancholy house anthem, all pianos and love-lorn vocals. Meanwhile, 'Love Youx Forever', only available on the vinyl, dissects Patrice Rushen's classic 'Forget Me Nots', but in a throughly classy fashion.
Moan & Groan
Jamie Jones
Crosstown Rebels
What with his plans for world domination with Hot Natured, it's a wonder Jamie Jones has the spare moments to continue his own affairs. But continue them he does, and 'Moan & Groan' is solid, a spooky, robotic, darkly funky 5am workout. Threatening to upstage him entirely is Ben Westbeech under his Breach alias, taking on 'Tonight In Tokyo'. The results are totally stunning. Then there's the small matter of Cassius, aka Philippe Zdar, who turns in his own towering version. But it's not a competition, eh chaps?
The Joint
YNK
Polytone
Yannick Hofmann, the man who is very much behind YNK, drops this wonderful oddity for the excellent Frankfurt imprint Polytone, with flagrant disregard for the norms of house music. It's slow, it's doubtless challenging to dance to, but still it's soaked with sunshine, occasionally bursting through with dream-like vocals from whichever soul rarity it samples. What the original may lack in the dancefloor department, Lauer injects with old school house stabs and a digital bassline.
Tribal Tone (Remixes)
Ohm
Uknown to the Unknown
Originally penned by Ohm (Alan Watson and Yogi Haughton) back in 1992 - it was blessed with a rather legendary Sabres of Paradise mix - 'Tribal Tone' gets a re-release and a thorough re-working on Unknown to the Unknown. The original Ruffneck and Mo' Better Grooves versions most welcomely appear on this invigorated re-issue, but there's also new interpretations from Marquis Hawkes, who gives it some garage welly, and Capracara, who gets super-tough with subtly incorporated rave synths and a sublimely wobbly lower register.
Shame EP
Lopez
Silence In Metropolis
Paraguayan producer P. Lopez graces the second release from Silence In Metropolis. Watch out for the dizzyingly impressive Matt Fear remix, and the Matches re-rub of 'Keeping Up'.
Wanna Do
Move D
Curle Recordings
Originally penned to be given away with the 50th edition of German magazine Groove, Curle has nabbed it, along with additional track 'Nautique', and released it. Both tracks are pretty ace, to be fair.
Rainbow In My Pocket EP
DJ W!ld
The W Label
Wild as ever, DJ W!ld delivers four dangerous dancefloor tools for his very own The W Label, each sturdier than the last. These are not to be trifled with. You have been warned.
Sui Generis EP
Sui Generis
Mansion Music
Dark funkiness with flashes of Detroit and Chicago from this three-tracker, the first on newly-inked imprint Mansion Music. It appears to mean business.
Times All
Uffe
Pets
Last seen adorning the brilliant Tartelet label, Amsterdam's prodigious Uffe Christensen debuted on Catz 'N Dogz' label Pets last year, and now he's back for a second bite. The results are peculiar and fabulous. 'All I Did' defies comparison, building with his own vocals until it swells with organs. It's a wondrous thing indeed. 'Pretending' is layered with Herbert-esque klings and klangs, while 'Valentine's Card' is emotive and lush, dismantled and reassembled electronica executed effortlessly. Acid Pauli and Nu take on 'Pretending', losing none of its singular oddness, while Jon Convex humps 'All I Did', turning it into a pulsating dancefloor leviathan.
Woman You Want
Miguel Puente & Robbie Akbal feat Cari Golden
Akbal Music
This is totally Mexico, as Nathan Barley might once have said loudly on a bus through Shoreditch. But seriously, this is almost totally Mexican, from the producers Puente and Akbal to the label, Akbal's own house music concern. The fabulous Cari Golden adorns the thing with her silken vocals, while the peerless Pole Marcin Czubala, he of Your Mama's Friend fame, goes deeper still with his very, very late night take on matters. It's well cheeks.
DJ MAG
DJ WEEKLY
