The always on-point and culturally significant Tuskegee Music is back with more essential music, this time from venerated American producer D’Marc Cantu. Over the course of a distinguished career, Cantu has contributed to everything from jackbeat to acid, house to techno on labels like Creme Organisation and Les Disques De La Mort. Always serving up raw-edged, uncompromising sounds, he does so again here on another standout EP. Opener ‘Beat The Move’ is an urgent, high tech piece of slick and supple acid house with 303 undulations, dark vocal loops and the sort of hammering drums that get the club locked right in. The sublime ‘In The Forest’ is a tripped out bit of restless electro with skittish hits and rueful pads that gets right to your heart. Last of all is the militant, marching ‘A Narrow Connection’ which closes things out with crisp kicks and scintillating sheet metal drums that straighten your back and get you stomping. These are utilitarian yet wonderfully unique club tracks from a real master of the
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With previous releases on Tuskegee Music coming from the trio The Martinez Brothers, Jesse Calosso and Phil Moffa under their Soundview alias as well as Kool D and Trouw resident William Kouam Djoko, next in line sees the return of Bas Ibellini with his first full length EP on the label in the form of ‘Friendship’. ‘Friendship’ kicks off with a title track that sees Ibellini collaborate with Stephane Lefrancois AKA SLF - an extolled, Canada based producer who has garnered a following through rich and intricate records on Sony, Compost and BBE. Together the pair drives a busy and bubbling acid line under psychedelic vocals and crisp, accurate drums. ‘Start Don’t Stop’ then follows up and uses nifty sound design to build tangible sense of space within which warped samples and a persistent, propulsive bass tone build momentum. ‘Happy Go Lucky’ marries swinging hats with some sportive, octave hopping synth work that work in tandem to build a tight, irresistible groove. Second collaboration with SLF ‘Elef Be’ then drives abrasive, circling tones through tough, crunching percussion that works to add a further facet to another solid addition to the Tuskegee catalogue and round off an exciting debut EP from an auspicious talent. More

Second release on Seth Troxler and Martinez Brother’s hotly tipped ‘Tuskegee’ imprint is courtesy of Dutch House Master William Kouam Djoko. His three tracker of off kilter acid-tinged floor-jams are a truly something to behold. Bathe your ears in the majesty of ‘Sacred Secrets’ and witness the floor go crazy! The A Side features the heart-stopping magnificence that is ‘Sacred Secrets’, a barnstorming, no holds barred hedonistic acid trip that kicks like a mule! On the flip and enigmatic effervescent intro of ‘Heart U’ is underpinned with drum-tastic mayhem and percussive polyrhythms that are guaranteed to make your head spin. Finally ‘Rays’ slows the pace down with a sun-soaked mood jam rounding the EP off perfectly. William has previously released on Rush House, Thirtyonetwenty and Leftroom, and has a forthcoming EP on Mobilee. More

Just seven months after open-heart surgery, Lost Desert is back with the third edition of his Lost Desert & Friends EP series on All Day I Dream. The four track EP kicks off with the help of friends Lee Burridge, Junior Akwety, Madraas, and Sofiya Nzau, before Lost Desert closes the record with its only solo composition. More

Catz ‘n Dogz make a standout debut on Crosstown Rebels with two compelling new house tracks on ‘Can’t Stand’, complete with a remix from leftfield innovator Robag Wruhme. A pairing whose renowned reputation has been built and shaped across an illustrious career, Polish duo Grzegorz Demiañczuk and Wojciech Tarañczuk, aka Catz’ n Dogz, have been serving up their own diverse and varied take on house for more than fifteen years. Founders of their own Pets Recordings imprint, in that time they have released on esteemed labels, from Diynamic to Defected, Glitterbox to Watergate and more, while playing at almost every major club and festival across the globe. Their fresh in-between sounds and knack for cooking up curious and impactful sounds have made them mainstays of the scene, and that run of stellar releases continues here with a debut appearance on Crosstown Rebels as they link with ZenSoFly for ‘Can’t Stand’ - with longstanding German favourite Robag Wruhme on remix duties. Opener ‘Can’t Stand’ sees the pair reunite with vocalist ZenSoFly, a talent they’ve worked with on notable hits like ‘Wave.’ Her vocals bring soul and attitude over a tight, rubbery and sleazy house beat, underpinned with a heavy bassline - providing the sort of chunky cut to lock in a dancefloor and make it march in unison. Robag Wruhme has been a Pampa label mainstay and famously curveball producer for many years with his scintillating blend of minimalism, melody and unusual sound sources. That is the case again with this remix, a dark workout that hurries along on snappy drums, detuned vocals and scuzzed up, droning synths to ensure maximum impact. The EP is closed out with ‘Wake Up’, a widescreen and atmospheric cut packed with detail. The bassline is taught, freaky vocals echo within the mix, and synths spray about to dramatic effect, delivering another full flavour house cut with a dark soul and futuristic designs. More

EP10’ stays true to committing Defected’s biggest digital releases to wax, delivering an upfront package of house heat previously unavailable on vinyl. Kicking off the EP with two huge cuts, Gorgon City’s captivating, club-ready remix of Selace ‘So Hooked On Your Lovin’ opens the A-Side, before Vintage Culture’s Defected debut and Beatport #1 ‘It Is What It Is’ follows. On the B-Side Defected deliver the original version of Marco Faraone & Greeko’s hip house heater ‘Armaghetton’, as well as Janson’s huge remix to close out the package. More

Techno powerhouse Charlotte de Witte releases a limited edition vinyl of her Overdrive EP. The Overdrive EP is the soundtrack to the break neck speed at which de Witte has pushed herself throughout her ascension to the top of the electronic music scene. An ode to the magic that happens when we drive ourselves past our peak to unlock a new bold, fearless, turbocharged identity, Overdrive delivers high-energy tracks that pulse through the body and electrify the senses. Things kicked off in New York City on May 17 when de Witte hosted a surprise set for thousands of fans on Orchard Street. Her 60-minute performance - which shutdown the iconic East Village street - was a manifestation of the Overdrive EP, with the energy of the crowd and de Witte’s unmistakable sound bouncing from building to building. It was held outside of the KNTXT pop-up at Extra Butter, which carried exclusive merchandise and apparel inspired by the EP. Selling out in less than 48 hours, the drop marked the first time KNTXT merchandise was sold in the United States. De Witte then performed two sold-out shows at Brooklyn Mirage. On June 3rd de Witte kicked off the second lap her larger Overdrive campaign on the KNTXT Label, debuting the Overdrive production Tour at Primavera Barcelona. Next to Spain, the Overdrive Tour will take de Witte's talents all over Europe to Belgium, Portugal, the Netherlands and France this Summer. More

Radio Slave teams up with Michael Love Michael and returns to his roots with ‘Can’t Get You’ this July. Radio Slave revisits Kylie Minogue’s ‘Can’t Get You Out Of My Head’, the track that originally launched his production career in 2001, with US-based writer, editor, and musician Michael Love Michael on vocals. “When I got the call that Pete Tong was going to play my re-edit of ‘Can’t Get You Of My Head’, I had to quickly invent a name for the project, literally on the spot just a few hours before Pete went live on BBC Radio One. On that night, the Radio Slave name was born. It was never o?cially released, but I did get a copy of the stems and was invited to sit in the studio with the writer Rob Davis for the making of the infamous ‘Blue Monday’ mashup, which Kylie would go onto perform at the Brit Awards in 2002. It was an exciting time in my career, and this song would be the beginning of a project that’s now over 20 years old” - Radio Slave The refreshed packaged comes with a variety of club-ready mixes, paying homage to the origins of Matt Edwards’ longest running project while looking ?rmly into the future. Michael Love Michael’s enthralling vocal performance takes centre stage across the mixes, while variations in Radio Slave’s impeccable production inject undeniable groove and propulsive energy throughout. More

Repress!

Coming as the third edition, ‘EP3’ stays true to the series, committing Defected’s biggest digital releases to wax, and delivering upfront packages of house heat previously unavailable on vinyl. The A-Side is comprised of classic tracks that have been given fresh life for with new remixes, kicking off with Mousse T.’s re-work of Dennis Ferrer’s ‘Hey Hey’, followed by Dario D’Attis’ remix of Kings Of Tomorrow’s ‘Finally’. The B-Side opens with one of the label’s current biggest releases, Purple Disco Machine’s remix of the unmistakable ‘Praise You’ by Fatboy Slim, an effortlessly sophisticated re-work and guaranteed dancefloor knockout. Closing the release is Mattei & Omich’s ‘I’ll House U’, maintaining the theme this series has established, celebrating Defected’s classic house roots in time for label’s 20th anniversary year. More

Following up ‘EP1’, committing the label’s best recent digital hits to wax, Defected Records deliver an EP of fresh house heat, previously unavailable on vinyl. Kicking off the A-Side Jack Back delivers a thunderous and self-assured house record with a powerful 4/4 groove and intoxicating vocal. Next up is Qubiko’s remix of Sonny Fodera’s ‘To Love’, which features a stunning vocal from Shannon Saunders and a bouncing bassline destined for the dancefloor. Side B opens with a thumping beat and tightly-harmonised vocal delivered by the powerhouse partnership that is Ferreck Dawn and Robosonic, with their track ‘In Arms’. Rounding of the release is Chez Moon’s ‘Midnight Love’, with Rocco Rodamaal on remixing duties, making for an atmospheric and cosmic track. The spirit of Defected is captured on this release, with house music so good it just has to be heard on wax. More

The boys from the ‘Borough are back! It’s been almost ten years since 6BP were last on Delusions Of Grandeur so we’re stoked to welcome them back with a killer 3 track EP which sees them on fine form and with their classic sound mixing up crunchy disco drums, warm analogue synths and punchy bass lines to make you move. Opening track Rhythm sets the pace with a loopy, uptempo filter house track which takes you straight to the dance floor. Reminding us of that classic DJ Q sound of the late 90’s the fellow Scotsmen let things roll, the one bar re peating bass sample hooking you in whilst dubbed out FX add a trippy touch. Next up things go nice and deep on Truth with a repeating piano sample tak ing centre stage whilst trademark 6BP vocals filter in and out of the mix. Later on we’re treated to some classic Philly strings which lift the track, adding a euphoric element to this pensive yet uplifting little groover. Rounding off the EP things go deeper still on Keep On, a subtle, mid tempo house chugger which will set the tone perfectly in any warm up set worth its salt whilst maintaining that distinctive warm and musical 6th Borough flavour we know and love. More

It’s almost hard to believe that a record with anthem status like Pete Heller’s ‘Big Love’ was created out of a happy accident, but that is exactly how it happened. Left to his own devices as his studio partner Terry Farley went to watch a Chelsea game, Pete Heller was playing around with his Akai sampler when he produced what is arguably one of the most recognisable pieces of dance music of the 1990’s. Earlier this summer Urbana Records boss and Spanish powerhouse David Penn took to remixing this enduring classic. Winning over dancefloors in Ibiza and beyond with his signature rolling bassline and infectious groove, the record soaring to both Beatport and Traxsource #1. Now Defected present a special 12” package that features David’s remix, joined on the A-Side by The Dronez Remix, where house masters Erick Morillo, Harry Romero and Jose Nunez lend their classic house capabilities to the track. On the B-Side is Pete Heller’s original, sounding as incredible as ever over twenty years after its original release, once again proving the timelessness of ‘Big Love’. More

Oliver Dollar’s Industry Standard welcome Detroit’s Outr Drive featuring vocalist Steffanie Christi’an for a vinyl release on the label. This package presses up the original ‘You Don’t Know’, first released on the label in 2021, with remixes from John Arnold & KON. The original sees Outr Drive deliver a low slung, soul drenched, deep house track with a live bass line and lush keys that set the tone of a track for a wonderful vocal from Steffanie. The song is both emotive and seductive and shows off her amazing vocal range. Detroit’s John Arnold steps up for the first remix taking his version into a deep electronic, synth driven work out, using the vocals to blistering effect over his swirling Detroit styled synth chords. Over on the B-side we have some disco gold from Boston’s KON. He’s crafted a vintage styled disco record around the vocal that sounds truly authentic, almost feeling like it was recorded in a live session. This mix oozes quality and will be a timeless floor pleaser for the cooler floors. More

The fifth edition of Defected’s vinyl series commits the labels biggest digital releases to wax, delivering upfront packages of house heat previously unavailable on vinyl. This springtime release delivers all the summer stompers you need on your sound system, with the A-Side featuring Ferreck Dawn, Robosonic & Nikki Ambers’ ‘In My Arms’ and Mat.Joe & Kid Enigma’s ‘Get Loose’; two sure-fire party starters. On the flip are two tracks from man of the moment OFFAIAH. First up is his collaboration with vocalist Cat Connors ‘Somewhere Special’, where the Las Vegas based artist delivers a deep, rolling bassline and tension-building drops. Up next is his 2018 smash ‘Push Pull’, another record ready to set the club alight this summer and beyond. More

Defected Records serve up heavy-hitters CamelPhat, OFFAIAH, Josh Butler and David Penn on this covetable 12” vinyl release showcasing some of their current hottest productions. CamelPhat & Ali Love kick-start side A with their killer ‘Dopamine Machine’, the follow up to the chart-smashing hit ‘Cola’. Injected with an intoxicating vocal hook and a body-jerking beat, this record has been on heavy rotation in clubs and festivals all summer. Next up, OFFAIAH delivers his adrenaline-pumping ‘Work It Out’, a firm favourite amongst the BBC Radio 1 Dance crew and certified to set the roof on fire. Side B sees DJ Mag and Beatport award-winning producer Josh Butler blend uplifting synths and rave stabs with powerhouse vocals by soul duo HanLei on ‘Feels Good’. Ending this dynamite release, David Penn returns to Defected after eight years with his classic house party-starter ‘Nobody’, laying down a hell of a lot of soul on a thundering bassline and piano riffs. This is a rare opportunity to cop these massive artists under on one exceptional vinyl release. More