When you hear what Bryan Hervieu, the mastermind behind Vibes And Pepper Records, has assembled on the Jazz Avengers EP, you’ll surely be impressed. Igaxx and DJ Dreamboy start with sophisticated and elegant house tracks. Jarren continues with ethereal synth lines and analog drum sounds that evoke a late-night atmosphere. Hanna delivers one of his best tracks to date, “Prayin’”, which is both breezy and driving, with a touch of unique melancholy. Finally, Brazilian producer Zopelar concludes the EP with raw drums and deep chords, rounding off an irresistible collection. More

After a hiatus of 10 years, Vibes And Pepper Records makes its comeback with a revitalized appearance featuring a fresh new logo. Despite the break, the label remains committed to maintaining the high standard of house music that characterized its back catalog, with releases from esteemed artists such as Terrence Parker & Claude Young Jr, Synchrojack, Jeremiah, Norm Talley...In its relaunch, the label demonstrates unwavering confidence by unveiling 5 previously unreleased tracks by Japanese producer Takuya Matsumoto. Don't be misled; akin to his earlier releases on Jake for Daze, Matsumoto once more presents a collection crafted to emulate the essence of the mid-90s era in each skillfully curated track. More

Boutique French house label Vibes And Pepper has readied its next EP. This one is a Various Artist outing that pairs the new school talents of Tomska and New Jack City with the old school and enduring qualities of James Duncan and Jeremiah. Tomska has appeared on the label before back in 2012 with his Mental Raw EP, whilst New Jack City are Guido Verbaal & Rogier Verbaal, a fast rising duo with plenty to say for themselves and a recent release on Tomorrow is Now, Kid! As for James Duncan, he is a trumpet player, producer and improviser who has worked with Metro Area and Morgan Geist as well as for DFA Records over the course of the last 15 years. The final introduction brings us to Jeremiah; an Austrian who has been making house music since way back in the early nineties on labels including Balance Alliance, Grow! And Dee-Jay Recordings. James Duncan goes first with 'Track #2', a soulful affair with lazily jazzy chords and muffled vocals bottled up into a teasing house groove. The drums feel alive and the repeated melodic phrasing brings some nice tension to proceedings. Tomska's 'Stolen Moments' is a typically thick cut track with solid kick drums underpinning spoken word musings and colourful little melodies. It's physical and will make you dance without losing the important human connection. Jeremiah's 'Keep On' is much the same: this one has a classic feel to it, with warm pads softening the effect of busy, live sounding percussion. Some firing vocals help set the groove alight and re-call the classic days of 90s house with relying on the same tried tropes. Finally, 'Slow It Down' does not slow it down, but instead invites you to move your body with huge rubbery kick drums and shuffling claps. Dulcet vocal tones and garage-inflected percussion make this a hugely vibey affair to finish off another timeless house EP.
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The label arm of booking agency Vibes & Pepper have come through with something a bit special for their latest release, with a collection of tracks from the archives of UK house producers Synchrojack. "Back To The Shack" kicks things off with a warm but relentless Detroit house groove, its 303 bassline looping inwards on crisp hi-hats and snare rolls, while "Windfalls" offers a dusty house number with loose, jazzy beats worthy of The Godson. On the flip, "Is It" offers a classic sequence of oven-warm organ chords with trumpet samples buried deep within, while "One (Edit)" offers a semi-improvisational piece of proto-beatdown house, where unpredictable keys mingle with marimba tones and deep sub-bass More

Continuing their quest to unearth deep house gems new and old, Vibes & Pepper introduce the world to Manuel Keyz with a killer four-track workout that makes all the classic moves. The strings and keys come in seductive, nocturnal arrangements, while the snippets of vocal come from true soul divas, all atop of bumping garage house funk. The tune that stands out to our ears is "Orange Love", replete with sexy saxophone fit for Lil Louis and dreamy key flourishes that give a considered and wistful tone to the track, but really there's plenty to work with on all four corners of this EP.
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Having announced the expansion of the Vibes & Pepper brand into record label ownership in consummate style with a timely reissue of the seminal Claude Young & Terrence Parker EP The 4 Play, the Parisian operation now is proud to present the new school of bumping house talent in the shape of Tomska. The Belgian producer has been steadily cutting his production teeth over recent times, with a few select remixes and releases that showcase his love for the sounds of Chicago and Detroit, something that is explored with aplomb on the four track Mental Raw EP. From the opening bars of "Let's Get It On" Tomska shows undeniable ease for combining emotive melodies with a crisp and contemporary treatment of rhythms, with the snapping "Everynight" a particular highlight. More