Music is Love boss returns to his home label after a few brief excursions on Hot Creations & Viva Music last year, and he returns in style. 3 summer time slammers and a stella remix from the Mak & Pasteman boys. Middle Ground is a dusty filtered house track, aligned with a soaring string section, which narrate the warm uplifting journey this track lays down. Mandingo was made as a tool for Oli s sets last summer and after some huge reactions and some serious demand, Mandingo was set for a vinyl release. Big stabs and plenty of funk this track is party ready. On the flip we find Mak & Pasteman return to Music is Love after an appearance on the 3rd LOVEBOX VA in 2016. Piano4 is flipped into what these boys do best, Simple stripped back grooves delivered with stupendous power. On B2 is the original take on Piano4 which sees Oli flexing his power house muscles on this big piano track. Piano4 is an unrelenting beast that twists and turns its way through various passages of maximum intent. More

The thirteenth release maybe unlucky for some, but not here. With label head Oli Furness delivering the Weather Underground EP featuring a shudderingly good Bodyjack remix. Music is Love Records make their own luck as always. Comprising of the standard format from Music is Love with includes 3 tasty originals paired with a killer remix. The crew deliver just that. Crash Gordon opens the vinyl with a BANG. It's off kilter groove is an instant head nodder and super infectious. Oli always pushing the boundaries with his production and with this we get a nice display of his skills, bringing out the tone and life in the sounds. Bodyjack has the task of remixing Crash Gordon and steers the off kilter track into much heavier territory. Something Bodyjack does so well, heavy and rolling whilst keeping you firmly locked in. The B side opens with a big party track entitled Big booty girls, a track ready to make any party lose their Sh*t. Heavy machine drum grooves as are often found on the Music is love boss's tracks and yet again they are central here, a heavily distorted 707 cowbell driving the frenzy is the most notable. Killer stuff. To round up the ep we find the track 64. This is a continuation of the party vibes of the B1 but done in a very different style. Here we find the vibes of late 80's Miami, Booty shaking 808 drum patterns and funky ass loops. Staples of Mr. Furness's Sound. More

Maintaining the focus firmly on the underground and keeping that no-frills party vibe running throughout their output, Music Is Love keep things flowing at a steady pace with their 12th release. Dedicated to continually curating original ideas, the premise behind MIL012 is all about the label paying homage to their most prominent musical influences. Leading the way behind the new concept entitled Tribute, head-honcho Oli Furness teams up with one of his favourite producers - Chicago house legend Paul Johnson - for a four track EP, with two tracks from either producer intended to highlight the impact of Johnson's impact and influence as an artist. Paul Johnson has been a staple of house music over the past 20 years, and has long been a revered DJ and producer known for his distinctive rhythm and soulful sounds. Continuing with his penchant for up-front house music, Johnson kicks off the EP with Movin Baby. A stomping 4/4 beat marches over an intermittent vocal grab, while 90s afflicted key chords flourish steadily on top of trailing drum sequences to give a predatory rhythm with a solid dance-floor focus. I'm A Freak follows up, infused with the sort of unreserved energy that has characterised Johnson's music over the years. A solid train-track house groove built from only the sparest of elements kicks things off, before a hypnotic vocal prevails over incessant percussive slices, a wubbing sub bass and thick melodic tones, racing alongside the flecked groove for five minutes of deliciously locked-in pleasure. Irresistible, stripped-back grooves are clearly a preoccupation for Furness, who delivers more heavy-hitting house in the form of Gurl and Nightclub Romance. Gurl is characterised by crisp, clean percussion sequences, snapping snares and an entrancing male vocal that coheres rhythmically over the cowbell and marching drum combo. Laying the focus on a classic house aesthetic with acid-fused textures, Nightclub Romance finishes off this well-crafted EP. Acidy stabs and shuffling drums coerce against a flurry of hi-hats and sporadic, dubbed vocal murmurs to give a stomping groove aimed squarely at the dance floor; its unadulterated, primitive authenticity make it the type of track that would have worked just as well in the 90s as it would have today, a testament to the thematic style of the whole EP. More

London-based artist Jonny cade has already enjoyed solid recognition for his releases on the likes of 2020 Vision and Morris Audio. This time round, he raises his game once again for Music Is Love's 10th release, dishing up a serious dose of house goodness aimed squarely at the dance floor. Get On My kicks off proceedings with hurrying drums that shuffle over a rumbling bassline until 90s inflicted keys quicken and build the tempo over the course of the track. The ticking hi-hats, snares and hand claps are woven intricately over the shifting key stabs, while a faint female vocal teases and whirls throughout. Confused Keys slows the tempo slightly, with a more defined bassline paving out against the groove laden percussion sequences and distorted vocal sample. Elasticated keys ricochet off each other until a melodic interchange of pads submerse at the break, slicing the elements of the beat and taking it closer to peak-time. Nottingham's Nail adds resounding deepness with his mix of Get On My. Shuddering key pads flourish to form the fore of the track, bouncing off the percussive loops that rhythmically swing out over faint synths to add a true deep breadth to his remix . Give it All Up finishes off the 4 track EP the way it started: swift pace, swaggering 90's inspired house. A flurry of claps and snares are matched by groove-heavy drums and a vocal sample that upends the overall hands-in-the-air mood of the EP. Fomenting his own melodic sound that is part house, part garage, Cades material is coherently woven together, without ever being cast free from an underlying rhythmic house groove throughout. More

Music Is Love is back with its 8th EP, this time coming from label boss Oli Furness with a remix from U Know The Drill. Furness is the Manchester based producer who, in the last couple of years, has established himself as a very real voice in the global house conversation thanks to EPs on labels like the legendary Nervous, Morris Audio and Skylax. Following releases from artist like New Jack City, Liam Geddes and Mikki Funk, this EP offers four more firing house tracks that once again prove this label knows its business. 'Hunger' is a bulky, macho house jam with hardcore kick drums, ravey bassline stabs and crisp hi hats that drive the thing along. It's expertly produced for maximum dancefloor damage before 'Overjack' comes good with a killer bassline and reverse stabs. Baring plenty of classic hallmarks but without ever sounding tired, this raved-up house bomb kicks and squeals, ducks and dives with a great sense of energy that it is impossible to ignore. The same track gets a firing remix from Dutch duo and Slap Funk Records alumni You Know The Drill. This fun loving pair layer in even more ravey stabs, smooth out the groove and have it to bang like a heavyweight boxer for six sweaty minutes. Finally, 'Creepin in the Shadows' again nails a heavy dancefloor groove and is sure to prove an essential weapon for discerning house DJs. Lively, rubbery drums, shuffling hi hats and attitude laced vocals make for a sweaty, bulky workout that the likes of DJ Sneak will surely lap up. Across all four tracks Oli Furness lays out his muscular house vision and does so so convincingly that dance floors will not be able to resist his offerings. More

2013 proved to be an excellent start to life as a label for Music Is Love. As well as truly finding their feet and establishing a breed of music representative of what the label symbolise, they simultaneously introduced us to plenty of fresh new talent and particularly pleasing was the unearthing of numerous promising UK artists. Bringing us nicely into the New Year with the label's 7th release is London-based artist Mikki Funk, who's next in-line from the MIL roster to unleash his first full EP after appearing on the MIL VA back in February. Throughout Funk's work, so far, you will find a supreme blend of US/UK garage and soulful house, and those ingredients is what makes this latest EP so essential. First up is the rhythmically unfolding house sounds of Out of My Head, with its bouncy bassline, classic 90's house piano chords and sensual female vocal building over swirling synths to give a real Balearic opening vibe to the EP. It's one for the dance floor and kicks off proceedings engagingly before Need No More maintains the pace, albeit with a deeper complexity. Spritely percussion combos drive this at a steady pace under a characteristic Funk bassline whilst deep, warped chords add greater dynamic and supersede the elements of the track. L.A's Esteban Adame - an artist with a quite prolific musical background - brings his deep, creative flair for a remix of Our Love. Chunky hand-claps and thumping kicks take precedence while scurrying hi hats race over a heavy bassline and chopped vocals as some nicely shaped synths swirl and resonate throughout. There's a fresh sense of variation with Funk's work - subtle melodies are laced with overriding house/garage sounds giving a revived take on the genres that have helped mould his style. Closing out an assured EP is Our Love, couched in the influences of classic house and built on archetypal 90's elements. Classic piano key chords and intermittent string stabs combine with an engaging female vocal as a groove-heavy bassline oscillates beneath the surface to round off the EP nicely and amplify what Mikki Funk is all about. More

After serving up a vigorous taste of his garage-house approach on the highly successful Music Is Love VA earlier in the year, Jackmaster K is the latest artist from the MIL roster to continue the imprints in-house premise. With each EP the label release, they give us something different amid the infectious house they're building a reputation for. On MIL006 the Birmingham-based producer adds to the labels progressing status, with an EP that comes complete with two heavy-weight remixes from Liam Geddes and New Jack City. I Need Your Love kicks things off, a welcome reminder of Jackmaster K's affiliation toward classic sounding house. An effectively crafted vocal female sample is cut-up and diced out over a bumping bassline for the opening track, as a flourish of piano key stabs, flickering keyboard trappings, intermittent horns and tribal drum patterns are splashed over the introduction of a male vocal snippet to carry everything along nicely. Jackmaster K's penchant for introducing and weaving numerous elements of US house/garage into a track is testament to his varied style; something personified in Feelings. Swinging snares and old skool chorded pads are merged against a bouncing bassline that flows gloriously along over splashy hi-hats and punchy piano stabs. The utilisation of different female vocal hooks gives the track a 90s sounding aura - thematic of Jackmaster K's work - building into punctuating sax arrangements that filter soulfully through the track. For the B side of the EP aficionados of classic bumping house New Jack City bring the remix of the title track, dishing up their characteristically groove-heavy rhythms for another stripped-back roller. Their remix of I Need Love maintains an essence of the vocal and horn elements of the original, providing an overall tougher sounding beat. A hard-hitting, low-slung bass underlies the fore of the track while prolonged key chords and ticking hi-hats combine with a dubbed down male vocal and crowed jeers to take the track down a path of heavier house terrain. Fresh off the back of his MIL005 release and rounding off the EP in faultless fashion is Milton Keynes producer Liam Geddes. Stamping his distinctive house sound over Feelings, Geddes gives us the deepest offering of the four tracks. The drum groove and bassline are deep enough that just an intermittent vocal hook and crisp handclaps are enough to flesh out the proportions of the track. Ticking hi-hats, bass kicks and the build-up of warm key chords at the breakdown prove how effective simplicity can be in a remix, concluding yet another fine release from Music Is Love.
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Two releases, two Juno number ones- you could say that proceedings for MIL have surpassed all expectation. But then again, looking at their output so far it's hardly surprising. The impact of the label has been unanimously received as an imprint dedicated to curating fresh and original house true to the genre from some of the most hotly regarded up-and-coming producers in the electronic music scene. The forthcoming 3rd release maintains the expectation still and comes from Manchester-based Tom Maxwell, another highly anticipated producer on the UK scene who makes his first foray into the EP world. His first track featured on Jamie Trench's excellent debut EP and his most recent second release came on the equally successful MIL Lovebox VA, two finely pieced productions that served to showcase Maxwells unique take on the deeper side of house.
The coolly considered Spun EP underpins Maxwells musical perspective further and resonates with early UK and US garage with heavy 90s house influences. First track Feel Yourself delves straight into deeper territorium, a solid opening introduction of melodic intent that steadily builds with swirling synths and wood-block drumming underneath crisp hi-hats, a groove-heavy bassline and reverberant, deep chords. The utilisation of classic 90s piano rhythms grow in presence over a gospel-like vocal, handclaps and quick, shuffling rim shots at the breakdown kicking powerfully back into a head-nodding groove that rally takes the track to greater depths. Talk About's snare groove and infectious rolling bassline form the forefront of the second track. The execution of teasing Aliyah vocal flourishes are used perfectly as a glue for the beat with the RnB melodies sparsely bouncing around each other in effortlessly cool fashion. The combination of spacey-synths patterns the build up with the intuitive match of chords combining with a hypnotic bassline that instinctively flows with ease. The tile track is remixed by Dutch heavyweight Gerd, quickening the tempo in typical fashion with a more garage-fused take on the original, laying down hard-hitting drums, heavy basskicks and New Jersey hi-hats underneath chopped-up, filtered vocals and big 90s stabs which dominate and guide the track throughout to create a real roller. Maxwells version is a more deep-set vibe that swings intricately along with deep house chords meshed formidably with the timeless Happy Clappers vocal snippet. Arrays of quick garage-chimes flirt with ticking hi-hats while filtered synths swirl around in synchronisation with the bassline creating a hypnotic spun-like grove that dips in and out with it's harmonic rhythm and intimate melody. Theres plenty of quality on this latest offering from Maxwell.
The oeuvre of deep textures, warm chords and vocal samples characterises a highly listenable EP, one that demonstrates a fresh and contemporary musical insight of a producer well worth following.
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A hugely promising first release from New Jack City helped established Music Is
Love as a label synonymous with deep, underground house music. Now back with
their second installment, MIL kick off the first of their 'Lovebox VA' series, a double-
vinyl release that includes tracks from 8 artists on the label. The premise of this VA
is to preview the diverse musical talent available on the roster, laying the foundations
for what listeners can expect from each artists' subsequent EPs. It's also a serious
exhibition that delves further into the visionary perspective of imprint owners Oli and
Angus. The journey through the labels acquisitions will no doubt help illuminate the
appeal of MIL as a label focused on exploring and showcasing some of the finest
talent in the underground house scene at the moment.

The EP is formulated to span the variety of influences indicative of the label's
sound, characterized by each artist's uniquely different offering. Keep Coming is an
outstanding introduction to Liam Geddes, an incredibly tight production with a heavy
bassline containing shades of Kerri Chandler fused with deep chords and swirling
synths that build and coalesce back into a straight-up groove. Maintaining the garage
tendencies, Maxwell's Need You is all about melody, rhythm and intimacy with
skittering percussion laced together with resonating, deep piano stabs and moody
bass over an accentuating R&B vocal.
There are head-nodding grooves on all tracks, stylized by cut-up vocal flourishes, shuffling hi-hats, groove-heavy basslines and inviting deep house/garage sounds. This mirage of house and garage can be heard on Banjax's Give it to me, a track that pieces tougher bass, dubbed chords and heavy bass-kicks to really compliment the soulful vocal hook. Jackmaster K quickens the tempo slightly utilizing the classic Happy Clapper's house sample anchored over sharp snares and a hacienda-like bassline to create a real Balearic 90's vibe. Tracks from JMX and Mikki Funk will capture the imagination of dance-floors all over with their uplifting, house rollers. The former is more garage tinged, fusing a looping vocal sample over sharp, organ stabs that build throughout while the latter embodies tight percussive elements interwoven with piano stabs, a female vocal and deep bass to give a nice contemporary vibe. It's no surprise that Jamie Trench's Juicy has been gaining some serious heat and earning plaudits from the likes of Ross Yallop and Richy Ahmed. This track nods increasingly to earlier influences with a rolling bassline that resonates with melodic
similarities to Omar S' Day, albeit in a more exuberant way. Swinging hi-hats and
percussive rhythms give it a hip hop-like feel, complete with a punchy vocal that
descends into stripped-back dance floor house at its finest. New Jack City pick up
from the success of their highly rated debut EP with yet another straight-up banger.
The key with these guys lies in their simplicity. They call on classic tracks of 90s
garage and New Jersey house and encapsulate what it means to be contemporary in
today's era, effortlessly embellished in Just Love It.

Oli and Angus have managed to collate and produce a collection of tracks that not
only echo but amplify the passion that they draw their influence from. The difference

in approach and outcome from each artist results in a highly impressive outcome,
with 8 effective tracks that serve as a seamless statement of purpose to how
contemporary house music should sound. It's not just about the musical aesthetic.
The artwork is handcrafted with a unique gatefold vinyl sleeve to accompany the
double vinyl release. The emphasis on extending quality in all aspects of the label
has helped create a refreshing dynamic to the label, and as so long as the label
owners pertain to their musical philosophy then no doubt we'll carry on witnessing
some of the most promising talent in underground house on MIL. More

This November sees the launch of Manchester based imprint Music Is Love Records, kicking things off with a four-track release of sublime house cuts in the form of 'Back In The Dayz' by Dutch duo New Jack City. In true Manchester fashion the labels philosophy is to create a platform for releasing 90's tipped underground house music and embodying a hands on attention to detail with heavyweight vinyl, hand curated artwork and
high grade remix artists set for each release. Local acts, artist friends and up and coming producers will be providing releases from the off with label owners Oli Furness and Angus Jefford delivering remix works on each under their Music Is Love guise. Arnhem based New Jack City launch things here, they're relatively fresh faces on the scene having formed their collaboation in early 2011, their ethos is heavily focused on Chicago house music with an old school grit and rawness incorporated. Title track 'Back In The Dayz' opens the release, utilizing timeless 909 drum programming with a big open hat, off-kilter claps and weighty kick. A subtle sub bass softly meanders around the drums in the background adding a bouncy shuffle while warm Rhodes chords build the track alongside a filtered vocal chop. Classic house stabs are introduced to the latter stages alongside a soulful spoken word vocal about the feeling of house rounding off the old school vibe. Next up is label owners Music is Love's rework of 'Back In The Dayz', adding a sharp intensity to the drums with an insistent snare pattern running throughout and the signature sounds of 90's house, a deep bubbling organ hook brought in, this is a brilliantly contrasting remix from the duo with a clear distinction yet capturing the vibe of the original cut beautifully. Next up is 'Gimme That Chance', a pacier affair picking up the tempo slightly and embracing a US Garage vibe. Dreamlike synth chords, warbling pad lines and a sonorous walking sub-bass build the tracks body while an amalgamation of vocal chops are layered, looped and processed throughout, creating an ever evolving dynamism. 'The Golden Age' closes the release with crunchy distorted drums and heavily reverberated synth shots running from the start, the track takes on a darker form than the preceding tracks with a peak-time dance floor approach. The introduction of a warm melodic synth melody in the centre stages adds a unifying house touch, breaking things down before the pumping heavily swung rhythm re-enters and tails out the track. This is an outstanding inaugural release from Music Is Love Records and a clear indication of the sheer quality to come from this brand new Northern England based label. More