Over the course of his twenty-plus-year-long career, Luke Solomon has made one hell of a name for himself: he's released dozens of singles and EPs on labels like Crosstown Rebels, Rekids, Cajual, and Playhouse, to name a few; founded his own imprint, Classic, with longtime friend and co-conspirator, Derrick Carter; dropped four albums; and had a hand in well over 100 remixes. As one might expect, it's a tremendous honor to now welcome the veteran DJ and producer to LPH, where we think he fits in perfectly, despite being the artist in our ranks with the most impressive tenure. Things Wot I Done, Vol. I kicks off rambunctiously, with "Let the Rhythim," a sharp, powerful house tune wrapped in a barbed wire knot of chunky synth hooks, loose drums, and looped vocals you'll find yourself immediately singing along with. "Wot U Du" is the acid-y complement to "Rhythim," a more malevolent tune that sounds crisper and more focused, rendering it, arguably, more destructive. The flip is commenced with a remix of "R U Ready?" by 50Weapon's Benjamin Damage, a buddy whom we've been courting to work with us for a year. His cut-which is the first effort yielded from his new hardware-centric setup-is a twisted, acid-laced techno one that'll immediately ignite any dancefloor. The EP is finished with the Solomon original, which is no less punchy than Damage's version, but a little more bizarre and wonky; it's loaded with effects, unexpected twists and turns, and screeches that're plopped in, seemingly, at random. The 12" ends as it begins: with a bang. As the title implies, this is presumably part of a series and we already can't wait to see what Luke does next. More

Breaking news!? LUKE SOLOMUN on Gomma sublabel Toy Tonics! Solomun is one of the leading figures of the UK House scene. Classic label boss, Freaks producer and Defected A&R. After a looong time finally with a new solo release. And instead of going to a big UK label - he choosed the new German label for his first new solo release . Three funky intrumental techno tracks that connect Luke's former Freaks sound with a more edgy, straight rolling vibe. Luke says: "having spent a huge amount of time working with vocalists and writing songs for Freaks and other acts, i wanted to indulge in writing instrumental club music and return to my original production roots. Approaching things with a simplistic view, and making music that i could take straight to the club and play. This is like a new beginning for me." "I love the vibe of the label - me and them seemed like the right fit." More

Now based in the heart of Leeds, the Fullbarr imprint returns with ‘Beyond Therapy Vol.1’ by Luke Solomon this …, comprising four original cuts from the Classic Music Company label-head. Luke Solomon needs no introduction with a back catalogue boasting releases on Southern Fried, International Deejay Gigolo, Leftroom, Crosstown Rebels and of course his own Classic Music Company run alongside Derrick Carter. Here Luke returns to the Fullbarr label following his ‘Ultrasound’ EP last year. Since its launch Fullbarr has continually seen support across the board from Mixmag, De:Bug, DJ Mag and many more with the labels DIY ethos, hand delivering stock to record stores, simplicity and organic promotion highlighting the attention to detail embodied in the company. The imprint closed last year with a retrospective compilation of remixes from the back catalogue and has picked up support from many reputable DJ’s along the way, such as DJ Deep, Ethyl, San Proper, Christopher Rau and Jovonn. Here the release opens with ‘Crash Beat’, featuring off-kilter drum programming, resonant, evolving synth lines and bubbling low-end tones. The track steadily evolves in a drum-driven fashion before the focal point sees the introduction of tweaky, acidic synth stabs, resulting in a flourishing dynamism for the rest of the cuts duration. Next up is ‘Hoover Bag’, employing a dark, twisted feel with an insistent kick pattern creating a bumpy energy. Broken-beat snares shuffle away in the background alongside blocky hi-hats and loose claps while drawn out delays and a heady synth line further fuels the profound depth of the record. Following on the B-Side is ‘Look Back’, veering into house territory this time with shuffling 909 style drums, a simplistic, punchy bass-line and bright organ stabs. Luke creeps in murmuring vocal lines to hidden away in the background to add further texture while the hooky, progressive nature of the cut smoothly carries it along. To close the release Solomon turns in ‘Pop Rocks’, upping the tempo again slightly with a raw, rolling drum pattern and machine noise continually sweeping around, giving off a hypnotic feel. A cutting 303 line is soon worked in adding to the mesmeric vibe its the envelope is invariably altered and subtle automation More

Timelines’ is the new LP from British house producer Luke Solomon and it will be released via his and Derrick Carter’s Classic imprint in May in a package that features the LP, a selection of remixes and a mixed bonus version. Luke Solomon’s influence on house music has been strongly felt for many years. As a DJ and promoter he pioneered mid-week London clubbing with his legendary Space night alongside the late, great Kenny Hawkes. As a producer he has constantly delivered original, often idiosyncratic and always unique house music (and beyond) for an enviable list of imprints. As an A&R he has helped develop many a career (Tiefschwarz, Freeform 5 and Isolee to name but a few) with The Classic Music Company and continues to do so with Classic and his new role as one of Defected’s A&R team. ‘Timelines’, even the incredibly humble and self-effacing Solomon would agree, is his best work to date. Featuring vocal contributions from Jon Marsh, Natalie Broomes, Terry Grant and Tiger Tiger, as well as musicianship from Arthur Jeffes (various keys), Andy Neil (guitar and bass), Martin Radford (strings), Sammy Bishai (Violins) , Chris Storr (Horns), Steve Parry (Horns), Anu Pilai (Guitar/bass), Tom Bailey (Guitar) and Danny Harrison (Drums), ‘Timelines’ is so much more than the usual house music album, it’s one man deftly controlling and mastering his very own musical chaos. More

Needless to say that E.A.R is very happy to of signed an E.P off Luke Solomon. Luke's "Say Something" was recorded using live musicians, vocals, and drums, this is something that E.A.R love doing and bringing the talent of live music into a club environment and Luke has done this perfectly. The original boasts a good feel vocal with breathtaking production, whilst the "Dub Something" brings it into the clubs for the Deep House crowd. Now dim the lights and focus on the heavier darker side of Lukes mind as he brings the "Do Something" mix in to a peak time track. More

LUKE SOLOMON is undeniably one of British house music?s unsung heroes, with an impressive track record of underground success.

No-one could debate Luke Solomon?s dance music credentials. From setting up the seminal label Classic Recordings with Derrick Carter to taking quirky house to the UK Top 10 and international charts, with his band Freaks, to DJing around the globe and performing live, Luke has been there for many of the more interesting 4/4 moments of the last decade. This latest release from Luke comes complete with a hefty remix package from fellow Classic member Derrick Carter as well as from buzz name Kamo! Luke's main mix encompasses everything we have come to love and adore about Luke's music. So those that are up to speed will know exactly what to expect! Needless to say this package is banging and ready to be used by all educated turntablists and music enthusiasts. More

When it comes to breathing new life into classic cuts Joseph Caserta is as good as it gets, proven many times on his imprint BridgeBoots.

Making punchy and jackin' house, sounding like it's been dipped in some secret sauce is another trick of his.

The first track on his Local Talk debut, Hip Hop, comes in two flavours with the special sauce added on top.
Both the Rap Mix and the Haus Dub got swinging drums and a meaty, stabby chord that keeps the energy tight.

On the flip, 'g'Head' is a punchy and bumpy house jacker that takes a hold of you and doesn't let go. More

Hot on the heels of their releases on Nu Groove and Refuge Recordings Acid Jerks are back once again with another EP of jackin' traxx.

It's their first for Local Talk and we are, of course both proud and honoured to release "Hifi Shades Of Grey" on limited 12" vinyl.
The Acid Jerks sound is tried and tested to perfection by now and their fans won't be disappointed listening to this EP for sure.

First up is 'Shades Of Grey', a proper builder with its haunting strings, setting the tone perfectly.
Then we have 'Wheels Of Fortune', a track with that raw Chicago vibe. Warehouse soul anyone?

Both 'Rise Up' and 'Ace Of Spade' are tracks infused with that and equal parts of old-school and bounce.

Acid Jerks makes music that is impossible to ignore, it's a fact. More

French producer Timothee Milton debuts on Local Talk with an EP that fumes of soulfulness in every direction.
Written by Angela Johnson, the original is a big vocal deep house jam that got some hints of the 90s Jersey sound..but not too retro ;).

To give the package an extra edge we enlisted deep house connoisseur Hugo LX and boogie-house maestro Art Of Tones for the remixes, and our boys really delivered the goods.
Hugo's mix is a classy as it gets, supa bumpy deep house where everything little production detail is delivered with good taste.
The Art Of Tones remix is equally strong but goes for a more uplifting approach and puts the funk, boogie and soul front & centre.

Big !
More

French producer, musician and DJ, Thomas Arroyo aka Laroye has over the last couple of years been dropping musical releases in all the right places, Atjazz Record Company, Vision Recordings and Freerange Records to name a few, Local Talk are extremely proud to present 'Let It Go' to the world.

From his studio in Brighton where he resides nowadays, Laroye has produced four highly musical compositions that will appeal to a wide audience of house heads as well as the jazz, soul, and funk communities.
The EP offers everything from vocal soul /boogie jams like 'Beauty in motion' and 'Grateful' to the deep vocal house of 'Let it go' and the jazz-funk with a strong rare groove feel on 'People out there'.

Just 100% quality all the way. More

Now, this release is really special. Warsaw's finest producer, envee (yes spelled in lower case) has been around the block since the early 2000s and is arguably Poland's #1 producer of underground dance music...with soul.
With a sound that often leans towards the UK underground, we thought that we should enlist one of envee's (and our) fave producers to remix his new Local Talk release; Manchester’s finest Zed Bias.

We asked Zed to give us that deep, soulful 2-Step rub but with a slight jazz edge and boy did he deliver.
Not only did he remix one of the tracks, he got so inspired and remixed both tracks...don!
It's proper UK deep UK 2-step / garage that will work in any (!) decent club. Yup it's that good.

We of course need to mention the original mixes from envee himself.
Sum Luv is a warm and melodic hip hop / soul jam with a slight Dilla(ish) backbeat. A proper tune!
Styrax sounds like a killer jazz-funk banger straight out the Bugz In The Attic playbook with jazzy Rhodes, breakbeats, big strings, and a bad bassline. West London meets Wars aw...bam!! More

"We've now been at this since 2010 and over the years we've really tried to deliver the kind of house music (and beyond) that we would play, listen and dance to ourselves.

We really tried to avoid the dangerous traps of following trends which in the long run can water down labels to just a music portal instead of a music brand with character.
Basically, we aim to deliver our own musical personality via artists and producers that we love and respect. To sum things up, we are proud to present Local Talk - 13 Years Later.

On this 13 Years Later compilation we reached out to some of our friends on the house scene and as always, we try and aim for a wide spectrum of styles.
You'll hear everything from classic house, deep house and soulful house to Detroit(ish) and Jazz(ish) from some of our fave producers.

We sincerely hope you will enjoy this selection of dance MUSIC as much as we do and that there's something for everyone on our compilation." More

Local Talk are proud to present a live recording with Soulphiction & Netzer from 2018, recorded live just a month before the official release of 'Bizzness' the first of several releases Soulphiction and Local Talk released together.

Bizzness is by many considered a classic and had all the trade marks of a Soulphiction tune with its dusty soul and funk-infused house ingredients.
This live version really shows the vision and forward thinking of Michel Baumann using his Soulphiction moniker.

Also included on this release is a - as far as we know it - unreleased track called Dileila Emergency Dub.
A track built around a heady deep house theme that captures the sweaty, back-in-the-day feel we all love to hear in a track.

________________________________________
All tracks by Michel Baumann
Performed Live with 'Netzer' on 12.5.2018 at Jazzclub BIX / Stuttgart

Netzer are:
Oli Rubow - Drums & Live drum FX
Markus Bodenseh - Bass
Markus Birkle - Guitar

More

Coflo & Lee Wilson returns to Local Talk with a follow up to their single 'Fool For You'. Their new release 'Rainbows' is showcasing a duo that yet again brings some superb soulful house music that can not fail to ignite a floor.

Coflo's warming, musically expansive house sound frequently offers nods to several genres but he manages to tie them all together brilliantly. Combined with Lee's vocals the duo is a force to be reckoned with.

The Backside Mix is a thrusting, bass-heavy bump channeling Yoruba's grandmaster Osunalde mixed with something Henrik Schwarz would produce in his prime.
It's definitely made for the late after-hours in a club when there's sweat on the walls.

It's followed on the flip by the original mix which is an organic-sounding version without losing sight of the style and sophistication that are the hallmarks of Coflo's production.

Yet another unique, masterful track, all crisp and mixed with muscular Motor City futurism More

From the collective brain of Craig Smith & Saleem Andrew McGroarty comes a new 'live' outfit called Sound Signals.

Together with keyboardist Stevie Christie, bass-man Cameron Bradley and percussionist Paulo Riddle they served up a deep, warm and jazzy basement house workout...
With vintage keys (courtesy of Stevie) and a stellar production this is equally a Jazz-Funk tune as much as a house jam...just take your pick!

In order to increase the musical value we got something special on side B.
Here Craig teams up with his Scottish soul brother Ricky Reid for a remix under their Soul Renegades moniker with a big-stringed late night house fanfare.
It kinda reminds us of those tasteful and melodic deep house productions coming out of Italy in the mid/late 90's...think Don Carlos :) More

It's been a while since Local Talk presented a 12" with two artists doing one side each but it's time again.

Italian powerhouse Nico Lahs glides smoothly between labels like Delusions Of Grandeur, Adeen and Rawax, working with house royalty Chez Damier and keeps delivering top quality music.
His contribution to this split 12" is the track 'Everything Is Good', one of those moments when everything (!) works just perfectly.
A straight forward track that embraces loops and repetition with hints of HNNY's golden days.

On the flip Local Talk's very own Tooli moves through a series of moods and grooves with the 'That Cowbell Track', a cut which eases you deeper and deeper into the dance, with clever rhythmic programming.
A dub that focuses on the cowbell is also added for your pleasure, because you can't have enough cowbell, can you ? More

Lee Gomez aka Wipe The Needle has made music in many complimentary styles.
His debut on Local Talk featured Alex Littmore's soulful vocals and took us on journey that goes beyond the house genre.

This time his bruk roots are heavily featured, sprinkled with a touch of soul, jazz and boogie to create an impressive collection of songs.
Fans of Bugz In The Attic and bustling West London broken beat mixed with grit, this one's is for you... More

From the very beginning in 2011 the concept was simple and crystal clear.
Mad Mats & Tooli's new label Local Talk had two main focus points.
First, the actual music was to be inspired around those magical 4/4 house rhythms...and beyond.
Second, the logo! The idea was that a simple and direct visual point together with a strong dance MUSIC message would make the label stand out among other labels in their northern neck of the woods.
In Scandinavia, the main theme is electronic 4/4 rhythms (techno, tech-house etc) and with Local Talk being more inspired by black dance music this has made them the black sheep in the hometown of Stockholm.

To set the musical direction straight from the very start they released Bassfort's 'Moon Shadow' which got instant attraction from both house heads and the more open-minded clubbing community.
With its warm, melodic chords, infectious piano theme and big strings it's always been the label's fave jam from their now +150(ish) releases.
When they decided to choose a track that would define the label for their 10-year anniversary, the choice was simple.

Mats & Tooli thought long and hard about who they wanted to interpret 'Moon Shadow' and after months of discussing options they decided that the only one they could trust to give the track a quality boost was NYC legend Joe Claussell.
Back in the late 90's, Mats used to book Joe for his legendary Raw Fusion parties in Stockholm so the connection and mutual respect were already in place. The result is a +11 minute long musical house journey that builds and builds until those characteristic piano chords make an entrance and transform the dynamics into a rainbow of sounds. Epic is not a word big enough to explain this grand musical production !

But the goodness does not end there, we're only halfway in on this anniversary release. The blood brothers Javi & Luis aka Kyodai (and 2/3 of Bassfort) made their own mix on the B side track from the original release, Moonlight.
As schooled jazz musicians they diverted from the electronic soundscape and went for a live jazz-funk production.
The final product is a warm and musical version with live drums, bass, piano, strings and even vocals from the brothers themselves.
The track almost comes across as something 4 Hero would put out back in the day.

All we can say, enjoy the dance! More

Shaka is back on Local Talk with a follow-up to "The Riverwalk EP" released back in 2020.

The Bird's Eye View continues on the same deep, soulful and uplifting house tip with waves of ear-pleasing music.
There's a genuine swing to the opening track Short Circuit that is infectious and Shaka really gets to work on those keys.
It brings back memories of those golden years of house music when every track Strictly Rhythm classic was a classic...

The Birds Eye View offers a deeper and jazzier spin on the lush and spiritual house music Shaka flirts with.
If delightfully playful house music is your secret crush then look no further. More

House head, soul man and jazz aficionado Envee is back on Local Talk with 'Gotta Work' featuring Nick Sincklair on vocals.
Packed to the rafters with high quality deep and soulful house, Gotta Work has a both the US garage style with an edge and the uplifting sound of a modern track. Trev, a producer bringing some of the freshest sounds in broken beat in recent times delivers two versions, both with ultra-deep bass and wonky time signatures.
Trev can do no wrong. More

Warm, jazzy peak-time House business from Parrreeeeee !
Like Dimitri jamming with Glenn Underground, annnnddd featuring a rare appearance from 90's darlings of the deep PLAYIN 4 THE CITY !! More

BIIIIGGGG Rib-tickling delights from RSL !! A 90's style cut n'paste homage flipped with a dubwise beauty.
LIMITED ! More

Luke Fono makes quite an entrance on Local Talk with 4Real, featuring vocalist BB. James.

The song features a garage swing in its unstoppable rhythm and melting-wax chords, it's almost impossible not to smile and sing along when a track brings this kind of vocal melody and positive vibe expertly pieced-together.
You definitely can hear its soulfulness bleed through the track, an impressive achievement and well worth a listen.

Local Talk favourite Crackazat makes a welcome return and delivers a remix that includes all his trademarks, a bouncy groove, stabs and jazzy melodies worthy of a keyboard wizard.
It's effortlessly musical and delicate at the same time. More

Super accomplished future-retro sample house classics from Laroye. Shades of KDJ / MCDE here and another tip top Local Talk release ! More