Back in stock: Funky/Club House

Review: Mega-exclusive, exquisite house, funk and disco editry from Almacks, who follow up two just-as-delightful introductions to the series with a welcome third. This furtive operation is almost entirely mediated by retailers like us, and is billed as a purveyor of 'tried and tested sure-shots' in very limited runs, whose coveted lipid discs help bolster "community in secret places". Of course, what would be a sense of community without a sense of exclusivity to match? The crux of the art of the five tracks here, though all largely instrumental, is indeed penetrable; all the numbers here home in on the glisteny downtime moments heard on many a classic disco and funk tune, in which time seems to stop, nerves grow tender, and high strings and ghostly vocals take flight. Keep an eye on this series; it reminds us of a funkier-intoned Ghost Phone; 'Track 4' is the real odd highlight.

Review: Detroit's Truth Manifest Records is helmed by Malik Alston, one of the city's principal music producers, vocalists, performers and DJs working in the mode of soulful house. 'Outside Of The Box compiles some of his brightest works into a four track showreel: snappy and happy comes '5th Element', which needs anything but more cowbell (and on which saxophonist Dave McMurray shows off hard). 'What God Has For Me', meanwhile, brings in vocalist Maurissa Rose to back up what might be one of the hardest swung house bits we've heard in years.

Review: ***B-STOCK: Record slightly warped***


There's a fair chance you'll already have heard "Cola", experienced production duo Camelphat's collaboration with vocalist Elderbrook. The original version, with its rumbling bass, atmospheric builds, subtle bassline house influence and "she sips the Coca-Cola" refrain, has become something of an anthem since first appearing on digital download earlier in the year. For this first vinyl release, Defected has packaged the now-familiar original mix with a trio of reworks. The most impressive of these comes from German veteran Mousse T. He brilliantly re-casts the track as a bumpin' chunk of celebratory disco-house complete with thrilling piano riffs and an elastic bassline.

Review: A classic that delivers the quintessential Euro house experience with its infectious energy and irresistible dancefloor appeal. This new yellow vinyl version brings flashbacks flooding in of the era's vibrant club scene through a mix of upbeat rhythms, catchy melodies and expansive remixes. Side-1 opens with the single version of 'More & More', a track that wastes no time diving into a groove-laden beat and euphoric synth lines. The extended mix that follows stretches the vibe even further, offering DJs and dance enthusiasts a longer ride through the track's pulsating, feel-good energy. Side-2 turns up the heat with the 'Underground' remix, which injects a deeper, more nocturnal edge into the track, perfect for late-night sets. The 'Trance Mix' closes the collection with an ethereal, sweeping take on the original, merging classic Euro house elements with hypnotic trance influences. This release is a love letter to the era of extended pleasure through remixes, capturing both the mainstream appeal and underground allure of Euro house.

Review: Ninja Tune favourite and sometime lo-fi house pin-up DJ Seinfeld continues to prove he was always about so much more with a new collab alongside Confidence Man that he describes as "quirky, naive and an ode to all the summer flings out there". It came about after the pair hung out a few times and enjoyed each other's company and the tun itself has already been something of a mini classic during festival season. As well as the original with its catchy drum loops, pop leaning vocal hooks and lush strings, there is a cheeky UK garage version that has even more irresistible bump and a Carlita remix that reworks into something different but equally essential.

Review: The In Waves label is fast approaching its tentth release but before that it turns once again to Flowers On Monday for this lush new four track EP featuring Amega and Weam Ismail. It's the rousing and hymnal sounds of 'Featuring Amega And Weam Ismail.' that open up with loose, interwoven grooves and stirring melodies all topped off by the prayer-like vocals of Ismail. 'Your Sand' (feat Amega) is another dreamy deep house jaunt and 'Resonate Me' (feat Amega) is a spine tinging and angelic electronic lullaby that gets served up in a superb ambient version.

Review: Frankie Knuckles and Eric Kupper's Director's Cut project continues with its third rendition, bringing together yet another eight house remixes of established neo-soul and trip-hop songs by the pair and their friends. Standouts on this one include Tony Humphries' Work & Play Mix of Inaya Day's 'Let's Stay Home', which follows the singer's orders to "take advantage of this little bit of rainfall" to produce a slice of humble, heated house pie; and Director's Cut's 'Signature mixes' of sultry lullabies by Martina Topley-Bird and Vintage Dbow.

Review: French Affair was a German-French dance-pop band that emerged at the dawn of the new millennium and had some heart success between 2000 and 2023. 'My Heart Goes Boom (La Di Da Da)' is one of them and 'Sexy' is another. It gets reissued here with several different mixes making it more suitable to club play and is an irresistibly bold, upbeat tune that collides infectious house drums with catchy, sultry vocals. The production is polished, with deep basslines and crisp percussion and a smooth vocal delivery adding a layer of steamy allure. This one is both seductive and fun and perfect for playful sets in the sun.

Review: As well as writing plenty of his own chart-topping original hits and doing the same for plenty of other artists, iconic French dance music titan David Guetta also loves to turn out a cover or two. He did that last year with 'I'm Good (Blue)' with vocalist Bebe Rexha. The tune was a finalist for three BBMAs and spent 55 weeks at number one on Billboard's Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart. It is of course a cover of the 1998 hit 'Blue (Da Ba Dee)' by Eiffel 65 and is as catchy as Covid.

Review: There has been a whole bunch of quality reworks of this particular soul seductress dropping of late and we are all for it. What set cannot be elevated with some super smooth r&b vocals and smoky deep drums? You get exactly that once more here with 'Paradise' the first to get a clubby rework. The drums stay nice and lo-fi and paired back, the percussion is warm and dusty and the vocal injects the heart aching soul you need to get a crowd all loved-up. On the flip side, UK house don Ben Watt brings his Lazy Dog remix to 'By Your Side' and it is rife with funky guitar riffs and loose, playful grooves.

Review: The now nicely matured Samosa label out of Italy is back with a 31st offering of its lavish disco and funk fusions. This time out the four tracker features four different artists starting with Strange and 'Hard Working' (De Gama Re-drums) which is a cosmic laced late night stomper then Frank Virgilio gets all romantic and feel good with 'Love Is Positivity.' Mosaik Kollektif opens up the flip with the deep sounds of 'Keep' (De Gama Re-drums) and last of all comes some more freewheeling funk with Monsieur Van Pratt and his 'Funk De Ibiza.'

Review: T.Recs delivers a potent double-header of peak-time house on their latest vinyl release. 'Urban Deep' is a 122bpm floor-filler that seamlessly blends a throbbing bassline with jubilant claps and a dreamy vocal, creating an irresistible throwback vibe. On the flip, 'Franklin & Marshall' embraces classic house anthem territory with its Prophet 2000 piano riffs and TR-909 beats. The unexpected addition of a smoky, gospel-tinged vocal elevates this track to epic proportions, making it a surefire weekend weapon for discerning DJs.

Review: ***B-STOCK: Sleeve damaged but otherwise in excellent condition***


French label Wagram keep on documenting the history of electric music with their on going Anthology series. Now up to Volume 6 and still turning out plenty of essential tuned across four sides of wax, this one features the most diverse selection yet. There are blissed out stoner beats like DJ Cam's 'Birds Also Sing For Anamaria', electric house tracks from Martin Solveig in the form of 'Heartbeat' and shuffling, Latin tinged soulful house jams like 'Queixume' which is a superb Masters At Work mix edit. Also on the remix tip is the classic Daft Punk rework of I:cube's 'Disco Cubism' which is clipped, funky, brightly coloured filter house par excellence.

Review: Fronted by Dane-dame Sannie Carlson, Whigfield was backed by various producers and engineers over the years, main among whom was the towering Larry Pignagnoli. *The* song to commemorate Whigfield by, 'Saturday Night' is a Europop and Eurodance trailblazer, harking back, perhaps, to a more glamorous time, where fashion designers rubbed shoulders with models, PR girls and riviera DJs for Italian and Danish upper crusts. Carlson would record 'Saturday Night' after meeting fellow DJ Davide Riva, who was also part of a music production duo. In three days, an (in your mind-) sticky, bubblegum-popping opus would be written, with a nursery-rhyming refrain and a jaunty na-na-na hook epitomising the notion of a "hair-dryer song", a term coined by Simon Cowell in reference to the song as a precursor to Rebecca Black's 'Friday': "the kind of song girls sing into their hair dryers before getting ready to go out."

Review: Use Vinyl looks back to two iconic tracks from the 70s and 80s here for source material for a new remix EP by the Vannelli family. Joe T remixes 'Thrill Me' by The Wonderland Band into the sort of direct and funky house sound that brims with early dance music charm while the Vannelli Bros offer their rework of 'Party On' by Pure Energy which comes with plenty of energy for club contexts. Both tracks are presented as Classic Mix versions and bring plenty of new life to the original hits without forgoing the timeless, catchy and meaningful melodies that define the originals. House music like this is as authentic as it gets.