James Benedict - The Fox (Deep House Aficionado)

Australian imprint Deep House Aficionado is back again, but for the first time reaching outside their country's borders for a release by Glasgow producer James Benedict. With plenty of releases under his belt, Benedict has seen success on labels like Spagat Music, Savoir Faire Musique, and Onethirty Recordings. The Fox is a wily EP featuring three original atmospheric and moody cuts. "What Can You Do" is an airy piece with driving hats, peppered by snares and chopped up vocal bits, all evolving like a day dream. The title track follows with a similar vibe, but far more spacey in its minor adjustments of the synth filters which really make things come to life. "See You Drive" expands on these hypnotic flairs of melody, nailing the landing on the groove with its low end and drums. Relax and drink in the sounds of James Benedict, but be careful because this is intoxicating work.

Tom Lown (Savoir Faire / Lost My Dog) - "Ooh, I like this a lot. Real deepness … three tracks of quality."
Shane Johnson (Fish Go Deep) - "Nice electronic vibe and a distinctive sound across the whole EP. 'The Fox' edging it for me."
Tini Tun (We Are Here Records / Fade) - "'See You Drive' is good!"
Lorenzo al Dino (7th District Inc. / Royal Plastic) - "A great package of mixes and house tools … well produced."
Leigh Morgan (Urban Torque Transmissions) - "Yeah, cool stuff. 'The Fox' is really on point."
Alvaro Hylander (DeepWit) - "Powerful tracks! Really enjoying the beats."
Carlo Gambino (Midnight Social Recordings) - "Nice EP from James. 'What Can You Do' is the clear winner for me."
Chris Udoh (Tigerhook) - "'See You Drive' = TUNE! Great stuff here."
Ourra (Pop Out And Play / Alola) - "Yeah! I love 'The Fox' … lovely triplet groove and great sound choice."
Distant People (Foliage / Seamless) - "Lush production, full of nice layers … has a spaced out feel, great for the dark clubs."
Ken Liu (Headset Recordings) - "Dreamy, cerebral cuts. Very nice."
Al Bradley (3am Recordings) - "Nice beats overall. I will give 'See You Drive' a whirl out in the clubs … a solid deep mid-set cut."
DJ Di Costa (MoodyLushious Influences) - "'See You Drive' is a stunner. I'm loving the spacey vibe in this track … truly beautiful."
Corbin Dooley (Electric Feel Radio Show ) - "Lovely and lush deepness."
Tariq Ziyad (New Urban ERA blog) - "Wonderful and enchanting sounds … I love these."
Myxzlplix (Kodawari Recordings / Sunclock) - "Putting forth new melodic arrangements, a new deep house maverick is emerging here. Nice."

Available now from Beatport, Juno Download, and iTunes.

Marley Sherman - Kinky Vibrations (Deep House Aficionado)

Six releases in and Jason Mitchell's Deep House Aficionado label has already carved out a sound for itself, sitting somewhere between classic, mold-fitting deep house sounds and modern, bottomless dubs. The newest artist addition to the imprint, Marley Sherman, has always had a passion for the sea of music's deeper reaches. Born and raised on the northern beaches of Sydney, he first started producing hip-hop beats while at school, until he discovered house, influenced by the likes of Motor City Drum Ensemble and Miguel Migs. His focus is now on creating a mix of deep tech and funky house grooves.

On his debut release, Kinky Vibrations, he does exactly that. The bass ebbs and flows on "Deep Vibrations" alongside reverberating stabs and hints of funkier, pitched up flairs. Pulling from an even groovier place, "Kinky Tonight" brings a wave of pads crashing over a deep, catchy garage-like bass line, the kind that leaves hips in all kinds of seductive arrangements. It's a feeling the sweet and softly spoken female vocals expand on. From there, the release evolves in a more mellow direction with "Untitled", a real highlight for anybody looking to increase the depth on the ideas laid out in the first two cuts. After a teasing first half, a tense breakdown unleashes the previously repressed progression of its filtered piano lead. Overall, the release provides something deep and dub-tinged for every stage of the night.

Nick Holder - "Dope!"
Daz-I-Kue (Future Soul Records) - "Deep soulful house biz … nice."
Sebastian Davidson (Nightbird Music) - "Back to classic diffuse … nice EP!"
Hippie Torrales - "Nice, deep grooves."
Tyree Cooper - "Hot stuff."
Chris Fortier (Fade) - "I like it."
Craig Stewart (Montana & Stewart / DCSTrax) - "Very nice deepness here, a cool three tracker."
Alvaro Hylander (DeepWit) - "Great stuff! I'm really liking them all, especially the emotion in "Untitled" and its chords."
Fine Cut Bodies (Biscuit Real / Chi Recordings) - "Some great house vibes."
Tyler Stadius (Deepsite / Dialtone Records) - "Loving these tracks! Can't wait to try them out soon."
Kadabra (The House Hookup Radio Show) - "'Deep Vibrations' is nice and groovy. Sounds like Mark Farina meets Disclosure."
Louis Hughes (6th Sense Music) - "Real deep house with funky undertones. Yeah, I can get behind this release, all right."
Tony D'Onghia (Radio Koper-Capodistria) - "Deeper than deep!"
DJ Di Costa (MoodyLushious Influences Radio Show) - "Wow … what a pack of exquisite deep house sounds. A true pleasure … really ace stuff here!"
Michael Fossati (Spirit Of House) - "Tantalizing deep house vibes and rhythms perfect for late night or early morning play."
Adam Collins (Euphoria Records / Omni A.M.) - "Finally … some proper deep house!"

Available now from Beatport and Juno Download.

Jason Mitchell - Devil In The Detail / Just A Little Lower (Deep House Aficionado)

Deep House Aficionado is in the summer swing of things with a new deep house single from its very own Jason Mitchell. A staple of the Sydney house music scene behind the decks, he has been making a name for himself behind the mixing desk as of late. He has enjoyed releases with Deep 8 Recordings, Slick Records, and Soulstar Records while operating his own label, now on its fifth release. “Devil In The Detail” is littered with stuttering vocals, crisp hats, and rapid fire claps over a jacking bass and quintessential chord stabs. “Just A Little Lower” finds most of its groove in the low end, with subtle synths placed like beacons guiding the listener forward. The two originals are extended mixing material, sure to find their fit layered with other deep house grooves.

Jason Hodges (Sampled Recordings) - “Nice two tracker!”
Natural Rhythm - “Really lovely music! Solid deepness … subs will roll.”
Robert Owens - “Great tracks.”
Hippie Torrales - “Nice bounce to this.”
Andrew Macari (Greenhouse / Tastie) - “Great old school deep house sound. Nice stuff.”
Alkalino (Estimativa / Audaz Recordings) - “‘Devil In The Detail’ sounds cool!”
Joey Silvero (Distant People) - “Nice jacking feel, cool vox samples, and a hooky sound.”
Tyler Stadius - “Good ones. Right summer vibes.”
DJ Nova (Rodon FM, Greece) - “Ι like the deep jackin’ sound of ‘Devil In The Detail’ … it’s a solid underground groove.”
SimonG (Deep South Audio, New Zealand) - “Solid release … chunky underground house sounds, just the way I like them.”
Tee Cardaci (Low Down Grooves / Sine Qua Non) - “Nice low end throb. I dig it.”
ForQuarters Collective (Red Maple / SOULFULL) - “Edgy deep tech … just the way I love it.”
Russell Deeks (This Is Why We Dance) - “Solid deep house / garage vibes.”
Niksa Dragolin (Eurostar Radio 101.7 FM, Croatia) - “There’s some very groovy deep house coming out from this freshly made label.”

Available now from Beatport and Juno Download

t0rne - Another Day (Deep House Aficionado)

For their fourth release, Australia’s Deep House Aficionado springs forward with a new name from Brisbane: t0rne. With previous releases on Spring Tube and Groove Life Records, t0rne is becoming known for his deep house work. “Another Day" is a blossoming house tune with playful Rhodes keys, hopeful vocals, and percussive claps adding an extra touch of rhythm. Also fresh to the label and hailing from Brisbane, Rimo takes his remix in a heads down direction, chopping and revolving the original’s elements to peak reactions. Label operator and Sydney resident Jason Mitchell marries the melodic stabs with the low end frequencies in his remix, adding a tense, building techno loop at times. Another day, another dance floor.

Hippie Torrales - “Rocking, and on fire.”
Robbie Hardkiss - “I like the tribal feel of the Rimo remix.”
Chris Udoh (Tigerhook) - “Banger … love this!”
Tyler Stadius - “Nice one … I like the groovy original and the Rimo remix.”
Phonatics (Housesession Records) - “Damn … this is awesome! Full support.”
Bruce Tantum (Lowlife) - “I’m loving all three versions, but it’s this near-tribal Rimo version that’s really doing it for me. Nice one!”
Al Bradley (3am Recordings) - “Very strong release … all three offer something different in their grooves. Rimo just shades it for me with a more intricate percussive workout and programming. Wicked stuff.”
Michael Fossati (Spirit of House) - “I’m diggin’ the scintillating late night goodness from Jason Mitchell.”
Richie Hartness (untitled music) - “I’m enjoying this one.”
SimonG (Deep South Audio, New Zealand) - “Slinky seductive sounds … I love the keys in the original. Dope!”
Niksa Dragolin (Eurostar Radio, Croatia) - “Nice drums and vocals … this delivers a good, deep vibe.”
DJ Di Costa (MoodyLushious Influences) - “A proper deep house sound! Nice package … the Jason Mitchell remix is makin’ some serious damage.”

Available now from Beatport and Juno Download.