Various Artists - Impossible EP, Chapter 4 (Rebus Records)

The Impossible series of EPs is a place for artists and producers in the Proceed and Rebus Records families to stretch out a bit and try some new sounds. If a track doesn’t quite sonically fit on an artist’s EP on those labels but still has the quality and dance floor appeal that demands to be heard then this is the place for it. The Impossible EP, Chapter 4 solidifies the series as a fixture, once again gathering five tracks from some shining Italian producers for another showcase on the Rebus Records sub-label, named after popular nightclub of the same name.

Proceed’s proprietor, DJ / producer Haldo (who has also released cuts through Transport Recordings, Conya, and Adaptation Music), re-touches a silky-smooth, low-slung groove by fellow Rebus club resident Giuseppe Mancuso on "I'm Back", guiding the producer towards his first introduction to the label side of the club and proving disco never dies. In completely different form and showcasing another lush sound, Haldo's original "Sleepin' Travel" features a squelchy, full-bodied bass line with deep combinations of piano stabs and revolving synth crescendos. Continuing the bass's theme, Italian veteran Fabrizio Marra (Musoul, Liberate) turns in a storming diva house number titled "Lola" that captures the glamor of a NY ballroom with the edginess of a warehouse. Proceed and Rebus label regular DJ E-Ro then creates a spacious and dubby late night atmosphere for "My Friend", where infectious hand percussion, dramatic strings, and vocals urge for the dancing to never end. Another name familiar to both imprints, Odo Makes A Smile, delivers in similar fashion on "Flashback To The Past", but this time with more urgency packed into a techno format and featuring an arpeggiated, Italo-style melodic breakdown.

Taken together, the release proves that the Impossible series' charm has yet to wear off.

Jask - "Top notch tracks!"
Graeme Park - "An intriguingly seductive selection of appealing, deep, chunky grooves."
Gene Hunt (Rush Hour / Dope Wax) - "Nice project … I'm digging the vibes."
Dave Mayer (Strictly Rhythm / Hardsoul) - "Giuseppe Mancuso's cut is perfect for the upcoming summer season at my beach residency."
Natural Rhythm - "I love the variety on this one. Haldo's 'Sleepin' Travel' is classic deepness."
Giom - "Cool tracks."
Abicah Soul - "Fabrizio Marra's 'Lola' is my taste!"
Mauricio Aviles (Movido / Loveslap!) - "I'm really liking the variation in deep house genres of this EP. A little sumthin' sumthin' for beginning, middle, or peak of your sets."
Marques Wyatt - "Tight beats."
Richard Earnshaw (Spiritchaser / Duffnote) - "Decent stuff throughout."
Dutchican Soul - "A really nice and diverse package … I will be supporting this."
Craig Stewart (Montana & Stewart / DCSTrax) - "Some very tasty dance music here. Great work."
Sumsuch (Colour and Pitch / Mega Jawns) - "A really beautiful collection of tracks here … right up my alley."
Alvaro Hylander (DeepWit Recordings) - "Proper feel-good deep house on Haldo's 'Sleepin' Travel'."
Eddy Spirit (Spirit Crew / Janga Radio) - "Another brilliant release from this Italian label … it's distinguishable for its catchy and penetrating groove. The EP's sound never becomes banal like a lot that you hear nowadays. A piece that you shouldn't miss."
Greg Fenton (Magazine Sixty / DMC Magazine) - "Good track here from Haldo."
Michael Fossati (Spirit of House) - "Simply groovylicious."
Dean Serafini (JJazproJect) - "Some serious heat in this lot."

Available now from Traxsource.

Rob Slac - Body Movzz (Chillin Music)

Kicking off 2015 right, Chillin Music’s Rob Slac gets down and dirty on his latest groove for the label, "Body Movzz". A driving bass line rumbles beneath contrasting ethereal, chopped vocal samples with crisp hats and snares creating a tight, jackin' rhythm. The lyrics are cut and arranged in witty fashion, flipping the script and threatening to elicit action on the dance floor: "body moves, nobody gets hurt!"

Recently relocated to Berlin, Brett Johnson is no stranger to making bodies move. With over a hundred releases to his name, Johnson is indeed a veteran producer. He deftly expands the vibe of Slac’s original using plenty of swing while maintaining the low end rumble in his funky tech house reshape. The biggest addition is the balance of tense, playful, and poignant Detroit-style synth tones. Better stretch those dancin’ muscles before entertaining this one.

Returning to Chillin after his All Day EP, Oakland native Nackt strips it down rugged and raw with a UK funky-style bass line for his re-rub of "Body Movvz". It’s like break-dancing in a bounce house … just the kind of pandemonium found in the more dutty dancehall scenarios.

Rounding out this release for the special vinyl edition is Chillin’s top selling artist of 2014, Nikola Gala. With releases on Plastic City, Freerange, and Noir Music, Nikola is surely right where he wants to be. Pulling no punches on his rework of Subtron & Markowicz's "Take U In The Back Room", he delivers a hard-hitting techno knockout. It is a pound for pound production, grinding the gears of each element to its limit with the kick, chords, and percussion all on overdrive.

Laurent Garnier - "The Brett Johnson remix is awesome."
Barem (M_nus / Foundsound) - "The original 'Body Movzz' and Brett Johnson's remix for me."
Alland Byallo - "It's all about Nikola Gala's remix. Brett Johnson's mix is dope, too."
Thomas Schumacher - "Loving Nikola Gala's remix."
Hollis P Monroe - "I'm digging all of these."
Colin Dale (Abstrakt Dance) - "Cool track! The Brett Johnson remix is rocking it for me."
Diz (Iz & Diz / Classic) - "Good boogies all around."
Nick Holder - "Dope!"
Chris Fortier (Fade / Mindwarp) - "Really great stuff."
Giom - "Cool stuff."
Matthias Vogt (Motorcitysoul / Larg*e Records) - "A nice remix from Brett Johnson, plus a dance floor monster from Nikola Gala."
DJ Schwa (Shades Of Gray / Beef Records) - "Totally awesome … all three cuts are dope!"
Alvaro Hylander (DeepWit Recordings) - "It's great to hear Brett Johnson keeping it down within the deep range. Will support."
Alkalino (Estimativa / Audaz Recordings) - "Nice release. The Nackt remix is my favorite of the lot."
Distant People (Foliage / Seamless) - "Brett Johnson's remix is full of attitude and flavor. I love the drums … heavy."
Richie Hartness (untitledmusic) - "Dirty! The original version is the one for me."
Jesus Pablo (Something Different) - "Brett Johnson's remix takes you on a journey … where will you end up? In musical bliss at the least!"
Tariq Ziyad (Planet Rave / Dark Horse) - "I absolutely love this. The original is great and the remixes are also fantastic. A funky bit of techno for good measure."

Available now on vinyl from Deejay.de and Juno Records … available digitally from Beatport.

Mr Echo - Born To Be Blue (Cold Busted)

Cold Busted is pleased to present Born To Be Blue, a funky solo album from Mr Echo of Greek hip hop duo Q Funktion. Not that Mr Echo is totally on his own here … Born To Be Blue still features many collaborators, from Cold Busted regulars like Jenova 7, Es-K, My Neighbour Is, and mister T., to new names for the label such as Mononome, Padma Purana, and King Shi. Throughout the album there's a common thread of downbeat American music styles, but it's heavily frayed and pulled tight across world music influences. At times -- such as on album highlights "Moonchild", "Chrysanthemum", and "Nothing Gonna Change" -- Mr Echo finds himself pulling off Moby-level sampling, but in his own foggier and more heady way. Steadily creeping into the mood, the blues is ever present among the beats. Mr Echo and his Cold Busted companions have outdone themselves with this cohesive, but diverse, collaboration-filled album.

Cold Busted is pleased to present Born To Be Blue, a funky solo album from Mr Echo of Greek hip hop duo Q Funktion. Not that Mr Echo is totally on his own here … Born To Be Blue still features many collaborators, from Cold Busted regulars like Jenova 7, Es-K, My Neighbour Is, and mister T., to new names for the label such as Mononome, Padma Purana, and King Shi. Throughout the album there's a common thread of downbeat American music styles, but it's heavily frayed and pulled tight across world music influences with moodiness borrowed from the blues. Mr Echo and his Cold Busted companions have outdone themselves with a cohesive, but diverse, collaboration-filled album.

Kid Loco - "Great downtempo tracks."
Mark Farina - "I like these!"
Sunshine Jones (Dubtribe) - "Pretty amazing. I haven't really heard this sort of hippie breakbeat sound since the early '90s. It's wonderful to hear this headspace again."
Nickodemus (Turntables on the Hudson) - "A very nice release! Good, moody sampling and cracking beats."
Abicah Soul - "I love it."
Dom Servini (Wah Wah 45s) - "I love this album! It's hard to chose a favorite."
Jaymz Nylon (Nylon Trax) - "Great cinematic album … an amazing listening experience."
Stereo 77 (Plimsoll Records) - "Love it! Mr Echo is definitely one to keep an eye on."
Phat Phil Cooper (NuNorthern Soul) - "Lovely stuff … proper chilled vibes."
Mojo Rising (Cold Busted / F.A.M.I.L.Y.) - "Auditory bliss. All these hit that sweet spot."
Ross Wakefield (Part-Time Heroes / Hideout Sessions) - "Some tidy beats in here!"
DJ Doubles (Freestyle Fusion) - "A very nice, melancholic and chilled-out trip into the unknown."
DJ Tomas (Google Play / Umoja HiFi) - "Like the best releases from Ninja Tune, MoWax, Cup of Tea, and other respected downtempo imprints, this album impresses with its consistency and production quality."
Aja Allsop (Ketch A Vibe Radio Show) - "Stunning … simple as that, people."
Myxzlplix (Subdivisions Global) - "I love these tracks. Excellent soul and downtempo vibes."

Available now from Beatport, iTunes, and the Cold Busted shop.

Brooklyn is Burning - Percolatin' (Get Up Recordings)

Get Up Recordings continues a steady string of releases with “Percolatin’” from the New York City based collective Brooklyn is Burning (Nita Aviance and Adam Joseph). Nita Aviance is one of the most sought after DJs in the NYC underground club scene and has been creating a buzz with his production work, especially his remixes for Scissor Sisters and Beyonce. He is also currently one half of DJ/production duo The Carry Nation. Adam Joseph is a prolific producer, songwriter, and vocalist. He was featured on super-producer Bob Sinclar’s album Born in 69 with “The Way I Feel.” “Percolatin’” is a bumping dance track reminiscent of the '90s house scene. With its melodic keys, catchy vocal hook and infectious bass line, it is sure to become a future house classic. The release features remixes from fellow NYC DJ/producers Eli Escobar and Michael Magnan.

Eli Escobar is the quintessential New York City DJ. Over the past ten years he has built a reputation around his parties, emerging as one of the most talented DJs in the NY dance scene. His talent as a remixer is reflected in the wide range of artists who have sought him out to turn their songs into something specifically his own. The list boasts of work for Diplo, M.I.A., Britney Spears, Chromeo, Holy Ghost!, Pase Rock, and Amanda Blank. His remix for “Percolatin’” gets his signature acid treatment accompanied by some dark funky house beats and jackin’ vocals.

DJ/producer Michael Magnan dwells amongst the downtown music and fashion scene which inspires his creativity, which in-turn inspires others. Magnan fuses art, music. and fashion together on his popular blog Wickephobica and with his involvement in the House of Ladosha collective. He is also one half of the DJ/production duo Fatherhood along with Physical Therapy. His remix of “Percolatin’” is very reflective of his DJ style: dreamy runway.

This package is a must have for the underground house heads.

Tom Findlay (Groove Armada / Lovebox) - "Old school but fresh at the same time … never an easy trick to pull off. I'm diggin' it."
Daniel Bortz (Suol / Pastamusik) - "Sounds cool."
Onionz (Intec / Siesta) - "Nice work from Eli Escobar and Michael Magnan."
Lupe Fuentes (Inhouse Records) - "Nice!"
Malente (No Brainer / Fool's Gold) - "This is fun."
Hard Ton (Gigolo / Permanent Vacation) - "Solid EP! Eli Escobar's remix is so good."
Severino (Horse Meat Disco) - "Big package … all mixes are fab!"
DJ Heather - "I'll be supporting this for sure."
Alkalino (Estimativa / Audaz Recordings) - "The original and the Eli Escobar mix are great."
Al Bradley (3am Recordings) - "The original has the mid-90s-Hacienda-in-Manchester vibe … Michael Magnan also drops a very distinctive sounding style, rounding off the single well."
Sumsuch (Colour and Pitch / Mega Jawns) - "This just made my day. Brilliant original and remixes … can't wait to play these!"
Joe Roberts (DJ Mag / Chew The Fat!) - "Banger! All mixes are great … I'll be playing the original this weekend."
Danny Howard (BBC Radio 1 / Dance Anthems) - "Really nicely done! I'll be supporting the original."
Myxzlplix (Subdivisions Radio Show) - "Too cool for school. Throwback style done right and the flips from Eli Escobar and Michael Magnan are nice additions."
Tariq Ziyad (Planet Rave / Dark Horse) - "Those Detroit style stabs just hit the spot perfectly … fantastic."
Alien Tom - "Underground vibes and techno soul. Time for percolatin'!"

Available now from Beatport, iTunes, and Juno Download.