The Ritual - Letting Go (Wind Horse Records)

Wind Horse Records' 'east meets west' aesthetic fuels its latest release, as the India-based deep house imprint presents the newly formed London duo The Ritual. Made up of seasoned producer Matt Prehn (of Large Music, i! Records, Different Attitudes, and his own label, Oh So Coy) and vocalist / producer Dee Griffin (Large Music, Different Attitudes), The Ritual aims to be a creative ensemble working to push the boundaries of deep house. Serving as the pair's debut release, "Letting Go" certainly sets this stage with its shimmering floor appeal. Crisp, groovy rhythms and flowing, filtered chords provide the base of the track, while warm pad swells, melodic plucks, and dreamy found sounds embellish its journey. The result is a mesmerizing after-hours moment, suited for the deepest of DJs and the most underground of nightclubs.

A quartet of distinctive remixes send "Letting Go" floating off in new directions. Glasgow's JFunc is first, producing a tough version that rolls with deep bass, spacious hits, and a masterfully constructed build. Kartech, coming of his recent "Larrisa" single for Wind Horse, follows with a beguiling remix, drawing the listener into its luscious breakdown soundscape filled with expressive sound design. Next, Priyesh Patil, also no stranger to fans of the Wind Horse label, delivers a dream-like revision that features rhythmically intertwining elements and splashes of echo effects throughout. Farhan Rehman then closes out this trio of Indian remixers, powering his version with warm sub-bass, hypnotic synth sequences, and smooth layers of pads. All these remixes show a melodic acumen, giving "Letting Go", as a whole, much more depth than the usual house music single. It's yet another tour de force for Wind Horse Records.

Gene Farris - "Deeeep!"
Nick Warren - "Priyesh Patil and JFunc remixes for me."
Marques Wyatt - "Tight flow!"
Pete Moss - "I'm loving the JFunc remix."
Sumsuch (Colour and Pitch / Mega Jawns) - "Lovely smooth vibes throughout."
Dave Mayer (Strictly Rhythm / Hardsoul) - "I love the little hook in the original!"
Phunktastike (Undertones Gang) - "Sweet!"
Al Bradley (3am Recordings) - "All are top class here and the original is a cracking warm groove. My pick is the synth-led Farhan Rehman remix … I'm really loving the flow there."
Distant People (Foliage / Seamless) - "Funky and infectious sounds … I love the feel to this. It has real charm and just rolls."
Vincent Kwok - "Great deep techy house!"
Eric Davenport (Guesthouse) - "Solid set of deep dubby house tracks. Easy to fit in and out of any set."
Jay Zimmermann (Block.FM / Red Melon) - "Beautiful effects, sonic elements, and pads. The JFunc and Priyesh Patil Remixes are the bomb … midnight / early AM vibes. I love the shimmery breakdowns."
Simon Kirk (Stag Beetle Radio Show) - "It's always exciting to see a new Wind Horse release. This is such a beautiful collection of interpretations … it just has that real classy house sensibility that makes for great tracks now and in many years to come."

Available now from Beatport, Juno Download, and iTunes. 

Ursula 1000 - Blast Off! (feat. Lady Bunny) (Insect Queen Music)

"Blast Off!" is the third single taken from Ursula 1000's fab new album Voyeur. Featuring the legendary New York City drag queen Lady Bunny, this energetic disco monster sounds like Sylvester and Patrick Cowley having with New Order in outer space. As with any good dance floor focused single, there's a bevy of hot shot remixes on hand for a variety of discerning DJs. Vanilla Ace takes "Blast Off!" to peak time G-house territory while Eli Escobar dubs out some serious deep garage heat. Endless Summer, the new collaboration of Sleazy McQueen and Obas, go dark and hypnotic with their Arp-driven, basement-targeted version. Brooklyn's KLM also dips into garage terrain but with some heavy duty bass rolls and pitched down vocals. Finally, Manotti da Vinci grabs "Blast Off! and maxes it out with his over-the-top electro house take. Indeed, these are some perfect tracks for breaking through the atmosphere.

Hard Ton (Gigolo / Permanent Vacation) - "The Eli Escobar remix is dope! Will play this for sure."
Gene Hunt (Rush Hour / Dope Wax) - "Banger!"
All Good Funk Alliance - "Digging the original … great work."
Severino (Horse Meat Disco) - "Love Lady Bunny … and this Eli Escobar remix!"
Nick Catchdubs (Fool's Gold Records) - "Fun!"
Belabouche (Midnight Riot / DiscoDat) - "Really cool original track … will play for sure."
Vincent Kwok - "That Vanilla Ace remix … hot track!"
Johnny Dynell (Endless Night Music, NYC) - "Hot track. Bunny sounds great. The Eli Escobar mix is very cool but my faves are the Endless Summer and Manotti Da Vinci mixes."
Stereo 77 (Plimsoll Records) - "The Endless Summer remix and Eli Escobar dub are insanely good."
Pat Lezizmo (Conya Records / Karmaloft) - "Vanilla Ace does it again!"
Dutchican Soul (Strictly Rhythm / Salted Music) - "Nice! The KLM and Vanilla Ace remixes are dope … I will be playing this!"
Alan Powell (The Midnight Mix, Solar Radio) - "The Eli Escobar is the mix for me. Reminds me of '90s uplifting house sound with the key stabs. Nice work."
misterG (Green Arrow Radio Show) - "Makes me want to get in the mothership and 'Blast Off!'"

Available now from Beatport, Juno Download, and iTunes.

James Benedict - In Time and Place EP (Lucky Sun Recordings)

Lucky Sun Recordings return with the imprint's fifth release, the In Time and Place EP from Glasgow-based producer James Benedict. On the heels of recent hot releases on Savoir Faire Musique, House Trip Recordings, What Happens, and Delve Deeper Recordings, James brings the heat with these three new original tracks. "In Time and Place" delivers jerky house beats, spliced vox, and James's signature deep chords. "Midnight At Riverside" follows with punchy drums and percussion alongside hypnotic synths and pads. "Rockabeat" is a slightly more psychedelic affair featuring swung, staccato synths, and potent drums and bass adding to a driving feel that just keeps building.

The first remix in the package comes from Alvaro Hylander (DeepWit Recordings) who, in remixing "Rockabeat", contributes a lovely piece of deep house … his chords and bass line are to die for and there's a cheeky broken beat-esque middle section. Next, "Midnight at Riverside" is remixed by Nico Mendez (Underground Sounds / UM Records) who gets a bit 'out there' with shuffling beats, deep chords, and and an atmospheric breakdown. Top notch all around.

Tensnake - "Nice EP."
Colin Dale - "The original of 'Rockabeat' is the stand out for me here … top track!"
Vanilla Ace - "Good warm up cuts."
Johnny Fiasco - "Alvaro Hylander's remix is the one for me."
Leigh Morgan (Urban Torque / Fancy Human) - "Cool vibes on this EP … 'Rockabeat' is the pick here."
Phonogenic (Moodmusic / Turbo) - "'In Time And Place' soothes me …"
Ben Mono (Undertones Gang / Plant Music) - "Dope stuff … will definitely play."
Jaymz Nylon - "The sound quality is amazing … I'll give 'In Time And Place' a try."
Sebastian Davidson (Nightbird Music) - "Great pack!"
Tim Andresen (What Happens / Savoir Faire Musique) - "Well done. 'Midnight At Riverside' and Alvaro Hylander's remix of 'Rockabeat' are my favorites."
Sumsuch (Colour and Pitch / Mega Jawns) - "Nice EP here … a little different from the norm."
Distant People (Foliage / Seamless) - "I really like the bass movement here and the dreamy synths … a hypnotic mood."
Michael Fossati (Spirit of House) - "Groovy and tantalizing."
Mark Mac (The Sounds Collective) - "A very solid release from such an excellent label. All tracks have a great vibe but Alvaro Hylander's remix just takes it to another level and Nico Mendez's touch is also spot on."

Available now from Traxsource, Beatport, and iTunes.

Ivaylo - Future Past (The Remixes) (Bogota Records)

Norwegian deep house label Bogota Records considers Ivaylo's Future Past (The Remixes) the end of 'phase one.' The label has issued six fantastic releases, making some serious waves in the house music community with its signature lush, dreamy, rhythmic sound. This seventh issue from Bogota returns to the output of flagship artist Ivaylo, the Bulgaria-born DJ based in Oslo. Future Past (The Remixes) is notable, as the title unintentionally hints, in that it draws upon label tracks from previous releases, giving them new remixed interpretations laying out the direction of the label. An impressive cadre of house music talent from around the world is on board to supply these remixes, making this an essential release.

Let's delve right into it. Dalminjo (Limestone Recordings, Papa Records) offers a sophisticated remix of "Forgotten", featuring pleasant string lines and lovely tuned percussion. Famed Philadelphian Pete Moss (Ovum Records) brings a funky tech-house aesthetic to "Outlands", with a solid bass and drum interplay perfectly tailored for the dance floor. Legendary Chicago house music don Johnny Fiasco (Klassik Fiasco) lays on the heavy swing for his interpretation of "Weight", and takes things well into the deep zone with splashes of chiming pads and a touch of vocoder. Out of Bulgaria comes Ivaylo's mates, the duo Sound Solutions (Adultempo Specialists) who blend swirling arpeggiations and ominous echoed synth stabs into their revision of "Shine". Demarkus Lewis (Grin Music), the tall Texas house music veteran, slaps on some tough rhythms, some 303-ish lines, and a pulsing low end for a particularly beefy version of "Disquis". Last, but certainly not least, Jay Tripwire (Tonality, Poker Flat) provides an evocative, sublimely building remix of "Cellar", featuring clanging percussion, liquidy found sounds, filtered chords, and the hypnotic drum-play he's known for.

Bogota Records knows the past, and repeating quality like this in the future is a foregone conclusion. Stay tuned to hear what other gems the label and Ivaylo have in store …

Doc Martin - "Some cool stuff here!"
Nick Holder - "This EP is fire!"
DJ MFR (Transport Recordings) - "Great tracks … full support from me!"
DJ Tonka (Tonka Tunes / Southern Fried) - "The Dalminjo and Johnny Fiasco mixes for me. True house music!"
Jaymz Nylon - "Dalminjo's remix of 'Forgotten' is actually most memorable."
Alvaro Hylander (DeepWit Recordings) - "One of my favorite labels out there. This is a stunning remix album with top notch remixers … it doesn't get better than this."
Sebastian Davidson - "Ten out of ten!"
Craig Stewart (Montana & Stewart / DCSTrax) - "A super collection of dance music. Brilliant."
The Disclosure Project - "A good collection of remixers on this package. Johnny Fiasco's bumpy remix wins for us here."
Sumsuch (Colour and Pitch / Mega Jawns) - "A truly astounding package here remixed by six of the very finest producers in house music. I'd be hard pressed to choose a finer dream team right now."
Al Bradley (3am Recordings) - "A strong selection here from a variety of top players. Pete Moss, Johnny Fiasco, and Jay Tripwire all stand out with their interpretations, with Demarkus Lewis also adding a wicked groove on his remix. Solid all round really."
Distant People (Foliage / Seamless) - "Filthy and funky. I like the little acid twists in Demarkus Lewis's mix … heavy sound."

Available now from Beatport, Traxsource, and iTunes.