Cody Currie recruits and all-star cast for his eponymous E.P. on Razor-N-Tape. Fish Go Deep continue to throw off the shackles of a dance-floor 4 / 4 on their wonderful new LP, What I Mean By Beautiful. Bosq joins forces with former Egypt 80 member, Kaleta. Mark E returns to Delusions Of Grandeur. Nightsteppaz’s Inside The Warehouse features the vocals of New York legend, Mr. V. Gallo brings a little Balearic sunset / sunrise to Berlin with his Hidden Inside set on Hell Yeah. San Fran’s Space Ghost remixes Manuel Darquart for Wolf Music. Secret Witness impress on Montreal’s Bienvenue. 

Super selections and wonderful words by our favourite four-to-the-floor expert, The Insider. 

CODY CURRIE / RAZOR-N-TAPE

Young Cody Currie continues to impress the best with his new E.P. for Razor-N-Tape. In the making since 2017, it was worth the wait, as the London maverick produces six flawless cuts, ranging from opener, Everynight, which features Stee Downes instantly recognisable, heart-warming vocals, to the arresting, soul-searching ballad, Hold On, sung by Marlena Dae. RNT family member Cor.ece steps in on the rolling house groover Hot Water, with heaps of sass and bags of swagger, while Ally McMahon channels some Herbie Hancock vocoder vibes on Furball. As Cody’s star continues to rise over London this Christmas, the E.P. is total class.  10/10

FISH GO DEEP / WHAT I MEAN BY BEAUTIFUL / GO DEEP 

What I Mean By Beautiful is an eleven-track opus from Greg Dowling and Shane Johnson, the  duo we also know as Fish Go Deep. Treading a similar path to their acclaimed third album, This Bit Of Earth, these two understated Irish dudes create some supremely crafted sonics, and magical ethereal atmospheres, packed with depth and emotion. Highlights include the moody, trance-inducing, So They Were Changed, and the captivating impossible to categorise title cut – which flows free of any genre – and the super solid, All In Everything, which picks up the pace with its four-to-the-floor baseline, carrying this aural beauty home. Impeccable, heartfelt studio work and expert attention to minute detail make this album an undoubted winner, from the first few bars, all the way to its optimistic closing note. 9/10

BOSQ / MEJI MEJI / BACALAO 

It’s always a joy when you hear a new tune by Bosq, and Meji Meji, a collaboration with ex-Egypt 80 member, Kaleta, continues in that vein, winning hearts, ears, and feet across the globe. Exploring a traditional West African sound, the song originally saw the light of day pre-summer, but now gets a further boost by man of the moment, Folamour. The E.P. includes the afro disco scorcher, Sonayon, where Kaleta sings a message of hope in his native language, Goun. 100% party vibes here. Highly groovy, highly playable. This is gonna get rinsed. 9/10

MARK E / ENCHANTMENT UNDER THE SEA / DELUSIONS OF GRANDEUR

Mark E has been masterfully crafting emotional house music for over twenty years. Here he brings the magic again to Delusions of Grandeur. His sound, a master of tension, anticipation, and extended arrangements. The Enchantment Under The Sea E.P. consists of four sublime songs with that unique Mark E sonic blend of house and disco, with an understated touch. The tracks move through deep and minimal low-slung beats, to acid-infused, killer grooves. It really is tough to choose a winner, but closing cut, Bodymap, is my pick of the pack. Take a late-night drive and put this on the car stereo, and it’ll send you on the ride of your life. A shining example of DOG’s continued commitment to quality in underground house. 9/10

NIGHTSTEPPAZ / INSIDE THE WAREHOUSE / VIBE ME TO THE MOON

Nightsteppaz steps out on his own New York imprint – Vibe Me To The Moon – releasing a stellar collaboration with the legendary Mr V, who provides a powerful, spoken vocal. Inside The Warehouse is a true modern throwback to that `90s house sound, with a collection of high-profile remixers adding tons of weight by simply doing their own thing. This is one single, done five ways, and is a funk-laden take on deep house. Real Tones’ Franck Roger sits comfortably on the New Jersey side of things, while Demarkus Lewis delivers two heavy remixes – the first going deeper and more melodic, the second, a dazzling instrumental, which leaves the hypnotic chant aside. UK’s Montel closes out with his basement rendition, which also strips out the vocal, while focusing on getting the dancers locked into a heads-down groove. The only problem you’re going to have with this E.P. is which mix do you play first? 7/10

GALLO / HIDDEN INSIDE / HELL YEAH RECORDINGS

Hell Yeah Recordings brings more blissed out loveliness from Matteo Gallerani, aka Gallo, the Berlin-based younger brother of label head, Marco. Gallo has clearly spent some time soaking up the sunshine spun by his elder brother, while putting his own identity on his highly accomplished productions. He makes music of wide-screen epic wonder. The Hidden Inside E.P. drops shortly after Collen ‘Cosmo’ Murphy selected his music for her Balearic Breakfast comp. Something that significantly raised his profile. While you take in the majesty of the piano-led opener, Life On Preset, think, sunsets over Es Vedra, or warm evenings sipping vino blanco at Café del Mar. Let the sweet-sounding beauty of the title track carry you away to a place of deep relaxation, while the lazy hazy paradise house vibrations of That Moment leaves you with nothing but feelings of bliss, peace, and lasting happiness. 8/10

SECRET WITNESS / HAVE YOU EVER / BIENVENUE

Relatively unknown, Secret Witness is comprised of Montreal natives Gabriel Rei, Gene Tellem, singer songwriter Laroie, and drummer Pascal Deaudelin. Their Have You Ever drops on local label, Bienvenue. Here, we are treated to two versions of the title track, which weaves Laroie’s arresting vocals into a tapestry of mid-tempo beats – striking a balance between the house of hero, Larry Heard, and the lush electronica of Jakarta. The warm and hypnotic ‘Club Mix’ amps ups the tempo and acid lines to full effect. The results cut so deep, it really hurts. 7/10

MANUEL DARQUART / DEL SOL / WOLF MUSIC

Wolf Music are stoked to welcome the return of Manuel Darquart, who stepped out of the shadows and into the limelight just two years back. In that short space of time his output has just got better and better. It’s all killer and absolutely no filler here on the Del Sol E.P. – the dark heart brushing up against classic French-Touch, Italian dream house, and boogie on this unmissable release. Jerry’s Song feels like a future classic in the making, while he plays with Sueno Latino and the sultry sensuality of Carolina Damas on the sparse and percussive original mix of the title track.  On the remix, San Francisco’s Space Ghost adds his signature Oakland lean to the already luscious house vibrations. Closing out is the silky-smooth doubled down deepness of The Vibe. This needs to be in your collection. 10/10