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

VARIOUS ARTISTS / CITY TO CITY: LISBON / FREERANGE RECORDS 

Freerange records – founded by Jimpster and Tom Roberts – continues to bring the quality, on a label that now spans a quarter of a century. Freerange has been at the vanguard of what’s what in soulful deep house and continues to push the boundaries with their City To City series. Its second edition focuses on Portugal’s vibrant capital Lisbon, a metropolis  with a rich heritage of electronic music, born from a strong affinity to authentic, underground dance culture. The EP presents 6 original tracks from artists currently making waves there, including Carepets & Snares, Jorge Caiado, DJ Kaspar, DJ Honesty, and  Moreno Acido. This is also a celebration of nightlife institutions, such as the iconic Lux Fragile, which has shaped the city’s sound since the late 1990s. Highlights include London transplant Megatronic’s ‘Casey Screams’, and ‘Changes’ by Yen Sung & Photonz.

PLASTIC BAMBOO / CINERAMA / STAR CREATURE

Camille Bertin aka Plastic Bamboo drops a stunning new EP on Chicago’s Star Creature Universal Vibrations, the windy city imprint headed up by musical don and golden-eared selector, Tim Zawada. Plastic Bamboo may be a new name to some, but the Parisian native has been out on the city’s underground scene for some time, first as part of the Les Yeux Orange collective. Here he delivers ‘Cinerama’, a delicious slice of Balearica carved up into six tantalising tracks of cosmic disco perfection. Channeling his love for proto-house, boogie and Zouk, Monsieur Bamboo creates a set that’s easy on the ears and wonderfully tough on the feet. Standouts include the peak time beauty ‘Bad Boy Bubby’ and the terrific ‘Touki Bouki’. DJ Deep and Radio Slave are both big fans! You get the vibe.

VARIOUS ARTISTS / UNIVERSALISMO / PARTYFINE

Yuksek‘s Partyfine returns with ‘Universalismo’, a reflection of the imprint’s eclectic, electronic, disco and boogie delights. As well as the main man himself, label family members, new and old, all contribute to the massive 13-track collection. Top tunes come from London’s Tigerbalm, who brings Latin rhythms to ‘Cumbia Calypso‘, and Claap!, who goes solo on the funky deep disco of ‘Caracas‘ and then collaborates with Destino on the darker, club-ready ‘Viiens. Yusek appears with Bertrand Burgalat & Chilam Balam on the low-slung playful Balearic disco of ‘Nuit Bleue‘, he also features on Juveniles‘ ‘Roll With That‘ which brings louche indie vocals and vibrant synths. Mang Dynasty‘s re-tweak of Chilam Balam‘s ‘Yaxum‘ is a steamy chugger with lush chords. Tchiki Boum shuts things down with the blissfully dubbed out and starry-eyed ‘Noix de Coco‘, leaving us with no doubt that Partyfine has brought us yet another outstanding selection of tasty disco treats.

FRANCK ROGER / CAN U BELIEVE / VIBE ME TO THE MOON 

Franck Roger unveils his ‘Can U Believe‘ EP on Vibe Me To The Moon Records. The New York imprint – started in 2017 by DJ Nightsteppaz – is dedicated to putting out high quality house and has featured artists like Roland Clark, DJ Spinna, Huxley, Demarkus Lewis, Iron Curtis and Simon Baker. A stalwart of the deep house scene, Roger has consistently delivered productions that resonate with audiences worldwide, while always pushing the envelope, trying new things. This new compelling 4-tracker showcases Roger’s signature blend of soulful rhythms and grooves. The title track setting a vibrant tone with its highly infectious energy, while ‘In The Morning’ sees Roger collaborate with vocalist Shaun Chapelle. ‘Someone Now’ continues the journey with a moody and immersive, rolling soundscape, while ‘New Balance’ drives the EP home on a hypnotic note with its monster, repetitive groove. 

DIOGO STRAUSZ / CARAMBA / RAZOR-N-TAPE

Rio-based producer / songwriter / multi-instrumentalist Diogo Strausz has already blazed an impressively accomplished trail in the world of music. Part of the duo Balako, he’s released music on Razor-N-Tape, Barefoot Beats and Joe Goddard’s Greco-Roman, not forgetting his killer cut ‘Flight of Sagittarius’ on Goutte d’Or Records. This week sees Diogo issue ‘Caramba’ on Razor-N-Tape. On the EP he covers the Brazilian bosa nova classic, Canto Das Trés Raças, creating an incredible, fresh update. The package comes with remixes by NDATL’s Kai Alce and Make A Dance regular, Lex Wolf. Both bring further heat for basement dancers.