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

DEMRKUS LEWIS / LOVE STILL LIVES / VIBE ME TO THE MOON

Demarkus Lewis doesn’t get the headlines of many of his American house music peers, but there’s no reason why that should be the case. He’s got 25 years service to his name, and his take on the genre, while often deceptively simple, sits right up there with the best. Already a regular on the likes of King Street and Nervous Records, Demarcus’ latest comes on the increasingly prominent Vibe Me To The Moon. The EP consists of a trio of deliciously deep, romance-infused cuts – from the sultry seduction of ‘Cold Heart‘ to the effortlessly smooth loops and dusty drum slink of ‘Love Still Lives.’ ‘Touch My Love‘ closes things out with a lovely, gooey bassline and another subtly alluring vocal. Classy stuff. 

LAKESHOUSE / RENATE’S DANS / PAPER RECORDINGS

Paper Recordings will soon drop a new album from Norwegian band Lakeshouse, but first they tease it with a lead single, and some remixes. The original ‘Renate’s Dans‘ is a psychedelic disco melon-twister with a swooning string sound that takes the lead while glistening synths dance around. There are hints of chug, Italo, dub and Scandi-wonkiness, making it a real curveball. Crazy P‘s Hot Toddy turns things up to 11 with a more loopy and freewheeling energy, and cult Norwegian Gouldian Finch then tears the original apart and rebuilds it as a stumbling and tumbling something that plays with your expectations. A grown-up but leftfield EP as ever from Paper. 

JIMPSTER, OVEOUS & ASH LAURYN / NORTH ATLANTIC / FREERANGE RECORDS

Jimpster‘s a veteran, but he’s still vital, and here he shows why with a 5-tracker that confirms his status as a deep house don. Opener ‘FLO’ enlists New York’s spoken word talent OVEOUS to deliver magical musings in rhythmic fashion over smoky, island-inflected house, with a standout spiritual edge. Atlanta-based, Detroit-born Ash Lauryn then steps up with a smooth sung / spoken sermon that entices you to the floor over supple broken beats and funky arps, with plenty of cool and confidence. A remix ups the prominence of the drums and completes this effective and expressive cultural exchange.

JIMENA ANGEL / SELFLOVE / PARTYFINE

Partyfine‘s Reims, France-based label goes global for this new EP with Bogotá’s musical powerhouse Jimena Angel. Jimena’s a prolific talent with many albums to her name, a Latin GRAMMY nomination, and zillions of air miles clocked up on worldwide tours. For this release she looks inward as ‘Self Love‘ celebrates the most essential relationship any of us can have. It does so with a raunchy rhythm packed with plenty of nu disco, Afro, soul and funk influences. Her vocals bring the fire next to lashings of organic percussion. Label head then Yuksek takes the track from open-air anthem to club-ready groove, with a steamy, powerful, nocturnal drum swagger. 

SORCERER / SUNLIGHT HITS / DREAM CHIMNEY

Bay Area producer Sorcerer, aka Daniel Saxon Judd, has his own brand of Balearic, that mixes jazz-funk, broken beats and breezy disco charm. His new album refines that template further, employing sun-kissed synths, glowing guitars and laid-back rhythms that radiant a real sense of contentment.  Imagined as a soundtrack for an island dreamscape, Sunlight Hits is defined by its melodic sounds. Some tracks surge into the cosmos, like ‘Mystery Tripper‘, some float in a more airy fashion – as you get lost in your own thoughts – like on ‘Sunlight Hits‘. Others melt into fat-bottomed dub, such as ’President Skank’. Whether for dancing or dreaming, this is a confident electronic fusion, full of coastal California cool. 

CRAZY P / STOP, SPACE, RETURN (COSMODELICA REMIX) / 20:20 VISION

Crazy P‘s late, great frontwoman Danielle Moore will always be sorely missed, but like all great artists, her legacy lives on through her music. This latest anniversary release from the band’s home label, 20/20 Vision, was planned along time ago, but now doubles as a fitting tribute. As part of the package, equally standout female talent Colleen ‘Cosmo’ Murphy serves up a new remix of the classic ‘Stop Space Return.’ It’s a reverb-drenched rework with a bulbous acid line wriggling its way through the off-grid percussion and analogue beats. When Moore’s voice arrives, things go to the next level. Two further reworks by The Unabombers bring more textural and supercharged dub disco delight. 

FUTVRST / LOS FRANCISCO & YOU CAN’T STOP ME / STAR CREATURE

The Californian duo FUTVRST wear their love of bands like Chic and Daft Punk very much on their sleeve. They take those funk and synth-heavy influences and run with them on this breezy new boogie-down for Star Creature. Steeped in irresistible analogue warmth and with a sunny soul so cheery it’ll melt the stoniest of hearts, opener ‘Los Francisco‘ is a shot of straight joy. ‘You Can’t Stop Me’ ups the pace with boogie-fried bottom-end and timeless vocals from Danke. Bonus cut ‘Lustre‘ soundtracks a West Coast top-down cruise at sunset. ’Sun Phase‘ then slows things down with smeared, pitch-bent bass brilliance. A gorgeous sophomore from this pair. 

MDA GROOVES / SONIDO LATINO / UNIVERSO POSITIVO

MDA Grooves continues to make moves on Universo Positivo, a label on which he is now a firm favourite. His house sound is truly cosmopolitan – an authentic collision of Latin heat, soulful US stylings, exotic Cumbia rhythms and disco exuberance. ‘3, 2, 1, Sonido Latino,’ is an accordion-led stomper with crossover appeal that’ll surely be a big summer anthem. ‘Vamonos America‘ is a funky workout with acid effervescing, jazz flutes and a club-ready energy, while ‘Adios Havana Linda‘ is a dubby tropical haze that’ll have you reaching for the cocktails. Add in the sweltering percussive throb of ‘Vamonos America‘ and the slower Cuban magic of ‘Sonido Latino (It’s Latin House)‘ and you have a global groove adventure. 

JERKBOY, MARCEL VOGEL & MILLION MILES / REAL LOVE / LUMBERJACKS IN HELL

Marcel Vogel’s Lumberjacks In Hell label has never settled for putting out run-of-the-mill house and disco, but even by its high standards, this next one is a doozy: A hook up with Antipodean producer Jerkboy and French vocalist Million Miles for what could pass for a long-lost grail from the golden era of soulful house. A brand new cut with the musical radiance of Louie Vega and the warmth of Kings of Tomorrow, shaken up with a controlled but impassioned vocal and simple but effective drum loops, that cannot fail to get hands in the air. Remixers subtly tweak the vibes, but wherever you listen, this cut is an instant classic. 

ART OF TONES / GOLD / PALP

Ludovic Llorca, aka Art Of Tones, makes grown-up house that nods to the legendary eclectic dance floors of `80s New York. The EP is packed with musical charm and instrumental work that sounds so real you imagine a whole band has been assembled to play them. ‘Gold‘ kicks off with glossy strings and rolling, funky bass, but the beautifully pained vocal is what makes your heart soar. The song’s overloaded with sumptuousness, then ‘Silver‘ is a rework with more low-end heft for the club but it still shines as bright. This is what real house music euphoria sounds like. 

JKRIV & MEGATRONIC / OUT OF TIME / RAZOR-N-TAPE

It’s no stretch to say JKriv is a pillar of the modern house scene. He’s an accomplished producer, bassist, edit maestro and co-founder of Razor N Tape. Here he links up here with Lisbon-based UK talent Megatronic, who debuted on the label last year. Her spoken word musings on the psychological and emotional estrangement that comes from a digital existence lend the track real wisdom. Chord-laced beats dance a nimble dance and low slung bass leads to a breakout call of urgency that’ll unite the floor as it unleashes new levels of energy. This is the sort of meaningful house that defined the early scene and puts most contemporary half-assed efforts to shame. 

THE CURE / AND NOTHING IS FOREVER (COSMODELICA REMIX) / POLYDOR

Like many of us, Colleen “Cosmo” Murphy has always loved The Cure, but little did she know the feeling was mutual. That’s why the bands founder Robert Smith reached out and asked the Balearic Breakfast host to add her own spin to a song of her choice from their latest album. Murphy took the opportunity to hook up with A-list pals Joe Goddard and Alexis Taylor from Hot Chip, LCD System‘s Al Doyle and electro-pop pin-up Lou Hayter and form a new supergroup. As Electric Eden their remix of ‘And Nothing Is Forever‘ re-wires the original’s melancholy with an inescapable nu-disco uplift. With Smith’s vocal drifting through a haze of cosmic synths and slow-burning emotional, it’s set to make for many special moments this summer and beyond.