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

STAR CREATURE / KUATO & TIM TUCKER / DJS DELIGHT

If you know of a label on a better run of form right now than Star Creature, get in touch. The Chicago-based imprint is a melting pot of disco, boogie, funk and beyond, and for this one, they look to Kuato. In return, the Grammy-nominated Denver duo serve up reworks of 70s classics by James Ingram and The Fatback Band: ‘DJ’s Delight‘ is powered by slapping bass and sparkling synth sequences, over dusty drums. It’s a care-free jam with cosmic soul, while ‘She’s A Go Getter‘ is a gritty bit of new school funk with squelchy stabs offset by breezy vocals. Pure summer magic with instrumentals included for extra clout. 

FAVORITE RECORDINGS / PETER MATSON & JKRIV

Studios can be polite places. Not in this case, though. The Facile EP finds production sages JKriv and Peter Matson going all in, hauling live guitars, bass, analogue synths and full-bodied percussion into a Brooklyn space and wiring them straight into club grooves. Opener ‘Underappreciated’ struts on punchy horns and swaggering vocals, while Olivya glides through the funky disco licks and knotted bass of the title track with crisp contemporary soul. ‘Over Suffa’ cuts deeper and with a more Afro-leaning groove as Samy Love delivers a heartfelt plea over elastic boogie grooves. French hero Yuksek then flips ‘Underappreciated’ into radiant disco-house gold. This is a record that’s full of fiery flavour and built to move bodies.

LAST FOREVER RECORDS / TURBOJAZZ / MEMORABILIA

As the title suggests, this sophomore long player from Italian producer Turbojazz is about distilling a life of musical memories and experiences into a sonic biography. He calls upon some top-drawer collaborators for help, from Rona Ray‘s angelic tones on skippy house opener ‘The Joy‘ to Robert Owens‘ signature smoky tones on ‘Body & Soul‘. ‘Summer Madnezz‘ is designed for outdoor dancing, with its life-giving sax, and Javonntte brings steamy late-night intensity to the delicious depths of ‘Everybody DJ”. This is timeless house music with a rich palette that brings traditional tropes to life in new ways.    

OFF TRACK RECORDS / ELI ESCOBAR / ONCE I WAS YOUNG & THE AEROPLANE ALBUM

This latest drop from Eli Escobar is something unexpected. For years, he’s been at the heart of New York’s house scene as a DJ, producer and club owner, but now veers into ambient and techno on his new double LP, Once I Was Young and The Aeroplane Album. It finds him working with much more stark, gritty textures and shadowy sounds. Sampling is largely gone, and instead there are throbbing drum tracks, like ‘Did A DJ Ever Save You‘ and sci-fi dub chuggers like ‘Born Again‘ – which could be off the Stranger Things soundtrack. ‘Dryer‘ is crashing electro that will make your eyes water, and ‘Dazzle‘ is the sound of daydreaming through an open window early on a spring day. An artistic about-turn that yields fantastic results. 

JUJU / HARRY DENNIS / COUNTING CLOUDS

The contemporary European underground continues to get harder and faster, but thankfully for those of us who prefer to keep it deep, we have Chicago cornerstones like Harry Dennis. His latest single gets reworked here by a series of artists who preserve its cuddly essence while taking it in new directions. Julian Garnett is first, with a blissed-out cosmic drifter that’s all dreamy pads and starlit melody. Rob Redford and Damian Charles toughen things up with muscular analogue drums and moody bass weight. Mark Hand opts for a smoky introspection that encourages you to wallow in his elastic bass and kicks, while Rude Boy Rupert’s jazzy Nimbus mix lifts off on broken beats and spiritual chords. Deep house done properly.

GO DEEP / FISH GO DEEP & TRACEY K / LOVE’S CLOTH

Fish Go Deep will forever be synonymous with their best-known classic, but the Irish duo crafted many other house gems that could have easily become hits. Here they revisit one of them – the final cut from their 2006 album Lil Hand. ‘Love’s Cloth’ has the same warm, throbbing low end as ‘The Cure And The Cause‘ but is smoother and more subtly uplifting. Tracey K provides a fantastically controlled vocal, which ranges from tender intimacy to more soaring soul. A dub version pares things back to a more bold and dominant low end for true heads down moments. 

WOLF MUSIC / REAGAN GREY / KINETIC

Reagan Grey is doing a fine job of putting a spotlight on her hometown of Toronto. She’s worked with several UK and European labels and now it’s Wolf Music that drops her latest fusion of Chicago and Detroit sensibilities. It’s the warm machine sound and driving depths which Grey pulls from, before adding her own musical touch. ‘Your Love‘ is a carefree jam with proper chords that recall the best of Kerri Chandler. ‘Starlight‘ is New York dub house with irresistible swing and ‘Kinetic‘ is a playful tease that loops its chords without ever fully resolving. ‘Not Giving Up‘ might be the highlight for the way it so breezily shimmies back and forth under Christie Nelson‘s timeless vocal. 

RAZOR-N-TAPE / JKRIV & JASON LINDNER / REAL ONES

Good house music doesn’t need to reinvent the wheel. No one will ever grow tired of a solid groove and synths that mean something. Razor N Tape main man JKriv and keyboard wiz Jason Lindner understand this, and even the title of this EP backs that up: ‘Real Ones‘ is uplifting house with a fleshy groove and sparkling synths, full of hope and promise. ‘Catch Feelings‘ is a little more down and dirty, but with Rolando-style synth symphonies and ‘Regionale‘ is anthemic, main room US house done with proper class. Three effective, emotive weapons that make it sound easy. 

SAMPLES FROM MARS / SALT QUEEN / ARE U OK

A skeletal 303, snapping 808s and a deadpan voice circling the groove are the raw ingredients that make Salt Queen’s debut a guaranteed hit. It has that dark, pervasive energy of early Chicago jack, rough hardware edges that suit a sweaty warehouse and a spoken vocal that flirts between faux concern and full-on destabilisation. It’s the sort of cut that will be the high point in any set but never tries too hard to make an impact. The ‘Freak Nasty Club Mix’ is much more prickly and visceral. The acid is wild, and the drums and hits spit with fury, making it perfect for strobe-lit frenzy. Pure late-night mischief.  

CYPHON RECCORDINGS / ANOESIS / IDIOS KOSMOS

There are many contrasts at work in the sounds of London-based Anoesis. He makes music for the club, but with such stylish sound design that it works anywhere. It’s dark and moody, but the colours of his synths lend an appealing charm. The drums are physical and muscular, but the melodies make your brain fizz. Opener ‘Idios Kosmos’ is all neon synth loops and bass-driven heft, while ‘Reptile Skin‘ is a psychedelic trip tethered to a dubby chug that grows ever more unhinged. ‘Big Noodle‘ is old school hip-hop with police sirens, Mentasm stabs and jungle breaks that bring 90s rave right up to date. ‘Lonely‘ plays with pitched up vocals and scruffy deep house rhythms for an inward journey, and ‘Feeling Go‘ is a summery house stomper with low end wobble offset by rising euphoria. An impeccable blend of the old and the new. 

EVERYSOUL / VINCE WATSON / EMINESCENCE

‘Eminesence‘ is Vince Watson‘s biggest-selling track. Now reissued for the first time since its initial release in 2015, it could be one of the summer’s biggest tunes: all the ingredients are there – shimmering keys that sound best in the sun, buoyant drums that aren’t too hard, and aren’t too soft, and uplifting strings that bring to mind Balearic beaches and hazy orange horizons. It has been tweaked for 2026 and also comes with a ‘Floor Mix‘ that has a warm, gentle rush running through the slightly snappier drums and blissful chords.