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

PETE HERBERT / FAR FLUNG / MUSIC FOR SWIMMING POOLS

Pete Herbert distils 3 decades of globetrotting disco, Balearic and house wizardry into Far Flung, an album that feels like postcards from everywhere he’s ever played, lived or daydreamed. It’s Herbert in full widescreen mode: sunkissed, unhurried, and effortlessly classy. The set drifts through Legzira Sunrise and South Seas with that trademark Music for Swimming Pools glow, all warm tides and faraway horizons. Then it deepens into dubbed Mediterranean shimmer on Dear Hector and At Zuka before kicking up the tempo with the joyous Back to Bahia and the Don Carlos-leaning Havana Landing. It’s a beautifully sequenced travelogue from a producer whose shaped dancefloors from London to Bali and touched over 400 releases along the way. Far Flung captures that whole journey in 9 cuts: breezy, deep, uplifting, and unmistakably Herbert.

WEEKEND AFFAIR / DUEL – 10TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION / PLAY IT LOUDLY

Weekend Affair mark a decade of Duel with this anniversary EP. At its centre is a brand new Art Of Tones remix: a sleek, elegant indie dance rework that preserves the emotional pull of the original, while giving it a fresh rhythmic engine. Additional vocals from Vérité Absolue bring another layer of depth and a subtle shift in tone that makes the re-imagining feel like a genuine evolution rather than a cosmetic update. The EP revisits Duel from every angle, reminding listeners why the track has become one of Weekend Affair’s defining works. The Extended Mix stretches the groove into club ready territory, the Radio Edit sharpens its melodic core, and the original recording offers a snapshot of the duo’s early synthpop identity. The Piano Version is perhaps the most revealing: stripped back, intimate, and proof of how strong the composition is beneath all the production. 

BALAPHONIC / ORGANIC MATTERS / NUNORTHERN SOUL

Danny Ward’s Balaphonic project reaches a new level of depth and colour on Organic Matters, a 6-track suite that feels both expansive and intimately crafted. Ward continues to refine his signature blend of AfroCuban rhythm, Brazilian swing, Balearic warmth and deep house pulse, but this EP pushes further into collaboration and instrumental storytelling. Dew Drops sets the tone with a life affirming samba shuffle, with Robin Dewhurst on piano, xylophone and balafon. His playing interlocking with rolling percussion to create something bright, fluid and deeply musical. Ward’s reimagining of his 2005 composition Switch, now featuring Flora Purim and Diana Moreira Booker, is a highlight. Its gentle 7/4 sway forming a heartfelt tribute to the Brazilian records that shaped the legendary Purim’s legacy. Balaventurers, built with Joe Botham (Baleardelica), bursts with colour: flamenco inspired guitar, shimmering keys and layered vocals shaping a vivid, sunkissed journey. The tempo rises on Life of Strings, where Katya Gabeli’s expressive violin lines glide over Ward’s rich, percussive groove, creating one of the EP’s most emotional peaks. Closing pieces Boxfresh and Home offer rhythmic uplift and calm resolution.

SPACED OUT KREW & GHOSTAPE / TOGETHER / STAR CREATURE

Star Creature’s latest drop pairs disco collective Spaced Out Krew with Geneva-based Ghostape for a 2-track blast of cosmonautical, mutant funk. Selected from the vaults by label boss Tim Zawada, the release channels backroom boogie heat and basement-born bass pressure, delivering two heavy, edge of the seat burners built for dancers who like things a little dangerous. Marius Cyrilou (S.O.K.) brings his deep-digger pedigree – decades of chasing obscure boogie, post-punk disco-not-disco, cosmic and private press oddities – and puts it straight into the production, giving the tracks a raw, adventurous pulse. Ghostape’s cross continental musical upbringing and history of remix and vocal work, for labels like DFA, Kitsuné and Lo Recordings, adds a vivid, global twist. Together, they deliver a blast of modern boogie that feels both archival and futuristic.

DIRTY CHANNELS /  JUNGLE ECHOES / RAZOR-N-TAPE

The Jungle Echoes EP finds Milan duo, Dirty Channels, operating at full confidence, delivering a tightly crafted 3-tracker that distils their polished club aesthetic while widening the lens to global dancefloor influences. Guilty is a rush of euphoria, all crisp drums, bright chords and a soaring arrangement that feels engineered for peaktime festival moments. The Dub strips the vocal and sharpens the edges, pushing the groove into a leaner, more hypnotic space that DJs will reach for when the night tips. Semliki channels South African Kwaito with an uptempo swing and looping, trancelike repetition. The track’s rhythmic insistence and melodic minimalism create a deep, rolling meditation with a nod to global club culture without ever feeling derivative. The brooding title track taps into protohouse textures reminiscent of early Chicago and NYC. Murky bass, raw drum programming and shadowy atmospheres giving the piece an emotional weight that rounds out the EP.

D’SWING / EARLY TAPES / RAZOR-N-TAPE

Danny Kane’s D’Swing project makes a gloriously sunlit return on Razor-N-Tape’s 45 series. These tracks, resurrected from his 90s street soul and UKG masters, carry the unmistakable stamp of that era, where snappy drums, nimble musicianship, and vocals radiate warmth. Kane updates it with a modern disco sensibility that keeps everything bright, punchy, and aimed at the dancefloor. The first heater is a pure summer spark: live bass popping in the pocket, crisp percussion, and soulful vocals that glide with effortless charm. It’s the kind of track that instantly lifts a room, built on groove rather than gimmick, and steeped in the analogue richness of its original recordings. The flip keeps the energy high but shifts the flavour into a more driving, disco-leaning workout that plays to Kane’s knack for rhythmic detail. The instrumentation stays dexterous and expressive, while the vocal touches and melodic flourishes give it that unmistakable D’Swing identity. 

NEBRASKA PRESENTS DUBL DRAT / ALTER ALTER EGO / DELUSIONS OF GRANDEUR

Nebraska’s final transmission arrives as a beautifully split screen statement, with the Alter Alter Ego EP capturing his handover between identities. Across 6 tracks, Ali Gibbs treats the Nebraska and Dubl Drat personas not as opposites but as two currents pulling from the same deep well of sample-driven intuition. The Nebraska material feels instantly familiar. It’s warm, crunchy, groove-led and built for that sweet spot between heads down focus and dancefloor lift. The OG Nebraska mix of the release’s title track is the EP’s  standout, with its chopped Rhodes flashes and rolling bassline forming a hypnotic and playful, mid-tempo pulse. The Teckel Track pushes further into slomo territory, with a bumpy, tactile groove that feels engineered for early evening scene setting. The Dubl Drat pieces, meanwhile, open the door to a more vaporous, dub-infused world. The Dubl Drat dub of Olive, for example, dissolves structure into shimmering ambience, scattering breaks and granulated percussion into a drifting, immersive haze. His remix of Alter Alter Ego strips the original to its chassis, revealing a lean boogie skeleton driven by bass pressure and flickering Rhodes motifs. Finally, the Nebraska version of Olive softens everything into Balearic introspection, a gentle fadeout for the Nebraska name itself. As a final chapter, the EP is quietly powerful. A conversation between past and future, rhythm and space, Nebraska and Dubl Drat.

MELCHOIR SULTANA / RHODES IN THE MIDDLE (GERD JANSON REMIX) / RAVANELLI DISCO CLUB

Ravanelli Disco Club’s latest chapter arrives with Rhodes In The Middle, a release that perfectly captures why the Marseille imprint has become one of Europe’s most trusted homes for groovy, forward thinking music. Melchior Sultana steps into the catalogue with the confidence of an artist who has spent years refining a deeply expressive, instrument-driven sound. Classically trained, his background covers jazz, electronic exploration, and deep house,  all of which converge with striking clarity. The original mix of the track is warm, melodic and immersive, built around Sultana’s signature titular, Rhodes touch and a fluid sense of musicianship that feels both intimate and expansive. It’s the kind of number that invites dancers inward rather than pushing them outward, a subtle but powerful mood setter. Gerd Janson’s remix flips the script, lifting the track into peaktime territory without losing its soulful centre. His reinterpretation tightens the groove, sharpens the edges, and injects a buoyant energy that feels tailor made for late night basements.

GOOD VIBRATIONS / DECADE ONE

Good Vibrations Music marks its tenth anniversary with Decade One, a celebration that feels truly deserved and reflects the label’s impact. Sean McCabe has spent 10 years shaping GVM into a global hub for soulful, deep, and musically rich house. It’s a catalogue defined by care, consistency and an ear for timelessness rather than trends. This anniversary release acts as a curated time capsule, collecting standout moments from throughout the label’s history and presenting them as a cohesive, prestige retrospective. The selections highlight the breadth of talent that has graced the label. Frankie Feliciano’s refined touch, Lem Springsteen’s songwriting pedigree, Mr. V’s unmistakable club energy, Kaidi Tatham’s jazz-infused brilliance, and McCabe’s own signature blend of soul and depth. Together, they sketch a serious run of releases that have quietly shaped dancefloors and deephouse culture worldwide. Decade One isn’t framed as a greatest hits victory lap, it’s more like a salute to the community that has grown around the imprint. Ten years in, the label remains as focused, soulful and forward moving as ever.

DJ SOCH / LET ME TELL YOU / WOLF MUSIC

DJ Soch’s WOLF debut lands like a love letter to the roots of house music, delivered by an artist who has lived every chapter of the culture he channels. Across the EP, his 4 decades behind the decks come through not as nostalgia, but as lived-in fluency; the kind earned from Serendipity residencies, late-night lineups, and a lifetime of digging. Let Me Tell You is the immediate standout, with skippy drums, warm keys, a church organ, that feels beamed straight outta Detroit, and a pleading vocal which pushes the track into proper neckbrace territory. The Power Mix sharpens the textures, cuts back on the vocal, letting that organ blaze like a peak-time, tops-off moment worthy of the Shelter! Turn the 12 over and Chewing Gum dives into heads-down deep house, its hypnotic groove built for dancers who don’t need convincing. Prince Palmer’s remix is a gem, folding 90s US Garage DNA into the original with the finesse you’d expect from a Bobby Donny regular – crisp, bumping, and perfectly produced. The tracks form a tight, expressive package that isn’t just a strong debut, it’s a statement from an artist still pushing forward while carrying the full weight of house history with him.

THIRTY YEARS OF FREERANGE RECORDS VOLUME THREE / FREERANGE

30 Years Of Freerange Records Volume Three is a sharp reminder of why the label remains one of house music’s most enduring forces. This instalment weaves together legacy artists and new voices with a clarity that feels both celebratory and forward moving. Atjazz opens the EP with Love You Day One, a warm, rolling groove built on fluid basslines and chord work which is unmistakably classic Atjazz, and perfectly aligned with Freerange’s soul-rooted DNA. Blue Method’s Agora follows with deep emotional lift, blending precision and rhythmic sensibility into a hypnotic burner that feels destined for South African floors. Megatronic’s Questions featuring Mona Lee, combines late night introspection with smoky vocals, textured drums and synth work that lingers long after the fade. Andre Lodemann’s For Those Who Care breathes with raw emotion and atmospheric weight, while Manuel Tur’s Key Race Alert delivers a lean, late in the PM / early in the AM rhythm track built for locked-in dancers that’s, while minimal, quietly commanding. James Kumo’s killer cut Jazz Dimensions closes- expansive, dub-tinged, and a Ron Trent-esque journey.

SESSION VICTIM / THE DISCONNECT / RHYTHM SECTION INTL

Session Victim return to Rhythm Section International with The Disconnect, a 5-track affair that shows the duo at their most fluid, playful and musically dialled-in. Joined by Kenneth Scott, Rossano Snel and Quarion, they build a record that feels loose yet meticulously shaped, a balance they’ve honed across 40 EPs and countless late night sessions. Hey, Activate! does as it promises with funk-soaked bass, ambient pads and nimble arpeggios sliding around a groove that feels effortless but deeply intentional. Dream Theory drifts into softer focus, its distant sax motifs and tremolo-washed synths folding around piano and that unmistakable Session Victim bass guitar, creating an appropriately dreamlike sway. Flotsam is all smooth breaks and collage-style sampling, while Open Minds soothes the palette with bongos, muted guitars and Rhodes chords that nod to classic soul. Loom moves into a more downtempo, Bonobo-esque pocket that’s relaxed, melodic and quietly transportive. Across the EP, the pair reaffirm why they remain such a loved presence in house music circles. Precision meets personality, groove meets emotion, and every track carries that unmistakable heart of gold warmth.