RECORD REVIEWS....

PAUL GARDNER & HUGH GUNNELL - MAKE MY LOVE (CDR)

Sent to me fresh from the studio courtesy of Mr PAUL GARDNER one half of the Soul Avengerz this is a smokin new track very much a classic Soul Avengerz type vibe, its a perfect Funky House bomb!

Its one half of the Soul Avengerz doing what they do best making bang on Funky House records. With a sampled vocal (cant put my finger on were it came from) funky bass and keys its going to be a a sure fire hit with all the funky house jocks! This will be tearing up dancefloors all over if you can get your hands on it do do! Its fucking ace!

SOUL AVENGERZ - ONE LOVE (SOUND CONDUCTERS DISCO HOOPLA MIX) CDR

Again sent direct to me by Paul Gardner this is the Soul Avengerz new track and as always its a killer!

This a a remix of it and according to Paul the SOUL AVENGERZ mix isnt finished yet??? But the full mix promises to be another absolute BOMB! An awesome full vocal track cant wait to hear the finished SA mix!

DJAIMIN & KENI L - SHAKE IT (MAIN) PEPPERMINT JAM

Just recently sent to me by Mark at Peppermint Jam looking likeit could bea very big record for me over the coming months! With the sample sounding like an 80s pop record (in a good way) with a huge breakdown and slammin intro this will be getting plenty of plays of me!

When its released hunt it down its going to be BIG! See if you can guess what top gangster film its sampled from????

JUNIOR JACK - SEE YOU DANCIN (SALES DISCOFIED EDIT) CDR

Junior Jacks see you dancin has been one of my biggest records over the last few months going of big time every time ive played it so when i got sent this i was very interested to see what they had done!

Well what a pleasant surprise it really was! This record is exactly the same as the original EXCEPT they have replaced the big breakdown in the middle with the original Pointer sisters track that junior jack has covered for this track!

Apparently Mr Junior Jack himself loves this mix and, barring any sample clearance problems, this will be getting released by defected!

ANOTHER CHANCE - SOUND OF EDEN (HOUSECRUSHERZ DUB)

In its original mix this track has been bobbling aboutfor quite a while now and set for a full release soon via positiva its been given a huge set of remixes no less than 10 different mixes!

Now most of the mixes use the orignal piano line which is cool but the Housecrusherz mix doesnt! They have turned into a full on funky house track which really rocks a floor every time ive played it!

And in todays barrage of electro wankey house records that are sent out by the bucketload this makes a refeshing change!

The ANOTHER CHANCE original mix is still probably the best out of the new mixes but the housecrusherz dub gives anotherslant on this soon to be big record!

DANNY KANE - DOWN (MAIN) CDR

A good friend, extremely talented musician and producer and promoter of birminghams hottest night IF @ BUSHWACKERZ Danny Kane has produced an absolute GEM of a track! He samples the original EVELYN "CHAMPAGNE" KING track LOVE COME DOWN and turns out an outstanding mix!

Bringing the original right upto date with a mix that simply oozes class from every angle! Proper house music and funky as fuck!

GRANT NELSON - SPELLBOUND (MAIN) SWING CITY

FUCK ME!!!!! This is without doubt the HOTTEST track around at the moment! Ive been hammering this for the last few months its quite simply awesome! It just proves what an absolutely shit hot producer Grant really is!

Starting with a awesome Grand Piano line till it breaks down into one of the most original piano breaks ive heard for ages! I didnt know the piano could be played like that ha ha! Just get hold of this track and fuckin play it cos if this isnt big then theres simply no justice in house music anymore!

Im sure this will get picked up by a major witha full vocal added...so get it now before its spoilt ha ha

FULL INTENTION - SOUL POWER (KURD MAVERICK REMIXES) PEPPERMINT JAM

one of Full Intentions best releases from a few years back gets a full remix courtesy of man of the moment Kurd Maverick and he doesnt disappoint turning it into a cool main room monster!

Keeping most of the main vocal in on the vocal remix (theres a dub as well) with a funky bassline, guitar licks and drum roles! This should be a huge track in ibiza, another track that will sound awesome on a big system!

You can defintely tell its a Kurd Maverick remix from that bassline watch it blow up when dropped peak time!

MORRIS & MINOR - IS THIS THE GROOVE (PHONKY RIOT MOVIN MIX) HOUSESSIONS

This has Ibiza, the terrace at space written all over it, a tough sounding track with a hypnotic bassline and preacher man style vocal! But a hard as it sounds its extremely funky and dropped at the right time could cause serious dancefloor devastation!

LATIN BASH FEAT. DAME - MEU PIANO (BORN TO FUNK REMIX) OSPINA DIGITAL

Another track ive been canning since i got it! I love stuff like this its just a very, very simple groove but so fuckin funky!

With really simple keys and synth chords but my word does it rock! An instrumental so perfect for dropping acapellas over!

DJ EXACTA - SET ME FREE (MAIN MIX) COMPULSIVE RECORDS

DJ EXACTA follows up his awesome remake of Pride with another bomb straight out of New York with a dark tribal sounding track with an extremely hooky vocal already causing quite a stir with some of the worlds leading djs this is set to do some serious damage when released!

The track breaks down into a cool piano line with the "music set me free..." vocal going round this is hot!

DES MITCHELL - DESIRE (ELECTROVOX MIX) CDR

This came to me courtesy of the man himself Mr. Mitchell and this is defintely going to be huge! An electro sounding track with a very strong full vocal this will be played by everyone when the word gets round!

Another quality release from Des Mitchell, when the synth riff and bassline at the start drop you KNOW this is going to rock the dancefloor, it will sound AWESOME on a big main room system could do with a dub as well and im sure when its releases there will be one! Track it down and HAMMER IT!

FRESH N FUNKY - MY MELODY (MAGIC VOCAL) CDR

This is a seriously KILLER track, sounding a bit like Gusto Discos Revenge! This is another bomb set to be massive. Again with a full vocal and a vocal loop sounding like the bom bom bo bom bit off precious love (you'll no what i mean when you hear it ha ha) and all sorts of other stuff going, killer vocal, funky bassline, strings pretty much everything!

Ill be hammering this all summer i love stuff like this cos it fits pretty much anywhere, proper peak time main room tackle!

FATBOY SLIM - RIGHT HERE RIGHT NOW (FREEMASONS REMIX) SKINT

The production duo who can't seem to do wrong at this moment in time, after there awesome remix of PRECIOUS LOVE and LOLEATTA HOLLOWAY, turn out what to me is there best remix to date with a killer remix of the FATBOY SLIM classic.

The FREEMASONS add there unique main room touch to this record dropping a cool guitar riff in the break which sounds strangely like part of the theme tune to knight rider (trust me its good ha ha) the record then goes on to become an awesome house bomb which rips up any dancefloor worth dancing on!

This is set to be huge over the summer months a funky house gem!

DEFINITE GROOVES - FLOW IS LIKE DOPE (DEFINITE GROOVES)

Hip House is definitely BACK with this block party house jam on Definite Grooves which uses the full rap the WILD CHILD classic RENEGADE MASTER was sampled from!

With a bubbly bassline and weird synth noises before the full rap kicks in and some nice piano lines, its defintely a marmite record but i love it cos its different which makes is stand out for me. I just hope theres a lot of djs out there that do like it and have the balls to drop it!

KAISER SOUZAI - TRIPPIN (PEARN & BRIDGE REMIX) JUKI

Once again the formidable production partnership of JON PEARN & NICK BRIDGES deliver an outstanding remix for there own JUKI imprint!

With a funky beat intro with cow bells before the break with a hooky little vocal then the record kicks in for some serious grooves! Play this on a huge sound system and youve got a monster on your hands, retro sounding in certain elements its a record you think you've defintely heard before

Simple but extremely effective! Love it!

KRAZE - THE PARTY (MILK N SUGAR REMIX) MILK N SUGAR RECORDS

A pure party record if ever ive heard one, this will be BIG simple as that with a crossover appeal mainly due to the synth lines, piano and mc style vocal over the top.

A record that originally started life as a paradise garage classic way back in 1985 has now been updated by Milk n Sugar and its sure to as huge again due to new set of remixes!

Already getting huge plays from a diverse range of djs, the likes of ATFC, DEEP DISH, STEVE LAWLER, PETE TONG, BRIAN TAPPERT etc etcall hammering it...BIG? I think so!

PLAYBACK - HIT THE BRICKS (ORIGINAL) DATA

A record ive been absolutely hammering for the last few months, its without doubt one of the most sought after records ive had for a while, literally every time i play it i get loads of people asking me what it is.

With a electro sounding element coupled with a disco sample bridge, its seriously rocks every time! Funky as fuck and perfect for todays dancefloors!

KID MASSIVE - GET ON UP (HOUSONIC)

Kid Massive a producers thats getting better and better with each release produces for me probably his best track to date on the up coming Soul Avengerz imprint HOUSONIC Records.

With a rolling, funky bassline sounding like some of the earlier Junior Jack, Kid Creme tracks and a mc style vocal coupled with a sultry female vocal hook this is a funky house record if every ive heard one!

CLASSIC TRACK OF THE WEEK - THE FLAVOUR - NO MATTER WHAT YOU DO (JIVE) 1993

I actually picked this up from Manchester Underground Records in 1994 on a wite label so ive done a bit of digging around to find a bit more info on it and it apparentely first released in 1993 on Jive Records.

Not sure what mix it is which is the one i played but its on my jukebox on my homepage and its awesome! Got hammered by litterally every dj at the time was huge at the Hacienda and at Rude which was enough for me. The track itself has loads of different elements which make it memorable but the main part that makes it stand out for me is the huge breakdown with that catchy trumpet line!

It still even to this day makes my hair stand on end when its played not bad at all it still sounds gopod today if a little dated which cant be bad to say its 13 years old!

WARREN CLARKE - JAZZ E.P. (FLUENTIAL)

Warren clarke once again comes up with an awesome Sax Jam on this hot E.P. from Defected off-shoot fluential records. With two dope tracks "Jazz" and "Get it" both cool as fuck tracks for the more discerning dancefloors!

Peak time stuff from one half of the awesome Lab Rats, he really proves he still has that midas touch when it comes to producing killer underground house tracks with that peak time main room appeal! If you love real house music...Get this E.P. you wont be dissapointed!

BOBBY D'AMBROSIO FEAT. LASALA - RUNAWAY LOVE (CLEPTOMANIACS DUB) SOULFURIC

With an amazing amunt of mixes for this cover by BD most mixes going for the full vocal Soulful type thing! Brian Tappert and John Julius Knight a.k.a the CLEPTOMANIACS turn out a nice dub perfect for warming up or peak time in the right type of club!

With the usual crisp, clean production you come to expect from Soulfuric with a nice hooky organ stab running through and little vocal loops! Hopefully the Cleptos will turn out a full vocal mix as well!

SOUL AVENGERZ - SING E.P. POSITIVA RECORDS

Absolute QUALITY from the Soul Avengerz a really amazing E.P. with the main track being the awesome SING with 5 different mixes to choose from! The stand out mix being the Original Club mix which has been knocking around for a while now. With remixes from Bobby Blanco and Funkagenda who turn out decent mixes but they cant touch the original!

Also included on the E.P. is the awesome Make My Body Rock which again has been knocking around since last year and Get on Down which is basically Keep the Faith without the sample which i presume they didnt get clearance for!

But what an amazing package from the Soul Avengerz well worth getting!!!!

DENNIS CHRISTOPHER - SOULSHAKING (MAIN) CDR

Again another HUGE peak time vocal which has been rocking all my floors for the last few months! With a catchy as fuck vocal, big piano break, strings and pretty much everything needed to cause havoc on the dancefloor!

Goes of big time at RUDE a definite favourite with the girls! This will be big for a long time to come!

DJ EXACTA & DALEY PADLEY - PRIDE (VOCAL) COMPULSIVE MUSIC

Another cover of the Aretha Classic PRIDE but a little bit different than most of the other covers. It starts of with almost an electro sounding beginning...but its NOT electro. Then it builds and builds to a HUGE breakdown!

Which is when the fun starts, with hands in the air massive familiar sounding piano line then the vocal kicks in. This will work on almost any floor definitely worth tracking down and playing!

***CLASSIC TRACK OF THE WEEK*** (CLICK ON AUDIO PLAYER ON HOME PAGE TO LISTEN)

MONE - WE CAN MAKE IT (JAZZ N GROOVE CLUB MIX) STRICTLY RHYTHM / AM:PM

Way back in 1994/5 when i first really got into U.S House (Or GARAGE as it was known back then) RUSSELL MARLAND handed me a record in his shop MANCHESTER UNDERGROUND Records and simply said "This is HOT" and how right he was.

If anyone back then asked me to describe what "Garage" music was this is the record i would of given them. It might not be what everyone would describe as a defining garage record but to me it was and it introduced me to JAZZ N GROOVE albeit JAZZ N GROOVE with BRIAN TAPPERT and ROY GRANT as opposed to the BRIAN TAPPERT & MARC POMEROY who have made the JNG moniker such an amazing success.

Featuring the outstanding vocals of the Legendary MONE, from the opening bars of the piano line with the add libbed vocal, then the beats kick in and when that bass line kicks WOW you know its going to be HOT!

Then the track just takes you away! Its simply awesome, proper house music! If only they made tracks like this nowadays!

The production is awesome it still sounds fresh today and its over 11 years old which says a lot for BRIAN TAPPERT even the outro with MONE wailing away is as hot as they come!

Probably not to everyones liking but to the proper house heads this is a bonafide gem of a house record!

COPYRIGHT - BRING ME LOVE (MAIN MIX) DEFECTED

Without doubt the U.K.s most consistent producers over the last few years, COPYRIGHT, hot on the heels of last years amazing ESSENCE OF LIFE on there own imprint COPYRIGHT RECORDINGS, turn out a seriously HEAVY new track BRING ME LOVE on the outstanding DEFECTED RECORDS!

SAM and GAV drop some serious TRIBAL beats with a awesome vocal from IMAANI and seriously heavy bassline, synths and just about everything else, reminds of LOVE WILL SAVE THE DAY on JELLYBEAN SOUL from a few years back! This is a must for any serious house lovers!

HERNANDEZ vs. DJ TYO - LETS GET DOWN (no label)

This track is apparently No. 1 in a certain MR. ERIC MORILLOS current chart which speaks Volumes for it! With at least 7 mixes to choose from, this disco inspired vocal hook is as catchy as they come, can't help thinking that theres a killer crossover mix to be had given to the right producers (Full Intention for instance) which could see some serious chart action.

Even so theres still some quality mixes to choose from, problem is there's not that much difference between about 4 of the mixes but its still HOT!

DISCO DARLINGS - LOVE CANT TURN AROUND (VOCAL) DISCO DARLINGS

The Disco Darlings do an awesome job covering the FARLY JACKMASTER FUNK & DARRYL PANDY classic LOVE CAN'T TURN AROUND turning it into a huge funky house anthem! Not one for the serious heads out there but its defintely working on my floors at the moment!

STEPHAN GRANVILLE does a very good job covering the vocal, with a nice funky mix from the D.D. and an awesome piano line over the chorus its certainly doing the business at the moment!

HOXTON WHORES FEAT. BLOX - DONT YOU FEEL LIKE LOVE (MONDAY MIX) CDR

Hot funky house production duo the HOXTON WHORES team up with the Ibiza legend BRANDON BLOCK on a killer new track!

With 2 mixes to choose from (MONDAY & TUESDAY) this disco bomb with get any dancefloor moving! The MONDAY mix is my favourite of the 2 but i think a lot of people will go for the TUESDAY mix which is a little bit more accessable! Either mix rocks though!

SOULFURIC MIAMI 06 SAMPLER

One of the best house labels of all time unleash there sampler for this years forthcoming WINTER MUSIC CONFERENCE in Miami featuring hot new tracks from BOBBY D'AMBROSIO - RUNAWAY LOVE, BONGOLOVERS - SPIRIT OF HOUSE, CHRISTIAN HORNBOSTEL - ALL GODS CHILDREN GOT RHYTHM and a JAZZ N GROOVE re-rub of the awesome MASTERBUILDERS - BLEND!

I can see this being the most sort after sampler of the entire conference! Full reviews of RUNAWAY LOVE and ALL GODS CHILDERN... next week!

GROOVE ASSOCIATION - BE RIGHT THERE (VOX)

RUDES very own SCOTT LEE drops his own bomb in the form of BE RIGHT THERE with a cheeky vocal from snippet from ALWAYS THERE and an funky as f**k organ line, this is looking like its going to be big when all mixes are finished!

Also check out his remix of PRECIOUS LOVE which tore the roof of at RUDE a few weeks ago and the AFTER PARTY last Sunday! Nice one Scott!!!!

***CLASSIC TRACK OF THE WEEK*** (click on track list on juke box on home page to hear)

DONNA SUMMER - STATE OF INDEPENDANCE (MURK CLUB MIX) MANIFESTO 1996

Probably one of the most famous and best Disco Vocalists of all time the Legendary DONNA SUMMER, who has had a string of International Club and Chart hits to her name, had her 1982 hit re-released with new mixes in 1996 on the then huge label MANIFESTO Records.

With a vocal originally written by JON ANDERSON, original music by VANGELIS and with names such as MICHAEL JACKSON, QUINCY JONES, LIONEL RITCHIE, DIONNE WARWICK and STEVIE WONDER all featuring, amongst others, in the ALL STAR CHOIR and sung by DONNA SUMMER could this really fail to be a hit!

Well the answer is NO! Its a simply stunning piece of music. Fast forward to 1996 and its re-release on MANIFESTO Records, forget about the AWFUL AWFUL AWFUL remixes by Jules and Skins and DJ DERO instead head straight for the MURK CLUB MIX.

MURK (Oscar G and RALPH FALCON remember them? don't hear much from them anymore but in the mid to late 90's produced some killer stuff) turned out the perfect, deep, chugging remix which puts all the emphasis on the awesome vocal!

This is a good a piece of vocal house music your likely to hear! A definite classic in my eyes and even to this day i play it regularly at home and all my hairs stand up when the vocal kicks in!

MARTIN SOLVEIG - JEALOUSY (R.EARNSHAW RE-RUB) MIXTURE

When i first heard the original JEALOUSY i instantly thought what a top record but could do with a different edit to make it more accessible to djs....and after hearing loads of remixes (all which are pretty good) they all take the track in a different direction. Until i heard the Richard Earnshaw remix!

He does exactly what needed to be done to the original and i will be hammering this mix for a long long time!

MICHELLE WEEKS - BE THANKFUL (JAZZ N GROOVE) PURPLE MUSIC

The names involved with this are enough to get any dj worth his salt excited by the prospect Michelle Weeks, Jazz n Groove, Jamie Lewis, Purple Music!! So often records like this dissapoint but not this!

Its not Jazz N Grooves best mix ever but its certainly puts numerous Jazz n Groove wannabes to shame! As always a funky tight production on both the vocal and dub, peak time stuff at the cooler clubs around the world and im sure this will be hammered at WMC 06!

PROSPECT PARK - GET DOWN TONIGHT (J.N. REMIX) Z

Very rarely does Dave Lee dissapoint in any of his numerous aliases, mr JOEY NEGRO works his magic on the funky little disco number already getting big plays from all the big names its sure to rock all the funky house dancefloors at some point!

PEARN & BRIDGES - GIVE IT ALL YOU GOT JUKI RECORDS

For anyone who didnt hear PEARN & BRIDGES - Street Price from last year, well they came up with a new sound! Very funky and "give it all you got" is the same sort of sound! Sort of electronic sounding (defintely NOT electro) but a really funky type sound!

I absolutely love this but its one of them....will the dancefloor get it on first hearing it? Just needs a few djs behind it pushing it for it to be HUGE!

COPYRIGHT - VOICES (COPYRIGHT MIX) COPYRIGHT

I was lucky enough to be at the HACIENDA (R.I.P.) the first time GRAEME PARK dropped ROGER SANCHEZ'S killer remix of the POLICE - VOICES INSIDE MY HEAD it must of been about 1994!

Now i'd never heard the original at the time but the moment that VOICESSSS.....INSIDE MY HEAD came on the enire Hac just erupted! Ive never seen anything quite like it....Well except the first time GP dropped RENEGADE MASTER!

Anyway enough nostalga the COPYRIGHT mix isnt as good as that mix but its a worthwhile mix defintely wort purchasing especially if youve never heard the Sanchez mix!

MARK KNIGHT - INSATIABLE (JOEY NEGRO REMIX) TOOLROOM

A track, not what you'd really expect from MARK KNIGHT being a full vocal, that oozes class and the JOEY NEGRO mix certainly gives the vocal the mix it deserves! Dave Lee has gone for the same winning formula he did when he remixed his own Z-FACTOR - MAKE A MOVE ON ME track and re-released it as JOEY NEGRO - MAKE A MOVE ON ME!

The same sort of piano based track which, although isnt as good as make a move will certainly do damage on most Funky/Souful House floors!

***CLASSIC TRACK OF THE WEEK***

AMIRA - MY DESIRE (BLAZE KLUBHEAD VOCAL) SLIP N SLIDE - 1997

Craig Edwards from OUT IN THE STICKS and MANCHESTER UNDERGROUND RECORDS summed this record up in one sentence, when handing this record to me for the first time he simply said "THIS is house music" and my god was he right!

Written and Produced by KEVIN HEDGE and JOSH MILAN otherwise known as BLAZE who are without doubt the BEST song writers in house music history with a string of club and national chart hits under there belt (but most well known for writting DELACY - HIDEAWAY and more recently PRECIOUS LOVE) have produced probably one of my personal all time favourite records.

MY DESIRE, Sung by AMIRA RASHEED, typifies what a really great Vocal House record is all about! A vocal that, even to this day makes my hair stand on end, the chorus is simply, without sounding gay BEAUTIFUL and the entire production is simply stunning!

The first time i heard this played out in a club was by the Legend that is RUSS MARLAND at OUT IN THE STICKS and its a moment inclubbing ill never forget!