Saint Germain - Easy To Remember (F Communications, 1995)

Majestic deep house.

From the amazing 'Boulevard' series of 12"s, 'Easy To Remember' is ten minutes for sumptuous jazzy deep house.

It mixes gorgeous organic touches with chugging machine beats. It begins with a locked piano and brushed drum loop, throwing in ride cymbal, Detroit techno clicks, a lonesome Miles Davis-esque muted trumpet and a double bass run building, building, building before hitting a delicious groove propelled by a sweet, cubic four-to-the-floor beat.

There's lots going on but it's all masterfully arranged to leave loads of smoky space and allow the groove to ebb and flow as the track progresses.

Awesome.

Download Saint Germain 'Easy To Remember' (Deep House mp3, Jazz) (Divshare)

Four Tet & Burial - Nova (Text, 2012)

Rolling Deep House through a haze of urban cold. 

Another Four Tet and Burial collaboration. Maybe we can expect a full album?

Fuses dubstep bleakness with Deep House patter what sounds like Eastern atmospheric samples.

Think the Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence soundtrack remixed by Photek.

Very subdued but very intriguing. Soon come on Four Tet's Text label (TEXT013).

Four Tet & Burial 'Nova' (Text, Dubstep, Deep House, Electronica) (Soundcloud)

Talking Heads 'Once In A Lifetime (Same As It Never Was) (Liquid People Dub)' (White Label, 2001)

Classic Talking Heads re-rubbed for the discerning dancefloor.

This take on on of Talking Heads' finest moments builds on the perpetual motion of the original with heavy filtering on the vocals, a nice repetitive 'blip', a lithe deep house rhythm.

Top piece of remix business.

Download Talking Heads 'Once In A Lifetime (Same As It Never Was) (Liquid People Dub)' (post punk, alternative, remix, mp3) (Mediafire)

Schmoov 'Playground' (DIY, 2001)

Elegant deep house mastery.

Building from a smattering of atmospheric playground chatter and a monumental bass progression, 'Playground' adds a slinky, mid-paced drum pattern and some sliding layers of lovely semi-dark synth.

It's Deep House in excelcis, melodies and curclicues firing off from the solid rhythmic undercarriage but still maintaining a minimal feel.

Schmoov were part of the Paperecordings scene, though this album - 'While You Wait' - was released on the DIY label.

Perfect Sunday morning fare. Enjoy.

Download Schmoov 'Playground' (deep house mp3) (Mediafire)

Blackstrobe 'Me And Madonna' (Output, 2002)

Edgy hybrid of punk funk, deep house and New Order.

A simmering, late night ride on a propulsive rhythm, farting bassline and sleek synths with icy, detached female vocals and an almost-rapped, almost-Europop male vocal.

A breakdown brings some Peter Hook/New Order bass guitar and it grooves, elegantly to a close.

Download Blackstrobe 'Me and Madonna' (mp3) (Mediafire)

Espiritu 'Francisca (Junior House Style Dub)' (Heavenly, 1992) (mp3)

Chunky piece of dubby house business from Junior Boys Own maestros Heller and Farley.

It opens with a subtle attack of brass before adding a chunky drum pattern, some stabbed keys and a nice bassline. One of the few remaining elements from the original is the ba-ba-ba-da-ba-ba-da-ba-ba vocal line and it's a sumptuous stew of deep, dubby house with a latin twist and one of my favourite Heller/Farley productions.

The original's not bad, one of a handful of singles that former Frazier Chorus man Chris Taplin made with singer Vanessa Quinones before she flew solo as Espiritu and had a hit with a cover of 'Always Something There To Remind Me'.

Being on Heavenly, they had access to some top remix talent. Andrew Weatherall turned in some mixes on their 'Conquistador' single and this extended mix is a dreamy swirl of influences. It sits comfortably alongside contemporaries like Flowered Up and Saint Etienne's forays onto the post-Second Summer of Love dancefloor.

Download Espiritu 'Francisca (Junior House Style Dub)' (mp3) (Mediafire)

Schmoov 'Jazzing' (Paper Recordings, 2001)

Ah, the immersive wonders of a nice slice of deep house. I'm toying with the idea of creating a whole separate blog for deep house, jazz and my other musical loves that don't necessarily seem to fit here - but then again I like idea of an eclectic sprawl. But, which is best...?

Hmmm. Anyway, until I resolve that particular ideological puzzle, here's a very tasty treat from 2001.

Paperecordings was an awesome label with a real sense of event and design and some seriously good quality control. Schmoov delivered some very lovely twelve inches for Paper as well as a really good album for DIY.

'Jazzing' is the flipside of a 12" called 'Kiss It' and very slinky it is too. The pads ooze nicely and little twists of bass meander amongst the percussion. It burbles and mutates almost imperceptibly, engrossing you in its chunky deepness. A worthy companion to MJ Cole's 'Sincere'.

Enjoy and check out the 'While You Wait' album if you can find a copy second-hand.

Download Schmoov 'Jazzing' mp3

Schmoov 'While You Wait' on Discogs