Back catalogue: Broken Beat/Nu Jazz/Nu Soul

Review: Detroit's John Beltran can do no wrong if you ask us, and what he does do is always famously varied, from sound design for TV to melodic techno excellence via ambient beauty. Here for MotorCity Wine he revisits his Back To Bahia series with a third volume that finds him flexing his Afro-Brazilian deep house chops. The 7" opens up with the jazzy boogie of Lsaura' which is steeped in Minneapolis funk and will get cultured dancefloors in a spin. 'As The Sunsets' that appears on the flip and is a superbly emotive sound with wispy late night melodies and glowing harmonies and shuffling Latin grooves. Essential.

Review: Tetsu Shibuya, better known as simply Tetsu or BRISA is a Japanese producer and DJ known for works on the iconic Japanese Jazzy Sport imprint, King Street sub-label Nite Grooves and his own BRISA Music. Leading the EP is title-track 'Stir', in collaboration with Turbojazz BRISA delivers a classic slice of deep house built upon layers of bright stab sequences and loose organic percussion. Detroit's beloved Jon Dixon turns his hand to 'Stir' next, encapsulating the soul of his hometown in reshaping fragments of the original composition. The original of 'Reverie' opens the B-side, laying down a broken rhythm, low-pitched vocal hooks and elongated bass grooves for a more bruk tinged feel. Byron The Aquarius then extracts the core of 'Reverie' and spins it into bumpy, subtly nuanced house workout. Lastly the third original 'Flux' rounds out the release, shifting deeper in funkinfused realms with a playful plucked bass groove and heavily swung drums.

Review: We're big fans of Byron The Aquarius here at Juno HQ and it is hard to think why anyone wouldn't be. The master keys man and former hip-hop producer has been turning out a steady and quality stream of deep house deliciousness in recent years and that's what he does again here on US label Toucan Sounds. 'Baddest Behavior' (feat Brandon Markell Holmes) kicks off with chord-laced deep house bliss and a magnificent vocal, 'Freed 4 OG's' (with Coto Loco - feat Rasheeda Ali) is a more lively and percussive jam with more rickety beats and nimble chords and 'I Be Like Dat' brings lovely wet claps and low-key soul to a US garage groove. A series of remixes on the flip seals the deal.

Review: Byron The Aquarius is one of deep house's most vital innovators. The man with the background making hip-hop for the stars as really excelled in recent times with his always richly musical jams. This new outing is no different: 'Free' (feat Teddy Bryant) lays down solid deep house beats and salts them with soft focus chords and smoky vocals. 'We Still Slaves Out There?' has a dubby groove and more exquisite chords and soulful vocal coos, while two further teriffic tracks 'Slaves Of Reality (feat MDMA)' and 'Lonesome Road We Livin' round out a heartwarming and timeless deep house offering that is cuddly and life-affirming.

Review: Byron The Aquarius has the sort of mad skills on a keyboard that evade all too many house producers. He has also spent years making beats for hip-hop artists so has plenty in his arsenal. His fantastic EP 'Gone Today Here Tomorrow' is a still standout collection of cuts on Kyle Hall's Wild Oats label that now gets reissued on limited orange vinyl 12". It is a superb showcase of his skills that traverse lithe deep house, cosmic grooves, plenty of mellifluous melodies and seductive late-night sounds. 'Moments In Life' is a particular favourite here.