Ben:

Special Request, A.K.A Paul Woolford, is behind this gem, ‘Amnesia’, which is the lead track off the first of his three EPs coming out at the end of October on XL Recordings. The 3 part EP series titled ‘Modern Warfare’ can also be bought as a full album.

‘Amnesia’ kicks off with 90s jungle-influenced drums and kicks, which jump head first into the raw, face-scrunching bassline. What makes the track are the alluring vocals which caught me by surprise upon first listen and almost oppose the dark nature and tone of the track.  the signature Woolford piano keys in the masterful breakdown tick yet another box in the piece.

Check out the mysterious website for ‘Modern Warfare’ which includes a Google maps street view of XL Recordings’ HQ and a puzzling code to unravel…  

‘Dub-plate Pressure’

Matt:

Session Victim prove themselves once again with their new release on co-run label, Retreat. The A1, 'Summer Games’, is layered with soul, funk and house charm, yet seems nostalgic, reminding listeners that summer doesn’t last forever. The first release since their 2014 LP, Session Victim round their hectic touring schedule off with the brilliant Two Man House Band EP. 

Tobias:

Floating Points gives us a taste of his upcoming album 'Elaenia' with the ten minuet 'Silhouettes (I, II & III)'.

tHIS TRACK FEELS LIKE A JOURNEY, IT FLOWS THROUGH THREE MOVEMNETS WITH INCREDIBLE ELEGANCE. Beginning with a dusty rhodes keyboard, the track slowly builds with an amazing live drum kit, which is present throughout. gradually the track thickens with the addition of a choir, a synth lead and stings, until the piece reaches a crescendo which oozes with beauty.

It appears floating points has stepped his compositional game up as well moving towards more live instrumentation. if this track gives us insight in what's to come from 'elaenia' then we're in for a treat. the contributors for the album have been released and are as follows:

Skinner and leo taylor (drums), rahel debebe-dessalegne and layla rutherford (vocals), susumu mukai (bass), alex reeve (guitar), qian wu and edwards benton (violin), matthew kettle (viola) and joe zeitlin (cello).

'Elaenia' will be released on the 6th November

Chris:

Unlike most records that hit the top of the deep house beatport charts these days, &ME has created something new and exciting here which is why he has won my placement as top new track in September. His remix of Damian Lazarus high energy vocal track ‘Vermillion’ encapsulates the original while adding the building chords, crushing synths and tribally infused percussion lines that &ME has become synonymous with in recent times.

A variety of originals and remixes have helped steadily draw attention and credibility to &ME this year, and this particular remix marks a crescendo point, certainly in 2015, that I hope we will see continue. Testament to this is the plethora of track support ‘Vermillion’ has seen all the way up the pecking order with the likes of Dixon, Tale of Us, Ame,  Mano Le Tough, Joris Voorn and Solomun spinning it out during their sets.

Ed:

Hungarian producer Gnork brings the heat with his debut release on the popular, vinyl only imprint, 'Black Venison.’ From the label’s fourth release, the opening track entitled “Stringxxx233344” pulls you straight into analogue heaven with its prominent deep bubbling baseline, elated strings and creative synth work are the order of the day, and have become some what a signature in Gnork’s production game. Yet again he displays his undeniable ability to layer his productions with so many different elements to lead the listener to his own enchanted dreamland.

An ethereal slice of dance floor gold that I’m sure will be the soundtrack to many underground clubs in the coming months. Safe to say Gnork is going from strength to strength and I look forward to seeing what the future holds. Big beats from Hungary!