“Serve The Ego”
Jewel
Atlantic Records
With his “Global Club Mix,” New York’s Mike Rizzo gives Ms. Kilcher a hot new sound – he drops her acoustic guitar and adds in thumping bassline with lots of spacey effects and echoing synth stabs. The result is incredible. Everywhere I have played this, the dancefloor loses it. Solid mixes from Hani and Gabriel and Dresden are included as well.
– Joe Bermudez

“I Want You Back”
X-Press 2
Skint/Columbia
The guys who brought you “Lazy” are back, but on a totally different vibe this time. This wicked hard houser offers a seductive, spoken-word male vocal. The “Medicine 8 Mix” is off-the-charts with an amazing morphed bassline. There’s also a great “Par-T-One Mix.” A monster underground record.
– Shawn Christopher

“Rhythm Of Life”
Kindred the Family Soul
Hidden Beach
An outstanding debut, this smooth, neo-soul number harkens back to those great soul ballads of the 1970s. With a perky King Britt remix, along with the sensual original mix, “Rhythm of Life” has a sweet hook along with beautiful vocal harmonies.
– Phil Turnipseed

“Mr. Lonely”
Deborah Cox
J Records
The Dream Team of Cox and remixer Hex Hector returns with another hot, dancefloor anthem. This double pack features additional mixes from Junior Vasquez and Wide Life, plus a Hector mix of the single, “Up & Down.”
– Joe Bermudez

“Body”
Faith Trent
Tommy Boy Silver
At the tender age of 14, Faith has already caught the attention of most industry insiders. She has an incredible voice and to team that up with the likes of Wide Life and Hard Attack, you are just begging for a club anthem – and with “Body” she delivers.
– Joe Bermudez

“Undertow”/Disintegrate”
Jo-S
Taciturn Records
American d-n-b fans should be proud to call Jo-S their own. Intricate, audacious and powerful, the textured quality of “Undertow” is on par with producers that have been around for ages. Continuing strongly on “Disintegrate,” the robustness gives way to a resilient bounce and an enticing female vocal. Very nice.
– Lily Moayeri

The Lost Tapes
Nas
Columbia
Never officially released until now, Nas’ latest is a collection of rough cuts (recorded between the Stillmatic and I Am albums) that previously only made it to select mix tapes. Tough tracks like “Doo Rags,” “Black Zombie,” “U Gotta Love It” and “Purple” show why Nas maintains his street cred. No hype, no cameos, just Nas.
– Phil Turnipseed

Live @ The Roxy
Peter Rauhofer
*69
Label founder Peter Rauhofer unleashes a four-track, double 12-inch gem that takes a snippet from a dark, progressive set he dropped at New York’s Roxy.
Featuring Protribe’s “Power,” Aubrey Rich- ards’ “Who’s Your Papa,” Magic Cucumbers’ “Sex Bomb” and UDG’s “Give Me Fierce,” this EP offers a hard-charging, progressive house workout, with elements of deep trance.
– Phil Turnipseed

“Irresistable”
Superchumbo
Twisted
Tom Stephan scores what might be the biggest home run of his already grand career. This is a bomb in the classic sense of the word – no build-up, no super-cool overused drum samples, no underage nymph moaning, and no disembodied voice inviting you into the jungle. Just a march-like snare pattern, a stuttered vocal that works into the mix like percussion, and layers and layers of clicks, snaps and hits. “Irresistible” combines the energy of the gay dancefloors Stephan’s used to working as a DJ, the sexy hum and groove of DJ Vibe, the vintage New York punch of the Tribal catalogue, and the bottom-heavy bombast that is uniquely Super- chumbo. Look no further – this is the underground track of the year.
– Kerri Mason

Unnatural Selection
Evolution
Nettwerk
This 11-track selection goes from deep trance to deep tech, from straight house to ambient. The pounding breakbeat “Numb” starts out with a dramatically stunning chord intro and breaks into a wild beat. For househeads, the big-room, deep bass groove of “Better House Music” is a pumping, crisp, deep-house track that will whip any speaker into submission. The brooding “Walking On Fire” is a murky, deep-trance piece that features a whispery female vocal and it offers a Deep Dish-like quality that will certainly turn heads. For something different, check out the Massive Attack-style of “Making Sense” and the ambient, rich “Walking.”
– Phil Turnipseed

“Andante”
Steve Lawler
Bedrock
Tribal and dark, this could be one of the year’s bigger underground records. With remixes from The Scumfrog, Low End Specialists, and Taiko you can’t go wrong here. Packed with pounding drums and aggressive percussion, this is a late-night, dirty record that will leave your crowd screaming for more.
– Joe Bermudez

“Are You A Freak (Like Me)”
Prince Dred feat. Bunny Sigler
Black Vinyl
Some say the soulful garage sound is dead, but evidently it is alive and well and living in London. Black Vinyl takes a slice of American garage and drops this new vocal piece that features the legendary Bunny Sigler. Filled with a deep, rich bassline and sexy synth chords, the vibe is pretty straightforward, yet has a raw vocal element that gives it much attitude. The “Krude Bonus Mix” offers a deeper, more techie sound to it, but all four mixes are working.
– Phil Turnipseed