What a musical gem we have here courtesy of Adaptation Music and Mr A.L.I... Not many words are needed to describe "Cigars & cocktails", a phenomenal production that will stand the test of time and become an all-time classic in the years to come thanks to the timeless vintage soul/jazz/funk infused sound Mr. A.L.I and mastermind Vick Lavender are renowned for. "Cigars & cocktails" features a masterly orchestration including ingenious keys, gorgeous flute and gentle percussive rhythms, altogether creating a haunting vibe guaranteed to send shivers down your spine. The 13 minute extended version lets you enjoy this gem in its full glory, also included is an eight minute DJ friendly edit. A seminal masterpiece by no means to be missed...

Last year, Underground Collective blessed us with the delectable Cubanix & Tony Unique interpretation of Lem Springsteen's "Seize the moment", now the label brings us a masterly remix by Ian Friday who adds his beloved organic touch to the song, with the result being an amazing soulful and deep yet jazzy gem that has timeless written all over it. In other words: a masterpiece. Nuff said.

It all started back in November 2009 when we introduced you to the wonderful "All I can do" by Michelle McCain presents Marivent Soul, in said review we mentioned that a full length album is in the works. A few more highly acclaimed single releases followed since then, now gladly the wait is over and singer/songwriter/actress Michelle McCain will release her eagerly awaited debut album in August for which she joins forces with the likes of Gene Leone, Benjamin Kristof Rakun, Jonny Montana, Daniel Ambrojo Erasmo and Edson Bernardo to new just a few of the involved artists and producers. From the first to the last song, listening to Michelle McCain's refined voice and the masterly orchestration is sheer joy, and we must admit its really hard to pick a favorite as all are brilliantly arranged and produced...

Mastermind Andy Compton teams up with South Africa's own Jonathan 'Ziyon' Hamilton for "Take it easy", an outstanding soul oozing production featuring celestial keys, lovely guitar and sensitive r&b flavored vocals by Ziyon over a funked drenched mid-tempo four-to-the-floor groove. An impressive list of remixers contribute an amazing set of both mid-tempo and up-tempo interpretations - we are talking about the likes of Leighton Moody, Stephen Rigmaiden, Kojo Akusa, Pirahnahead and Vibration Lab who give you sheer endless options to work the floor with their phenomenal variations. A timeless gem guaranteed to make you yearn for more...

From the very first second you will be caught by the masterly "Linda", the second single taken from Ralf GUM's forthcoming long player "Never leaves you". Featuring Oluhle who sings in Zulu, "Linda" is an inspirational production fusing smooth percussive Afro inspired rhythms with the unmistakable Ralf GUM sound and the beautiful unrivaled gospel tinged vocals by Oluhle - to make it short, this is a slice of ingenious soulful house music guaranteed to send shivers down your spine. Admired South African producer Da Capo is the chosen one to remix the song, he takes you on a spell binding journey to deepest territory on his thrilling rendition where relentless afro-percussive rhythms serve as playground for the vocals and ethereal synth melodies. Essential, by no means to be missed.

Let us take you back in time with "Touching you", an incredible slice of deep house courtesy of Talk, a collaboration by Lars Behrenroth and Kolai and Taha from T-Kolai which features the unmistakable vocal stylings of Mustafa Akbar alongside ethereal melodies over smooth yet infectious rhythms - this timeless classic sounds as fresh as when it was originally released back in 2003 on vinyl on Perfect Toy Records. If you missed it first time around, make no mistake and get it this time...

This is the third installment in the recently created "House Legends" series (the first two releases in the series were dedicated to Kerri 'Kaoz 6:23' Chandler and Frankie Feliciano) on King Street Records which looks back at the illustrious catalogue of Mood II Swing (Lem Springsteen & John Ciafone) classics on the label. For those that don't know, Mood II Swing are amongst the earliest label signings, this compilation features none less than 18 of their best productions and mixes and goes as far back as 1994 when "Closer" with vocals by Carolyn Sylvan took over dance floors across the globe, and it also includes some of their groundbreaking releases on NiteGrooves. For the older house heads, this compilation will certainly bring back memories from the past, the younger younger house heads should not miss the opportunity to check out these unforgettable moments in house music...

Courtesy of Universe Media comes this phenomenal release by Jonny Montana and Craig Stewart who join forces with songstresses Christa and Diviniti to present two equally fantastic productions titled "Slow & steady" and "Let me show you".  Both songs ooze with the signature organic jazz drench sound Jonny Montana and Craig Stewart are famous for, featuring grand keys by Bennett Holland and beautiful jazz guitar by Rick Holmes, not to forget to mention the amazing heartfelt vocals by Christa and Diviniti. On top of this, you get massive remixes of "Slow & steady" by Jamie Lewis who gives the song a soulful prime time feel, Andy Compton's The Rurals who add their beloved laidback yet deep jazz inspired touch and Reagan Grey who serves a mesmerizing deep affair laced with celestial synth melodies.

What a gem we have here... Matt McKillop and Owen Taylor present an incredible soulful production under their DeepCitySoul disguise that has timeless written all over it. Their glorious original version of "Shame" features deeply felt vocals by Jacqui George alongside sublime keys and chords over a smooth yet thrilling funk drenched backing. The track is then taken to the next level by Groove Assassin who combines the outstanding vocals with heavenly keys and sweet tribal-esque rhythms. Next we have the Bump Kings' rendition which oozes with their beloved soulful touch and luscious melodies, and last but not least Samson Lewis gets deep and bouncy on his dub workout featuring a grand jazzy piano.