Teflon Dons / Coastal Commission
The Rendezvous EP

French DJ, producer and multi-instrumentalist Olivier Portal sadly passed away in January, aged 65. His best work came as Playin 4 The City and this EP is one of his most sought-after on the Plastik People label. It features two tracks originally released on the 'Backshop' EP on Tropism Records 2002 and one newer sound. Opener 'Minor Track' is a brilliantly aloof deep house cut with swinging, dubby drums and cute chord stabs that do enough to keep you moving. 'Backfire' is just as breezy but a little quicker with some sleek synths and nice claps moving things on with a cosmic edge. 'Backside' rides a nice chunky, tumbling rhythm with more subtle but seductive synth work.

It's ten up for Ira James's so-far-so-superb Vessel Recordings Group label as the duo of Nonfiction and Kid Enigma step up for a fresh new single. 'Make It Look Good' is an instant house classic with all the key elements nailed: the drums are deep but driving, while the percussion adds texture and bite. And who better to add some further layers of house authenticity than the one and only Chicago don DJ Sneak. First up he goes raw and loop as you would expect, then dubs things out with his second offering. Another doozy from this imprint.

Get Mesmerized references the more stripped and steppin’ influences of the artist otherwise known as Snad. Chopped and freaked vocal samples soar overhead, synth-savant leads get up-front-and-personal, chunky rhythmatics do the dirty work and hi-rez (and high-resonance!) basslines worm out your bassbins leaving a trail of neon goo in their wake.Brought to you with love from a singular house hustler, lock in for a 4D audiovisual experience unfolding across the stereo field continuum.

Rick Wade is one of Detroit and house music's most consistent performers. He is a master of crafting tools that never miss on the floor but also have the sort of character that means they endure across the ages and remain impervious to passing trends. Art Is The Place has his latest, and it opens with the angelic vocals of 'Level Up' over a whimsical groove, then 'Big Ha Blues' gets more deep and zoned out with pillowy pads and wet claps. 'Intrusive Emotions' has a more grinding low end but stays slow and is softened by jazz keys, then 'Bitter Sweet brings some dust and grit. Another faultless outing from Wade.

Any discerning house head must be a fan of Kai Alce's NDATL, and similarly, it'd be hard to think of a reason why the same person wouldn't also love the world of dub house don Mr G. The magical pair come together again here with the 'Black Jammies' EP, which delivers pure underground fire. 'Saved' locks you in with raw, soulful swing that has long been a G trademark, while 'So Wrong Yet So.....' pushes deeper with heavy bass and playful tension. Stripped back yet powerful, both cuts embody his uncompromising craft - soulful, gritty and timeless. Another essential NDATL drop.

Up next on Brooklyn's Scissor & Thread is the latest EP from Snad, aka Shyam Anand (also known as Spandrel), the Berlin-based artist whose discography already spans labels like Smallville, Minibar, 20:20 Vision, Phonica AM, TerraFirm, Running Back, Cabinet, Kimochi and Dungeon Meat with remixes for names including Seafoam and Chez Damier.A trusted selector and producer in the underground, Snad has steadily built a reputation for deeply considered productions that balance classic inspiration with his own forward-thinking edge.The AM Yard EP opens with its title track, a warm, hazy cut rooted in the kind of bassline architecture that recalls Chez n Trent's Morning Factory but reshaped with Snad's signature dreamlike touch.Anticip8 fanchors the release with a more direct energy, rolling, insistent and focused on the floor, balancing stripped-down drive of dusty samples wrung through his digitakt with just enough harmonic flourish to pull the listener inward.On the flip, The Pursuit follows in a slightly different mode, drawing on experimental vocoder techniques and filtered percussion creating a hypnotic push-and-pull that feels as intricate as it is understated.Rounding things out, label heads Francis Harris and Anthony Collins, under their Frank & Tony alias, reimagine The Pursuit with their Housebeat Remix, extending its atmospherics into an even deeper headspace that glides effortlessly into late-night territory.