part 2 of 3

part 1 of 3

inc. hugo lx rework, pressed on heavyweight vinyl

d3 elements continues to mine the fertile soil of midwest inspired house, techno and electro with this fantastic new album from michael dykehouse (sometimes found turning out experimental fare on planet mu and ghostly). here the grooves are immediate and engaging across nine tracks, from the bubbly -meltdown morning- to the spooked-out -clock division-, touching on a range of styles all bound together by a commitment to classic drum machine beats and synthesiser tones. this is far from a throwback record though, instead celebrating dykehouse s innate musicality through all manner of tempos and moods and coming out as a well-rounded long player in the process.

keeping up their regular and on point release schedule, french outlet d3 elements now looks to a dj and producer from the southside of chicago. ellery cowles has been making unique house sounds since the mid 1990s as well as being a respected dj who is revered across the states. his music has come solo as well as in collaboration with the legendary likes of ron maney, roy davis jr and brian harden and cowles has released on labels like dafunk, hybrid and hizou deep rooted music.

incl kevin reynolds remix

chicago house

texas native demarkus lewis is up next on the great d3 elements label. this time, demarkus brings his signature diverse house style on this release, which features tracks from his mental notes album that only came out digitally in 2011. luckily for lovers of vinyl, d3 is putting out three of the gems from that release. first is the upfront house of without pause that is full of demarkus bumping drums, masterful combination of spacey, detroit style electronics and swirling chords that will get anyone onto the dancefloor. lady in pink also features some wonderful spacey chords, but is a more downtempo, broken beat type of affair, resplendent with computer bleeps. over onto the b side, demarkus takes us into a more spiritual and deep territory, with behind closed doors (afro main mix). the afro rhythms coupled with eman s spoken words turn this into a track that do wonders with a heaving, sweaty dance floor in the early hours. another winner for the d3 elements label.

formerly of france, now based in brazil, d3 elements returns with their second instalment of the beatz series, this time with jazz artist, bruno e, also hailing from brazil. bruno, who has been producing and performing since the late 90s, has worked with and remixed the likes of silhouette brown and gilles peterson, as well as releasing albums in his own right. this limited colour 10inch release features three versions of the track ventos do outono, (loosely translated to autumn winds). first up is drummer, composer and producer, pat van dyke, taking a break from composing the soundtrack to jerry seinfeld s comedians in cars getting coffee, with a breezy, laid back version of the original. featuring lush horns and flutes, along with vintage keyboards, the track urges us to get down, while straddling the boundaries of jazz and golden era hip-hop. still on the a side, it s bruno s turn, delivering a wonderful broken beat track. full of beautiful keys, strings and intricate rhythms, this track is reminiscent of the sound championed by kaidi tatham and nu era. flip over to the b side, and techno legend, kirk de giorgio takes us on a deep, futuristic ride. the track starts off with banging drums and a pulsating bass line, priming us for the cosmic pads and keys to come as the uk producer takes us on a journey to outer space and back. another quality release from bryan hervieus label, with three diverse versions of the same track, sure to appeal to a wide variety of tastes

bryan hervieu s d3 elements makes a welcome return to the music fold after a longish break, and who better to pick up the reins than trinidadian deep. northern li kicks things off, and from the first note and beat, you just know that trini has brought the spiritual and percussive deepness that he is known for. this track is 6 minutes of bliss, with swirling pads and beautiful melodies running throughout. over to the b side and it s thunder claps and the spoken word of liza zayas that starts off in the beginning. liza s voice sits perfectly alongside the caribbean textures, and the driving drums that trinidadian deep is known for. bryan s labels have long been a go to for lovers of quality and sophistication and this new one is no different.

repress , from moods & grooves to sistrum, brian harden has served up more than enough soulful, synth-led house and techno in his time. it s just the kind of style that suits the mood on d3, and so the label has picked up his essential -chicago to detroit- jam and called upon a fine selection of remixers to rework the track. first up is byron the aquarius, who drops some expressive broken beat drums into the mix to spar with the illustrious melodic tones to great effect. meanwhile the label boss brian gets busy with a classic, straight-up adaptation on his -chicago sur seine mix- before patrice scott opts for an energised variation with poignant new rhodes-esque keys floating on top.

d3 elements continues to serve up delicious house music with its next ep, which this time comes from the detroit native moreese. he serves up three cuts of rich, musical club sounds that continue in the motor citys fine tradition.

french label d3 elements returns to chicago for its next ep, this time looking to the assured house talents of hakim murphy for three tracks of raw, dense grooves right from the heart of the windy city. opener boxbeat is a curious, freaky jam with bobbing percussive hits, wonky, pixel thin synth lines and free roaming pads that wrap the whole thing in a nice sense of spaced-out serenity. taste o rainbow has a much more firmly planted kick drum that pounds away uninterrupted below a free flowing brew of modulate synth sounds. it s expertly reduced and masterfully reserved and is sure to send dance floors wild as a result. the flipside cut freshness has pinging drums and a big, frazzled bass line as slithering chords rain down the face. musical yet jacking, cosmic yet propulsive, it is a perfectly contemporary chicago house sound that rounds out a fine ep from one of the best in the game.

after the success of last years various artists backpack ep, french house label d3 elements is back with another fine four track affair that pulls together some key producers. detroit soulful house star terrence parker is back once again, and he is joined by d-knox, dan curtin and techelectro.

brian harden is back on d3 elements with a new three track ep that once again explores richly musical deep house with a difference

considered french label d3 elements continues is carefully curated run with a new ep from berlin based italians, hinode. featuring four cuts of tough deep house, this sixth ep is another high grade affair that follows on from great efforts by strong souls and brian harden.

d3 elements clocks up release number five here by offering up a full ep to zhao-ski, who previously appeared on the va ep release in 2014. what he serves up are a clutch of instrumental hip hop tracks that speak to the soul.

a second release on d3 elements for raymond raydilla funnye aka strong souls, the man who kicked off the detroit & chicago focused label last year.