few can fail to have noticed the re-emergence of italian deep house in recent times. tracks paying tribute to the dreamy, loved-up and new age-influenced style pioneered by italian producers in the late 80s and early 90s are ten-a-penny these days, though few are quite as breezy and evocative as this ep from minimono. the fact that it s appearing on re-born rome label vibraphone - dormant since 1993, but brought back to life late last year - is rather fitting. the duo s dreamy, melodious and tactile style - see the fluttering synthesized flute lines and tactile grooves of -sailing-, the horizontal house bliss of -suspend-, and the ron trent style slickness of -next step- - is perfectly in keeping with the label s wavy, sun-kissed ethos.

italian house bastion vibraphone records has more than proven itself in the realms of classic deep house, but this new release from knlb certainly speaks to the new age of the label. the unknown producer makes a stunning entry with -second wind-, an effervescent breakbeat number that harks back to classic 90s mo wax sounds with its resonating piano licks and gritty drum samples. -apollo- meanwhile creates an interesting variation on the dub techno template with a wealth of instrumentation cavorting around a tripped out chord stab, and then -initialize- drifts off into blissful deep house meditation atop a purposeful beat. minimono swoop in to inject some direct funk into their remix of -intialize-, and a very fine job they do of it too.