Estelle Montenegro – Lakeside (2000)

Oct 13, 2010 by Mr. Nau Estelle Montenegro’s debut album from Germany’s Elektrolux Records takes his listeners through a set of tracks that range from deep downtempo lounge cuts to slowish tech house tunes. Many of the tracks are interesting from an arrangement standpoint, but are challenged by inconsistent production and weird contrasts in sound […]

Jacek Sienkiewicz – Displaced (2004)

Oct 08, 2010 by Mr. Nau In this engrossing album, Jacek Sienkiewicz delivers nine lush spaced-out minimal techno grooves. The music here ranges from downtempo and dreamy soundscapes to fast, driving tech house tracks aimed squarely at DJs. High production craftsmanship, interesting arranging, and detached attitude makes this textured collection of songs an unexpected surprise. […]

Drøn – Xenologik (2001)

Oct 06, 2010 by Mr. Nau Drøn’s sophomore album is a wonderful meandering journey through sonic textures, synthesized soundscapes, and deep ambient grooves. The music here is much less percussion-driven than their debut album, but it delivers comparably high production value. Just over a dozen songs take us into a wide variety of abstract moods. […]

Drøn – Parsec (2000)

Oct 06, 2010 by Mr. Nau Drøn’s debut on the German ambient label, Elektrolux, is a lush set of deep downtempo moods, slow instrumental grooves, and rhythmic IDM tracks. The production level here is very high and the arrangements are inventive and imaginative. This beautiful group of recordings takes the listener to other worlds and […]

Dennis Ferrer – The World As I See It (2006)

Sep 30, 2010 by Mr. Nau Dennis Ferrer delivers a beautiful set of house tracks in his first album on Defected Records, producing a wonderful collection that ranges from Latin-influenced deep house to funky soul grooves. The lead vocalists on these tracks are backed up by some well-arranged backing and first-rate composition talent. Grade: A-. […]

Deepsky – In Silico (2002)

Sep 29, 2010 by Mr. Nau Deepsky drops a varied set of techno, breakbeat, trance, and house gems on this fun record from 2002. The production value here is quite high and there are plenty of hooks here to get the listener’s head nodding. Pulsing basslines, aggressive percussion, and inventive arranging make this disk quite […]

Alexander Kowalski – Changes (2006)

Sep 28, 2010 by Mr. Nau This album is full of well-produced minimal techno tracks, abstract grooves, and collaborations with the likes of Joris Voorn and Funk D’Void. The music here is warm, full of soul, and mercilessly pounding. With a little touch of disco, this ten-count set features plenty of head-nodding moments. Grade: A-. […]

Spirit Catcher – Coast 2 Coast (2009)

Sep 13, 2010 by Mr. Nau In this set of spaced-out instrumental deep house tracks, Spirit Catcher presents a collection of dancefloor-friendly cuts on two CDs — one with the tracks unmixed and the other with the same songs in a continuous mix. The track selection is beautiful and full of obscure bumping European gems. […]

Sp̴nka NKPG РVolume Two (2002)

Sep 13, 2010 by Mr. Nau Spånka NKPG, a Swedish house music collective, put together a dozen well-produced tracks unfortunately destroyed by a vocalist who wrote lazy, predictable lyrics on a spiral notebook in the sound booth moments before he started singing them. The funky deep grooves would be so much better here as instrumentals. […]

Afterdark: Milan (2006)

Aug 22, 2010 by Mr. Nau In this compilation from Kinkysweet’s Afterdark city series, DJs Harley and Muscle each spin a deep house set to showcase Milan’s scene. The track selection here is wonderful here and, with a good ratio of vocal tunes and instrumental cuts, this sultry collection will please both househeads and newcomers […]

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