Dennis Ferrer & Ben Westbeech – Right Thing

Well where do I start. Dennis Ferrer, a passionate DJ & Producer plus all-round fun and likeable chap! With a deep knowledge of the past and a constant push for the future, Ferrer remains one of the true greats of house music – a leader and innovator whose enjoying the buzz around him but keeping on pushing the limits.

This time Ferrer is teaming up with another artist I have a lot of time for… Ben Westbeech (aka Breach). Ben was responsible for two top-ten hits in 2013, the iconic bassline track ‘Jack’ followed by ‘Everything You Never Had (We Had It All)’, of which I and many other DJ’s have jammed out a lot.

This track with Dennis is a departure from the jacked-up style of those records, with more of a laidback, steadily building, main-room vibe. A catchy, silky-smooth vocal compliments Dennis’ customarily watertight production, making for an expansive, symphonic track that is sure to get hands raised on the dancefloor. For Dennis Ferrer fans this makes for an extraordinary return to Defected, and an indication of plenty more sensational new music coming right up.

The hugely successful partnership between Dennis Ferrer and Defected has a remarkable and prolific history. Some of Defected’s largest crossover hits have been delivered courtesy of Dennis’ incredibly intuitive production skills and when the two names are associated, the music is guaranteed to be ground-breaking. To everyone’s delight Dennis has an equally huge year coming up – this track with Ben being the first taste of what you can expect from his forthcoming album.

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Franz Johann – HandMade EP

Here’s something fresh out on B.A.B.A. Records by Austrian producer Franz Johann. Now, I’ve personally followed both the label and the artist in previous years and both have pushed out some amazing releases. This one is another one to add to the list.

This EP comes in 3 parts; two original tracks and one remix. The title track ‘Handmade’ has an addictive bouncy, yet rolling bassline sat nicely under some shaker style tech hats. A nice mixture of subtle synths and pads add to the feel of this. Great track for the dancefloors. Next up is the track ‘Woof’, which feels like it has a faster pace than the title track, some dark stabs give this one a bit of attitude, absolutely love it. The final track on the EP is the Batusim Edit of Woof. Slightly more bass-heavy than the original but keeping loads of the dark elements, some really nice builds and breakdowns.

I would definitely play all three out in the clubs. Full support from us, great EP! Grab your copy now…

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Mladen Tomic – Liquid Light EP

Here’s an amazing EP that came out at the beginning of the month by Bosnian producer ‘Mladen Tomic’ and released on La Famiglia Recordings. Consisting of 4 tracks, two originals and two remixes.

First up is the original version of the title track ‘Liquid Light’. An awesome groove with a deep warpy rolling bassline sat underneath layered drums giving a real big room feel to the track. The second track on the EP is the Loco & Jam remix of Liquid Light. From the off it’s got a darker feel with a sinister breakdown and build up. When it drops, a huge off-beat fading white noise sample kicks in over the top of the drums which really makes this mix stand out; proper club track! The next track is another remix of the title track, this time by Alberto Ruiz. He gives the track a complete overhaul and adds a slight techier feel to the drums and deepens the bassline out, it just simply works. The final track on the EP is another original called ‘Blue Pill’, this is probably my favourite on the release. It has a bouncy tech feel and a lovely rolling bass groove, loads of little stabs and percussion bits kicking in and dropping out throughout the whole track. Eventually a deep talking vocal sample kicks in, I think it’s taken from the character Morpheus in the film ‘The Matrix’, don’t quote me on that though!

All round powerful release for La Famiglia, grab your copy now…

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Wehbba – Turning Point EP

Now this EP is SERIOUS! Fresh out on ‘Knee Deep In Sound’ by ‘Wehbba’ is this 4-track tech house/techno banger!

The first up is the original title track ‘Turning Point’. It’s a fast paced techy track with some really harsh, dark synths on the breakdown then back into a bouncy deep bassline.. awesome! Next up is a track called ‘The Bridge’, there are in fact two mixes included on the EP, one is the original and the other is a remix from Huxley. The original is another fast paced tech track with plenty of melodic blips and builds, all laid nicely over a dark bass pattern. The Huxley remix boasts the same signature blip pattern but breaks down more atmospheric and has a nice snare build up before a deep rolling bass kicks in on the drop, love this remix! The final track on the EP is my favourite and is the ANNA Remix of the title track ‘Turning Point’. It’s a big techno belter; dark and moody! Great use of the signature dark synths from the original but at a faster rolling pace. This one makes me want to go out! Love. It..

Check it out and grab your copy..

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Larry Cadge – To Be Free

Here is something fresh from a producer I have been following for quite a while now, many years in fact! A great track from ‘Larry Cadge’ called ‘To Be Free’, released on his own label ‘Smiley Fingers’.

To me, what makes this track great is the positive feeling it gives off. Some really nice mellow chords, big builds and subtle drops. So many elements kicking in and dropping out. This is one I’d love to play at a big summer outdoor festival where the sun is belting down and the beer is ice cold! If the British weather holds up then I just might get to play it at one this summer!

This is a must have for the dj sets, and it’s part of an EP containing another track too. Get. It. Now..

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Gregor Tresher – Surrender EP

The name Gregor Tresher has always been high up on the search results when doing my Friday afternoon tune hunt ready for the weekends gigs, and his productions never fail the dancefloors. This time around he has released an EP called ‘Surrender’ on Break New Soil Recordings. Instead of featuring the whole of the EP, I have selected my favourite track from it and I’m just featuring that (although the Soundcloud link below features all of them!).

The track that really sticks out for me is called ‘Depend’ and is a high energy, hi-hat heavy techno tune. Big breakdowns with gradual builds and drops, loads of side-chained white noise, and some quality dark synths. That pretty much sums it up, just have a listen and hopefully you’ll love it as much as I do.

This is out now, grab a copy..

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Christian Smith – Turn The Lights / Price Of Freedom (Remixes)

Something fresh out on Tronic Records is this amazing remix package of two cracking tracks from Christian Smith. First up is his track ‘Turn The Lights’ which has been given a nice new approach by the legendary Nick Curly. This remix is really bass heavy and guaranteed to rock any tech-house or techno dancefloor. Simply awesome and one of my favourite tracks at the moment; I’ll certainly be dropping this at a few of my next gigs!

Next up is the dubspeeka remix of ‘Price Of Freedom’ and from the off it’s a powerful and aggressive techno banger. With plenty of choppy delayed vocals and harsh synth stabs, it’s definitely one for a big underground crowd. Screw your face up and nod your head; it’s big!

This is available now, get it in the basket..

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Pirupa – Pirupa & Friends EP

Lately here at phuk, we’ve had a little break from reviewing so we can concentrate on our own production, events and general future planning. However, with such great music being released at the moment it’s really difficult not to jump back in! So now we’re back and ready to showcase some of the industries biggest tunes from both the top players and the unknown. If we like it, we’ll write about it!

On that note, here is something special that has recently been released on Saved Records, a 4-track EP from Pirupa. I’m not going to go into proper detail with these as you can hear them for yourself but expect some top class production. The first track is called ‘Pitch Da Bitch’ and is co-produced by Leon, it has some blippy stabs and a rap vocal laid over big techy drums and a deep bassline. The second track, and my favourite on the EP, is called ‘Demons’. It contains more blippy stabs, but this time coupled with nice cinematic pads and synths, love this! Third on the EP is called ‘Nomad’ and is co-produced by Alex Kennon. Amazing track and a certain club banger, big breakdown and drop. I can’t wait to play this out! Last up is a track called ‘Space Odissey’, this has a familiar vocal loop laid over a nice bouncy, hi-hat heavy tech pattern. Some great use of the cowbell and 70’s style synth keys; but you gotta have the cowbell!!

All round great EP, out now..

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Simeon Belle ft SJ – Huarache Hoes EP

Another great release from a label which is only going from strength to strength. Locker Room Records are back with this highly anticipated three part EP from Simeon Belle, featuring vocals from SJ and two different style remixes from Dmarco and DEV:ROX.

Original Mix – The original mix is another high quality production from London based DJ and producer Simeon Belle. Catchy lyrics from SJ work perfectly with the dark bassline and percussion sounds used throughout the track. Simeon’s signature UK garage inspired chords are used to mimic the bassline and create another catchy element to the track. An almost techno sounding synth then develops later into the track to add another effective layer. The amount of creativity put into the track is evident from the quality of the result, making it an essential weapon for use in a deeper or underground style DJ set.

Dmarco Remix – The remix from Arcko Digital’s Dmarco features an energetic drum kit, groovy bassline, classic house horns and piano chords to provide a perfect combination for a more upbeat style house track. This remix is definitely one of my favourite productions from Dmarco and can see this being played in a lot of DJ sets over the coming months.

DEV:ROX Remix – Locker Room boss DEV:ROX also features on the EP with his own remix. Literally within hours of it’s completion, was instantly receiving support across the globe from the likes of Sam Divine and Sonny Fodera. The most prolific element on this remix is clearly the bassline, which repeats throughout the track with several bass layers and stabs being introduced as the track progresses. These work well with the vocals to create a nice deep-tech roller, which has already been keeping many dance floors moving.

This EP has been the biggest release from the label so far, with each one of the versions sure to do well over the summer and the remainder of the year.

Click here to buy on Traxsource:


Astin, Waveshape – Lazzaro’s Shoes EP

The much anticipated launch of Hustler Hype has arrived with their first release – Lazzaro’s Shoes EP by Astin and Waveshape. Hustler Hype is the sister label to Hustler Musik, run by D. Napolitano and Astin. This two part EP gives us two slightly different style tracks which makes it a more versatile EP to fit in to a variety of sets.

The first track entitled Lazzaro’s Shoes, gives us a very strong drum kit with the kick, hats and rides all working well with the bassline to provide a nice high energy techno track. Omega Drill is the second track on the release and is certainly a contrast, with a more laid back tech house vibe. The filtered effects used in the track do a very nice job of gradually taking the energy down before the drops bring everything back in with full force. I like this EP the more I listen to it and is a very strong first release for Hustler Hype. This will certainly be getting support at upcoming events and I cannot wait to hear future releases from this label.

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Rokaman – Back Door Swag

Something fresh out on Federico Scavo’s label ‘Area 94’ is this tech-banger from Rokaman. Fusing together some big choppy vocals with a deep rolling bassline and some sketchy tech-drums. To me this brings back an old style of tech that I always loved and played out all the time. So many elements served up through breakdowns, drops and some pretty big drum-fills… love it!

This is currently exclusive to Beatport, get it..

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