HOUSE

Osunlade Re-Offering
(R2 Records/Outside Music)
Osunlade returns with a follow-up mix to his successful Offering release, blending soothing sounds of Afro-Latin music and rhythms to his soulful deep house style. The very same man who produced “Rico Sauve” for Gerardo, an album that went multi-platinum, Osunlade eventually went on a spiritual journey of renewal that led him to Ifa in Africa, a naturalist ancestral culture based on divination, deriving from the Yoruba tribes. Thus, Yoruba Records was founded in ’99 as Osunlade began making sweet soulful house music with influence from his spiritual connectedness with his African roots. One of the best deep house mixes of the year with tracks by Mateo & Matos, Tortured Soul, Charles Webster, Soul Ascendents and Osunlade. —AZ

Hed Kandi The Mix 50
(Fusion III)
Hed Kandi The Mix 2006
(Fusion III)
The onslaught of the Hed Kandi empire continues, as the Twisted Disco, Back To Love and Disco Heaven series flourishes worldwide with these triple-disc mixed sets, compiled and mixed by Phil Faversham, Andy Norman and the Team Kandi DJs. The Mix 50 and The Mix 2006 both have disc one as the Disco Heaven mix, disc two as the Twisted Disco mix, and disc three as the Back To Love mix. Anyhow, much more naughty house music from the masters of getting filthy on the dance floor, with an orgy of selections by Kings of Tomorrow, Jon Cutler, Masters At Work, Roger Sanchez, Basement Jaxx, Timo Maas, Tim Deluxe, Junior Jack, Todd Terry, CJ Mackintosh, Bob Sinclair, Fatboy Slim, Marshall Jefferson and on and on and on… —CQ

John Dahlbäck Shades of a Shadow
(Little Angel Records/Fusion III)
Swedish house DJ/Producer from Stockholm, who’s birth date (1985) will probably stagger the dance world in realizing that not only has he produced his first album, barely at the tender age of 20, but that it sounds like it could have come from his older, and more seasoned cousin, Jesper Dahlbäck. Patient, jazzy and thoughtful deep house that’s neither cluttered nor redundant. Expect good things from this kid’s future. —AZ

Richard Vission Automatic
(Thrive/Fusion III)
Former Canadian and now LA resident Richard “Humpty” Vission moves past the “Bang the Box” series into the larger picture with Thrive Music.  Host of Power Tools on the number-one rated urban station in LA, Power 106, Richard’s style of hard, pounding disco-house is still the soupe-du-jour, and still rocking dance floors across the US. Two discs with a patented RVH set on disc one and original tracks and remixes on disc two. Cuts by Plump DJs, INXS, JJ Flores, Mousse T, Green Velvet, Mylo and The Bravery. —SW

DJ Dan Lift
(Thrive/Fusion III)
Ah yes, the Danmeister, once one of Toronto’s most beloved and anticipated DJs during the reign of Syrus and Dose parties, still maintains his poise on DJ Magazine’s Top 100 sitting at number 24. Giving the kids what they love: high octane, hard, funky house music from the man practically responsible for that west-coast sound. There are28 tracks on two discs including choice cuts from Hatiras, Da Skunk, Plump DJs, Boris Dlugosh and New Order. —SW

Soul Heaven Presents Blaze
(Defected Records/Fusion III)
Keep the summer spirits high during the cold winter with this triple disc from the good folks at Defected who bring you the In the House series. The last Soul Heaven was mixed by house legends Masters At Work, and now New York house legends Blaze (Josh Milan & Kevin Hedge) show what 20 years in the business is all about. Funky, soulful, jazzy and sexy, deep house with Latin, African and Brazilian sounds that should help heat things up. Sweet tracks by Truby Trio, Charles Webster, Louie Vega featuring Ursula Rucker, John Cutler, Dajae, Kings of Tomorrow, Mood II Swing, MAW, Danny Krivit and of course Blaze! —CQ

Mixed by Stéphane Pompougnac
Hôtel Costes 8 (Pschent/Fusion III)
This longrunning series is one you can always count on, as Stéphane Pompougnac mixes up a storm of sexy and funky deep house and downtempo tunes that should get most of your friends and family bobbing heads. Delivering the Parisian vibe of opulence and style, Stéphane has sold almost two million copies of this series worldwide. Kicking off the mix with “Dream Machine” by Mark Farina featuring Sean Hayes, it’s got 16 tracks in all, also including Zuco 103, Tosca, Jazzanova, Michael Mayer and Fila Brazilia. —TKO

Mixed by David Guetta F*** Me, I’m Famous!
(Ministry of Sound/Fusion III)
France’s house legend David Guetta, who once released a garage house track with legend Robert Owens back in ’92, just shot onto the DJ Magazine Top 100 chart for the very first time, at number 39. He’s sold over a million records in Europe, and his F*** Me, I’m Famous nights in Ibiza have been running for over seven years. So what’s all the fuss about? Here’s a double disc mix of gritty, sleazy, dirty house and electro-glam that should have you licking a heart-shaped box with some buxom blonde bimbo in no time. Choice cuts by Blaze featuring Barbara Tucker, Culture Club, Eric Morillo, Tiga, Timo Maas, Tiefschwarz, Slam, The Chemical Brothers and Etienne de Crecy’s saucy “Someone Like You” from Super Discount 2. —SW

Nic Fanciulli Renaissance Presents
(Renaissance Music/Fusion III)
Part of the new breed of superstar DJ/Producer/Remixer succeeding the early founders like Sasha & Digweed, Dave Seaman and Paul Oakenfold, Nic Fanciulli sits at number 80 on DJ Magazine’s Top100. Well known in his native UK, at the age of 24 he already has his own radio show on Radio 1, and has been busy remixing the likes of Kylie Minogue, Tears For Fears and Deep Dish. Fanciulli’s style is a refreshing change from the usual prog house found on Renaissance, as he dabbles in many shades of house, from the deep to the dark and acid laced. A fantastic double-disc mix with selections by Vancouver’s Gavin Froome, Sandy Rivera, Anthony Acid and Bassment Jaxx. —TKO