Chart courtesy of The Economist

01. Ma Spaventi, “The Jungle”
[M>O>S Recordings] (buy)
I really adore when a single tune makes me regret sleeping on an artist. “The Jungle” from the latest 10″ by frequently spot-on M>O>S Recordings is one of the records. Many of us already know MarcoAntonio Spaventi as a collaborator with Gstring as Crystal Maze and R-A-G (also with M>O>S labelhead Aroy Dee). After a few collaborative singles with James Priestly and a split with Aroy Dee, The Jungle / Insanity is his solo vinyl debut. As hinted by his catalog, Spaventi’s love for analog synth sounds and drum machines provides “The Jungle” with its raw tones and timbres. More importantly, the Italian producer’s relentless synth arrangements, hunting at a cheetah’s speed, outrun and devour their unseen prey in a frenzied breakdown of increasingly toothy tones. The combination is a thrill ride, a sure shot of adrenaline for a dance floor that’s exceptionally well crafted. I suspect this tune will be a wake up call for many new-found Ma Spaventi fans.

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02. Anaxander, “Athenians”
[Love What You Feel] (buy)
I’ll admit, I was caught off guard by the muted reaction to Anaxander’s Dirty South (Of France). The French producer’s debut EP oozed a unique charm all over contemporary house arrangements, ones indebted to the 90s but clearly molded with the present in mind. Among these, “Athenians” captured my heart first with a cleverly staggered clap/snare pattern which gives the whole track an articulated movement you rarely hear done well in house. But that’s just the start. Anaxander subsequently switches between waning synths with blunted horns and candy coated melodic stabs, combining them towards the end for a coup de grace. In the end, it’s not one thing that makes “Athenians” a stellar tune — it’s the breadth of excellent elements, expertly placed, which all seem to stick in the mind. I hope charting it here will provide the exposure it’s long deserved, so it can get stuck into more house heads.

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03. Henrik Schwarz, “Take Words In Return” [Watergate Records] (buy)
We’ve barely seen Henrik Schwarz’s name on any singles in the last couple years, except perhaps in remix parentheticals. Outside of his 2011 jazzy collaborative LP with Bugge Wesseltoft and a single as Black Rose with Jesse Rose last year, we’ve not heard much from him at all. That makes “Take Words In Return,” the German producer’s contribution to the Watergate X compilation, feel all the more special. It’s already a piece with few peers within dance music and something of a new direction for Schwarz, putting the spotlight on vocals both as an instrument and as the narrative force helping to guide the tune. This style is admittedly not for everyone — Kanye and Drake have perhaps wrung out most of the good will listeners might have for it. Yet I can’t help but find it bewitching how the track just smolders with little more than his voice, a taut and tasty bass line, and what sounds like a digital woodblock. Even the nimble accordion shadowing the vocals, which imparts a somewhat jaunty feeling, is a welcome addition. It’s fair to say this is not Schwarz’s most floor-friendly offering, but the DJs who find a crowd willing to go on this ride could create an unforgettable moment.

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04. Raudive, “Traffic”
[Running Back] (buy)
It’s hard to get a read on Oliver Ho and that’s largely to his credit. In a career spanning three decades, the English producer has lent his left of center touch to a great many sounds and structures in dance music. If there’s one characteristic appearing across a good deal of his work, it’s a propensity for darker, more confrontational sounds. On “Traffic,” the title cut of his Running Back debut, that tenacity is channeled into something thrillingly catchy. Every element aims for the jugular, whether it’s warrior like shouts and tremendous piano chords or taunting laughs and calls to “break down the wall!” For all its lunging, “Traffic” feels surprisingly unhurried, a muscular presence at 120bpm which knows it doesn’t have to move fast to bring order to the dance floor. You can instantly get the sense for why Gerd Janson would sign such a tune for Running Back: it would take his lunch money if he didn’t. Unpredictable as always but certainly offering an increasingly refined version of his sound, Oliver Ho delivers one of my favorite tracks of his to date.

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05. Free Magic & Jkriv, “Catalano”
[Discovery Recordings] (buy)
There’s something to be said for tracks you feel like you’ve been living with for years even though it’s your first listen: they stick with you. “Catalano,” the lead track from Free Magic & Jkriv’s second release for Discovery Recordings (owned by Free Magic and others), feels similarly well worn — lived in rather than fresh out of the box. The tune’s excellent choice of guitar riff, fluttering strings, and warm synth chords give it an vintage, urbane feeling, strutting at a leisurely disco-friendly pace. Its swinging rhythms still have a certain tightness to their programming, as if approached through hip-hop, a sensation furthered by the soul vocal samples tastefully sprinkled throughout. “Catalano”‘s title (and indeed, the entire EP it’s named for) references early 90s teen drama “My So Called Life.” Rather than grabbing for 90s hallmarks like so many of their peers, however, the duo draws upon a broad range of convincing sounds. It might not be the most original track on the block, but when opening or closing a night, “Catalano” is a reliable friend.

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06. G. Marcell, “She’s Fly” (Love Her Conversation Mix) [Machining Dreams] (buy)
07. Manhooker, “Club Anonymous” (Rotciv Extended Club Mix) [Unterton] (buy)
08. Matti Turunen, “Elokuu” [Muhk] (buy)
09. Jorge Velez, “Floo” [Rush Hour Recordings] (buy)
10. DJ Kaos, “Kosmischer Ruckenwind” (Quiet Village Remix) [Clone Loft Supreme Series] (buy)

Staff Charts:

Per Bojsen-Moller
01. Leon Vynehall, “Title #7” [Well Rounded Housing Project]
02. Garben Eden, “Night Poser” [Lampuka]
03. Basic Soul Unit, “All Over Me” [Still Music]
04. Ian Pooley, “Swing Mode” [Pooledmusic]
05. Anthony Naples, “Faceless” [white]
06. Natan H & Amy Jean, “I Know” [ManMakeMusic]
07. Soulphiction, “Drama Queen” [Philpot]
08. Toby Tobias, “Tres Mal” (John Heckle Remix) [Burek]
09. 69, “Poi Et Pas” (Unreleased Version) [Planet E]
10. The Phantom, “Piano Moods” [Your Mama’s Friend]

Brandon Bussolini
01. Powell, “A Band” [The Death Of Rave]
02. Pev & Kowton, “Raw Code” [Hessle Audio]
03. Policy, “Thick Nostalgia” [Argot]
04. Lusine, “Another Tomorrow” (Jon Convex Remix) [Ghostly International]
05. Synkro, “Don’t Want” [Apollo]
06. Barker & Baumecker, “Crows” (Blawan Remix) [Ostgut Ton]
07. Best Available Technology, “Hyades” [Further Records]
08. Factory Floor, “Fall Back” [DFA]
09. Versalife, “Below the Horizon” [Clone West Coast Series]
10. Jorge Velez, “Under the Sea” [Rush Hour Recordings]

Nick Connellan
01. MRSK, “Venger” [Skudge Presents]
02. Manhooker, “Club Anonymous” (Rotciv Extended Club Mix) [Unterton]
03. J.T.C., “Pulse Catcher” [Killekill]
04. Smallpeople, “In The Jungle” [Running Back]
05. Basic Soul Unit, “All Over Me” [Still Music]
06. Pjotr, “I See” [Udacha]
07. G String, “Revenge” [Echovolt Records]
08. Freewill, “Zero” [Electronique.it]
09. Alex Smoke, “Baba Yaga” [Vakant]
10. Oskar Offermann, “The Pleasure of Being Five Again” [white]

Steve Kerr
01. Hacker Farm, “Burlington” [Exotic Pylon]
02. Vester Koza, “Mosquito” [Maslo]
03. Powell, “Oh No New York” [The Death Of Rave]
04. M Gun, “Flutter’s Brother” [The Trilogy Tapes]
05. Anom Vitruv, “Untitled B1” [Offseason]
06. Actress, “Floating In Ecstasy” [Werkdiscs]
07. Blodfet & DJ Lonely, “Say Yes Darling” [Börft Records]
08. Prince Of Denmark, “To The Fifty Engineers” [Giegling]
09. Innercity, “(iv) Speedball transgravity 2 (v) (arrival) (vi) Plastic cloudy weathers” [Further Records]
10. Dimitris Petsetakis, “Clearance Part I + II” (Unreleased Version) [Into The Light Records]

Kuri Kondrak
01. Santiago Salazar, “Stress Valve” [Finale Sessions]
02. Pitto, “Richklap” [Wolfskuil Limited]
03. Brassica, “Lydden Circuit” [Civil Music]
04. Paranoid London feat. Paris Brightledge, “Paris Dub 1” [Paranoid London Records]
05. Delroy Edwards, “Heart and Soul” [Long Island Electrical Systems]
06. Eddie Fowlkes, “One” (Hakim Murphy Deep 303 Mix) [Mindshift]
07. Freekwency, “Just For Two (feat. Molly D)” [Hot Shot Sounds]
08. Garben Eden, “Komm” [Lampuka]
09. Alis, “Azimuth” [Don’t Be Afraid]
10. Frak, “777” [Börft Records]

Dino Lalić
01. Metasplice, “Decant” [Morphine Records]
02. MCMXCI, “Untitled 1” [Opal Tapes]
03. TM404 + Morphosis, “202/303/303/606/606” [Kontra-Musik]
04. Loops Haunt, “Zenith” [Black Acre]
05. Kahn & Neek, “Dubchat” [Hotline Recordings]
06. Dynamo Dreesen feat. DJ Sotofett & P.Gelberg, “ASIS (Part 1)” [Acido Records]
07. DJ Qu “In This Society” [Strength Music]
08. Levon Vincent, “Stereo Systems” [Novel Sound]
09. Madteo, “Vox Yr Nu Yr Resolution” [Sähkö Recordings]
10. Marcellis, “Untitled A1” [Workshop]

Chris Miller
01. DJ Kaos, “Kosmischer Ruckenwind” (Quiet Village Remix) [Clone Loft Supreme Series]
02. Delroy Edwards, “Sprk Tha Dust” [Long Island Electrical Systems]
03. Vatican Shadow, “Chechnya’s Ghosts Loom Large In Death Of Former Spy” [Hospital Productions]
04. Anthony Naples, “Moscato B” [Mister Saturday Night Records]
05. Burial, “Rough Sleeper” [Hyperdub]
06. The Knife, “Full Of Fire” [Rabid Records]
07. Function, “Against The Wall” [Ostgut Ton]
08. Sound Stream, “Julie’s Theme” [Sound Stream]
09. Versalife, “Recombinant Creations” [Clone West Coast Series]
10. Bruno Nicolai, “Ipnosi” [Gemelli]

Brandon Wilner
01. Christopher Rau, “Fuck the Projection” [Aim]
02. Anthony Naples, “Ill Still” [white]
03. Omar S, “Mayall II” [FXHE Recordings]
04. Dog Man, “Theme From Dream Date” [white]
05. Nicholas, “Things of the Past (Feat. Stee Downes)” [4lux]
06. Aybee, “Landing” [Deepblak]
07. G. Marcell, “UFuseddude” [Machining Dreams]
08. A Made Up Sound, “Ahead” [A Made Up Sound]
09. Policy, “Walk Up” [Argot]
10. Benjamin Brunn, “U Teach Us” [Third Ear Recordings]