Bargrooves returns to the deep with house music the way it should be

As dance music over on Main Street is dominated by the ever noisier stadium-sized sound of what’s being called EDM, the wheels of underground house music have been turning in another direction; towards something warmer, more soulful, melodic, thoughtful, less techy but certainly Deeper.

A natural reaction to a banging mainstream has collided with underground house and tech producers moving away from minimal production towards more classically deep sounds that reference traditional US house for inspiration but somehow manage to remain refreshingly modern.

Bargrooves began its exploration of all things deeper with its Over Ice editions, then last year with this increasingly noticeable shift in emphasis introduced Deeper as the collection of more dissonant grooves that define the house sound of the moment. As our second instalment - Deeper 2.0 - shows, this is where the real quality currently lies.

With Deeper 2.0 Bargrooves tastemaker, Andy Daniell presents a connoisseurs guide to what’s been revived, rewritten and created afresh in the world of new deepness.

Here he talks us through some of the music that has been causing a stir on his dancefloors and made it onto a new edition which features a real who’s who of producers who can consider themselves real aficionados of the deep…

Todd Terje – Inspector Norse
I am in love with this record. It feels like summer in audio form. The incredible melody and synth work combined with a disco grooves that bounces along effortlessly just makes this a real early stand out record for 2012 and shows how Todd Terje is an important talent in both the nu disco as well as deep house sense.

Mowgli – Back In The Day
I was so happy when I first heard this record from the Italian producer Mowgli. It was an instant decision to sign it for Defected, a real no brainer. A departure from his usual style, I love the huge bassline matched with Amber Jolene’s delicate but incredible vocal. The production contrasts a starkness with a real intimacy that sits in the deep house world, but sounds original. We need more records like this in my humble opinion.

Larse – So Long
One of my favourite records from the back end of last year. It’s signed to Noir’s label and whilst it’s still on the lower side BPM-wise its groove rolls along nicely with another stunning bassline, an equally stunning vocal and lovely deep pads.  Put those elements together perfectly and you get this, there’s just so much funk and emotion in this record.

Trickski – Sweat (Martin Solveig Remix)
As well as brand new records I always try to have a dig through the vaults for classic or forgotten gems when putting together Bargrooves albums and this is certainly one of those. Listening to his remix of Sweat you realise just why Martin Solveig is now producing Madonna - an awesome record with a great hooky vocal that’s a lot of fun.

Mousse T – Horny (Radio Slave & Thomas Gandey Just 17 Remix)
If you’d have told me Radio Slave was going to remix Mousse T Horny I’d have probably done a double take but Matt has turned out an incredible remix that takes real musical vision to produce. He’s taken an international chart hit and turned it into a piece of cool deep house, bringing one of the classic house vocals up to date in the best possible way. Awesome jacking drums, deep bass with a stunning piano line. It shouldn’t work but it really really does!

Julio Bashmore – Ensnare
Julio Bashmore shot into the limelight last year with his incredible Battle For Middle You, but you shouldn’t overlook his other works like Ensnare. He really does do incredible chords and just the right amount of vocal and of course a pretty immense bottom end. The electric guitar riff is something unusual in house music but it really makes this track standout. A true deep houser.

Guy Robin – Heaven Or Hell
Guy Robin has been coming up through the ranks to establish himself as a producer of genuine talent and now has a string of releases on Defected under his belt. I have to say I think Heaven Or Hell is my favourite Guy Robin production so far. It’s just perfect for me, the song is typically very strong and Amba Shepherd’s vocal gives the track a real, accessible pop sensibility that works on deeper as well as sexier dancefloors. I really can’t say enough good things about this record: it’s got all the attributes of a great house track made for 2012.

Nolan – Thief
I’m a real sucker for records like this, I think it’s the strings. It’s got such a feelgood vibe to it and an awesome vocal loop, just superb.

Osunlade – Envision (Argy Remix)
A classic already in my opinion. The original and Ame mixes were huge last year so it was quite a bit task to remix it again for 2012, but wow Argy turned it out. Argy is the perfect example of a minimal producer who looked outside that scene and drew inspiration from some of the more traditional deep sounds. There’s a knowing nod to MK on this mix but it’s just monstrous cut.

Chez Damier – Can You Feel It (Steve Bug Re-Mix)
Speaking of MK it was his remix of Chez Damier that did the damage first time around and Pokerflat boss Steve Bug puts his own awesome twist on MK’s twist of Chez’s stunning original. (Try saying that after a few drinks).

Storm Queen – Look Right Through (Jamie Jones Remix)
Having produced some golden moments as Metro Area, Morgan Geist has begun to rival those achievements with his new alias, Storm Queen. Fresh from a multi-award winning 2011 (including DJ Best of British and Resident Advisor number 1 DJ of the year), the turn of the year saw Jamie Jones turn in a stripped out re-work focused around a trademark heavy bassline and some killer snares. When it comes to the deeper sound, it seems he’s the man who can do no wrong – either with original productions or through the extra dimension he brings to other tracks with his remixes.

Franky Rizardo – Real Love
Another Dutch wonderkid who has really caught our attention with his impressively diverse production capability and his a lovely guy to boot. Real Love is Franky’s taken on a deeper mood with a relentless groove that sits perfectly with the deep house sound of 2012.

Kevin Saunderson featuring Inner City – Future (MK AW Deep Dub)
Last year saw the release of the first new material from Inner City since 1996 and the story has continued to develop with a set of further remixes. MK was Kevin Saunderson’s original protégé and here Marc Kinchen makes his tribute with exactly what he does best; finding the hook in the vocal, chopping and looping until you can take no more, then unleashes the full vocal over a hypnotic bass bump.

Superfunk featuring Ron Carroll – Lucky Star (Solomun Remix)
This one goes down a storm as a regular feature in Noir’s DJ sets. Here Solomun takes a classic house track based around a wonderfully soulful vocal and Chris Rea’s Josephine and builds an entirely new production around Ron Carroll’s vox. Everything Solomun touches right now turns to gold and the clever arrangement, groove and melodies come alive with his immense production techniques. Truly class.

Alongside two bonus mixes from Bargrooves’ label A&R and compiler Andy Daniell, this edition really does feature the crème tracks and remixes of the current deeper scene with further offerings from Luke Solomon who mixes Intruder’s (Murk) Amame, Eats Everything and Jimpster plus new music from Ray Foxx with Butterflies and Joyce Muniz with Messin’ With My Mind.

For those who like it deep, it’s all about Bargrooves Deeper 2.0…

Out now on iTunes, Beatport, Traxsource and available in the D Store