8 Tracks: For Under £1 With Mavrik

Straight peak-time ripper from Glasgow’s DJ Q. Paul’s been producing music for over 20 years, on labels like Glasgow Underground, Filter and Tronisole. Both sides of this record are wicked in their own right, but the stabby baseline and dark vocal on “Optimum Thinking” steals the show for me. Not bad for a quid!

Jus’ Trax is a label full of tough and brilliant UK house from the late 90s. Bicep gave “606 Luv” a fresh lick last year, but my pick is “Luvtraxxx” from the other side. Same First Choice sample, with great keys, a tougher break and a hands-in-the-air bassline. At a couple of quid, it’s an absolute steal.

Dreamy disco from Ray Martinez’s alias, Amant. Ray was part of the T.K. Records team, producing & engineering a lot of their releases in the mid 70s. He played an important part in the creation of the “Miami Sound” T.K. Records became renowned for, culminating in the early rise of US disco in main stream music. This 14 min marathon is a particularly tasty night-ender, with the lovely balance of powerful strings and uplifting keys.

With Young Marco’s “Welcome To Paradise” compilation out soon, Italo House seems to be a big flavour of 2017 so far. Dreams Unlimited pumped out some of the smoothest around in 1992 with this EP, “Deep In You”. All the mixes are pretty good, but the Deep Love Mix tops it for me, with its silky organs and perfect claps. There a VG+ copy up for less than €1 right now, get on that.

Out of the deepest recesses of Koze’s mind comes this brilliantly odd party track. It features fictional radio voiceovers, the glitchy style he has become familiar for and, as the name suggests, a killer bassline. Despite International Pony being a three-piece that also includes Erobique and DJ Cosmic, it is largely Koze’s idiosyncrasies that shine through in the most excellent way. Fortunately, the record can be picked up for little more than £1.

You can pick up the “Conscience” LP from as little as 99p on Discogs or your local pound bin. It’s got Teardrops, the original (not Frankie’s, but still great) version of Missin’ Persons Bureau, as well as the lesser played title track. One of the most restrained disco tracks I know, Cecil’s falsetto floats over a tight, deep instrumental that’s perfect for getting toes tapping out on the floor.

A stone cold killer. In fact, the whole record is amazing. On the other side is a track called “Emancipation”, a soothing and politically charged hip hop production – a must check! Go and buy it now…

Aril Brikha is a deep techno favourite of mine, having released his first LP on Derrick May’s Transmat in 1999. This collab EP with fellow Swede Eric Ericksson really shines, in fact, I’ve no idea why it’s so cheap. The whole track seems like Aril is noodling around on a keyboard after perfecting the drum loop, which gives it a great live feel.