Docksider

Dash Snow

This polaroid by Dash Snow suddenly seems hauntingly ironic.

Major Lazer

Although I was hoping it wouldn't be, I was pretty sure this collaborative effort between Switch and Diplo was going to be mind-blowingly shit, but I am pleased to report it is actually pretty fucking good. The Nina Sky tune, 'Keep it Goin' Louder' is a sickly sweet pop anthem that owes more to Beyonce than Ms Thing and comes close to replicating the form of the Plantlife – Love 4 the World (Why They Gotta Hate?)/Nina Sky – Turnin’ Me On mashup that Diplo used to open his Fabric 24 mix. The standout track (and for me at least, its the looove songs that work best on this album) is the ska-influenced 'Can't Stop Now' featuring Mr Vegas (who remembers 'Heads High'?) and Jovi Rockwell which is cute and snaky, kind of like a more knowing version of Sean[da] Paul's 'I'm Still in Love With You'.

And what about the much fabled appearance of Brooklyn's finest Jahdan Blakkamoore? Well it's not bad, and Jahdan's rough and ready voice certainly lifts the track ('Cash Flow') but Diplo and Switch seem bogged down by the Tuff Gong influence and instead of letting Blakkamoore role with the punches, he sounds constrained by an atmosphere that although reared on, is not relevant to the music he is making today with Shadetek and DJ Rupture. Either way, good to see him there, and his appearance only goes to show how important the Dutty Artz material coming out really is.

Hyph Mngo

If this is this summer's standout Funky tune, count me out. Boooooring.

Cobblestone Jazz

Should have put this up years ago but just relistened to W and Put The Lime in Da Coconut. I had forgotten how good these tracks really are. Doesn't Lime in Dad Coconut sound like Don't Feed The Cat by DJ Koze?

Sinfonia Della Notte

I wasn't ever going to post this because it is really housey and sounds a bit like the stadium-dance of Booka Shade, but then after I finished that nu-Deep post, I was so irate with Sherburne and myself for rising to the bait that I was like fuck it, it is housey and it does sound like Booka Shade, but I like it. And I like Dennis Ferrer. And I love Strictly Rhythm. And that's all that really matters.

Philip Sherburne's nu-Deep

In his roundup of 2008, Sherburne highlights these two tracks as synonymous with the so-called nu-Deep sound, a sound conceived as a reaction to minimal saturation. Sherburne himself says: "Johnny D's "Orbitalife" and Sebo K's "Diva", both ginormous hits for the nu-deep sound, also bet the bank on earwormy vocal snippets that served as the songs' prime identifying features. It was as though ringtone culture had colonized dance music, turning everything into a series of hot-swappable jingles."

Fair enough I suppose, but only really when you take the two (quite frankly poor) tunes Sherburne does as examples. To say this nu-Deep sound is repetitive and samey may have elements of truth to it, but wasn't it exactly that reptitiveness and bandwagon-jumping that signalled the end for minimal a year previously? And if this stuff gets people dancing, who is Sherburne to dictate what DJs should be playing and people should be listening to? Everyone has respect for the DJ who's been pumping out the same shit year after year, sticking two fingers up to the prevailing musical zeitgeist, and then strikes it gold when their well-trodden sound becomes hip. But should we really beat up on those who are quick to pick up the scent and provide their own take on it?

For my money, there has been some pretty good nu-Deep (I don't like the term but for continuity's sake I'll stick with it) in 2009. Although not perhaps what Sherburne had in mind, New York is producing excellent house at the moment on the deeper end of the spectrum (although with less vocal samples than usual). Henrik Schwarz continues to plummet the depths of the lead line, as do label-mates Ame and Dixon, and Marc Romboy's Systematic is fast acquiring a roster of highly talented artists and releases.

In Berlin, Tape is the place to be. Recent nights have included showcases of Oslo, Underground Quality, and Mobilee and artists like Omar S, Motor City Drum Ensemble, DJ Qu, Fred P, House of House, Patrice Scott, Trus'Me, Sascha Dive and Theo Parrish have all appeared there, making it a creative nucleus for the sound, especially given Sascha Dive's Clubabend. Yet even the lofty expanses of Berghain (well Panoramabar) have adhered and the Mule party a few weeks back was a fine example.

So there we have it: to exist, a scene needs a location, some heads, and people to document it, and in 2009, perhaps in contrary to 2008, nu-Deep increasingly ticks all of those boxes.