Various Artists – Big & Tall – Soul Print Recordings

LET’S be frank, Serbia doesn’t readily spring to mind when thinking ‘deep house’. Go on. Be honest. It doesn’t, does it? But the folks at Soul Print Recordings are having a real stab at changing all that.

Fair play to them too. In only a handful of years the Belgrade-based collective has released a solo EP apiece from Chicago stalwart Brian Harden and France’s finest Life Recorder, as well as enlisted Anaxander, Andy Ash, Deep Space Orchestra and Simoncino for remix action. They clearly mean business.

For this the fourth outing, the Big & Tall EP, the imprint has secured talent from across Europe, Japan and right on its own doorstep to present a real belter of a five-track release.

Side one is all about the deepArtSounds representatives. The excellent Allstarr Motomusic [aka George Btp] is in-house producer and creative director behind the Switzerland-based label, while up-and-coming Japanese artist Tominori Hosoya [aka Tomi Chair] has guested for the Zurich outfit.

Here the two are bang in form once again with a couple of real beauties. George Btp wears his musical heart on his sleeve as Allstarr Motomusic and his well-documented influences [read about them here, there and everywhere] are clear on the ear with Get Da; you can make out a little Ron Trent and indeed Prescription in general, discern a touch of Anthony Nicholson and catch a smattering of Glenn Underground. Classic, soulful house music. George would make no apologies for that and neither should he do so. Timeless.

Hosoya’s take on the deep house oeuvre, God Bless Us, is more insistent and punchy but every bit as soul-warming and pleasing.

Over on side two there’s a triple treat. Much experienced duo Owen Jay and Melchior Sultana [of UQ and Batti Batti fame] renew their fruitful partnership with the beauteous Recollections Of Detroit. It pretty much does what it says on the tin, the track being an evocative and soulful nod to the Windy City’s finest.

Diego Gamez, who also has previous with Underground Quality, turns in another fine effort too with the delicate, melodic and most satisfying Bon Nuit. Not to be out shone by the others, one of the label’s very own bosses, Petkovski, wades in with Red Sparkles, yet another divinely deep and sultry offering which, yes as it happens, sparkles. Enough said.

Check out:

Soul Print Recordings

Soul Print @ Bandcamp

Big & Tall EP @ Juno