This week's second update is online now at Primalrecords.com, this time featuring almost 100 new titles in House, Progressive, Tech-house, Techno, Breaks, and Leftfield. Lots of long-awaited biggies in this week, as well as a true completist's restock from the Beat Non Stop / Pacific Coast House camp. What does that mean for you? New and restocked material from Undercover Agency, JT Donaldson, Lance Desardi, and our personal favorites, The Coastal Commission, among others.

Here's the shortlist:

JOHN HOWARD & BRENDAN McCARTHY "Mission Street Symphony" Leaf [House, Tribal, Tech-house] Between the two of them, they've released records for a diverse list of labels including OM, Moody, Crack & Speed, Doubledown, and others. Together, John Howard and B. McCarthy team up for what might be the definitive Leaf Records experience: Tight and funky tribal tech-house goodness with deep synth washes, sultry sax, and a proper San Francisco house vibe. Added diversity gives us John's Electro Dub--a fat and filthy breakbeat rub that rivals the original mixes. Fantastic.

www.leafrecordings.com

BRETT JOHNSON & DAVE BARKER "Stucco Homes" (Brett Johnson and Freaks Rmxs) Classic [House, Tech-house] While we're anxiously awaiting Brett Johnson's
debut LP for Seasons, Classic gives us an excellent holdover to bring the anticipation to a fever pitch. WIthout doubt, "Stucco Homes" was the highlight of Johnson's last EP for Classic; here, it gets the rework from Freaks and Johnson himself. While Brett Johnson's remix comes off more like an extended dub of the original--already a worthwhile addition to any collection--London's Freaks crew steal the show with one of the most bugged-out house offerings you might ever hear. Honing in on the original mix's unique vocal, Freaks take a tech-funk approach with loads of unexpected turns and twists that will move a crowd to raise their arms in between scratching their heads. Of course, this is quintessential Derrick Carter DJ material--reminiscent of classic Cajual back catalog, but with a distinct London vibe. It's what house music should sound like in 2003.

www.classicmusiccompany.com

THE FUNK INN feat. JENNIFER JOHNS "The Journey / The Dub" Seductive [House] The latest from the Seductive label is quite true its label name: Jennifer John's wonderful vocal hits the spot where so many vocal house records fall short--it's emotive, smooth, and, umm, seductive. Doc Martin is an early supporter, and with good reason: Either in vocal or dub versions, "The Journey" is an extremely memorable cut that will most likely wind up this year's best kept secret. If Kaskade's "It's You, It's Me" did it for you, you're gonna want this.

LANCE DESARDI "Dre Says / Sooner Than Later" Pacific Coast House [House, Tech-house] PCH brings us another newie from So Cal house kingpin Lance Desardi, and this one became a quick favorite here in the Primal camp. "Dre Says" is a nice disco-fied house cut for the filter funk set, but we're personally freaking on "Sooner Than Later"--a proper West Coast house workout that brings the funk in droves. Expert wave manipulation, funky synth stabs, and its descending bass line will work on any dancefloor, small or large, but what truly stands out is its solid sequencing; everything feels right here.

JAY TRIPWIRE "Saxomous Bill / Spoley Stuff" Cove [House, Tribal, Tech-house] Grant Dell's Cove imprint unveils its second release with everyone's favorite Canadian Jay Tripwire, and this one was a wise signing. Far techier than on the average Tripwire release "Saxomous Bill" reels in a cavalry of disparate elements--electro FX, a slight breakbeat nod, and... well... a sax solo from former president Bill Clinton--and I'll be damned if doesn't make more sense than some of the titles of his tracks. "Spoley Stuff" follows suit on excellence, with a wicked old school house vibe that rings somewhere between Josh One's "Contemplation," Chicken Lips, and Tripwire's signature sound.

www.syntaxrecordings.com

RANDOM FACTOR "Limited Edition Remix EP" (feat. Chicken Lips, Silver City, and Freaks) 20/20 Vision [House, Tech-house, Techno] If you think the average 20/20 release comes and goes too fast, you'd better act quick here. Strictly limited edition, when this one is gone, you can kiss it goodbye. Three remixes in all, working over a batch of Random Factor tracks in an eclectic style: Silver City hands in a classic 20/20 dub, with its tough beats, cut-up vocal stabs, and frequency-cutting b-line, Chicken Lips hone in another fine mix in their distinct electro-disco aesthetic, and Freaks give "Without You" a minimal tech-house rub that recalls the Markus Nicolai classic "Bushes."

www.2020recordings.com

LEGEND OF TALKING DOG "My Shadow Dances" Pt. 1 (Mr. Velcro Fastener & Red Jerry Mxs) / Pt. 2 (Original & Mr Velco Fastener Instrumental) Hooj Choons [Progressive, Tech-house, Breaks] We just don't know how to classify Hooj anymore, so we won't bother. These guys are totally doing their own thing right now, and their latest release--a 2-disc set from Legend Of Talking Dog--surely won't paint a clearer picture. What we can tell you is that, whatever they're doing, it's good. Disc 1 features a chunky breaks mix from current genre-star Mr. Velcro Fastener as well as a wicked disco-house mix from Hooj boss Red Jerry that is currently being hammered and charted by Mazi. On Disc 2 comes Mr. Velcro Fastener's instrumental, as well as the original--another genre-bending cut that falls somewhere between progressive, tech-house, dub, and tribal.

www.hoojchoons.co.uk

PLUMP DJs "Eargasm Album Sampler" 2x12" Finger Lickin' [Breaks] When Plump DJs first arrived on the scene with a series of album samplers for their classic Plump Night Out LP, we knew they'd be the producers most likely to blow up the burgeoning nu-school breaks scene. And now that they've done that, they're ready to transcend it altogether. If this, the first album sampler from their forthcoming Eargasm LP is any indication, the Plumps are finding a bevy of influence to expand their sound--from progressive to electro to the current bleep-house explosion. It's quite possibly the breaks album of the year--already.

www.fingerlickin.co.uk

JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE "Rock Your Body" (Sander Kleinenberg, Junior Vasquez, and Paul Oakenfold Rmxs) Media [House, Progressive] We here at Primal Records are not afraid to tell you that we love Justin Timberlake. Say what you want, but the kid can sing--and if he can't quite write a song from scratch yet, he sure as hell can pick a producer. When I heard that Sander Kleinenberg was commissioned for a remix, I knew this would be the chance he needed to stretch his wings out from the progressive pigeonhole and give us some nasty funk--kinda like he did on a limited white label EP he released in 1999, after the Four Seasons EP catapulted his name to the top of the Global Underground hierarchy. And you know what? Kleinenberg came through. His Just In The Club Mix still has a notable progressive house edge, but in essence, what he's really done is given us a fully playable mix of the original--not straying too far from the template set by the Neptunes. You go, Justin.

Also in this week is new remix and production work from Casa Del Soul staple Ty Tek, Tony Thomas & Access 58 (remixed by Jon Carter), Dr. Sparkle (CPEN!), Flatline, Phil Kieran, Vincenzo (remixed by Steve Bug), Marques Wyatt, Peter Black, Tony Senghore, Chris Simmonds (remixed by Johnny Fiasco and Aaron Ochoa), The Coastal Commission, DJ Gogo (as recently charted by John Digweed), Formidable Force, Bassetti (remixed by Philly's Tigerhook Corp.), Meat Katie & Dylan Rhymes, MV (remixing the Nightcrawlers classic "Push The Feeling On"), Tayo (the unmixed vinyl version of his recent Mob Deep CD compilation), and Guillaume La Tortue & Chris Carrier's Logic Box alias--to name a few.

New label output from End Recordings, Court Square, SAW Recordings, EQ Grey, Skint, Sog, Dessous, Release, Underwater, Laudon, Visitor, Dirty Blue, Hallucination, Mob, and Fat City, among others, is also in.

And HEY! Don't miss these: Full release copies of Nils Hess & Nathan Coles' Get Fucked EP for the Household label are now in and in full stock! If you missed these on white label a few months back, now's your chance.

Also restocked this week is the latest Antenna International compilation featuring Sativa & Justin Long's fantastic Beat Smugglers project, as well as DJ Adnan & Amit Shoham's massive Yello remixes (limited to less than 500 pressed!), and the aforementioned slew of goodies from Pacific Coast House, Beat Non Stop, and Seductive. Trust us guys, these are quality labels that many folks are sleeping on.

That's it for now. Now get to it!

(Norman Arenas)