This week's second update is online now at Primalrecords.com, and there are lots of biggies to contend with along with the usual pre-release action--this week from our friends at Q Studios, Court Square, and the Biggest of Chiefs. All that, and this weekend marks the 1 Year Anniversary of Get Underground!--the San Francisco party whose humble beginnings in an illegal Oakland basement space have expanded into a veritable Bay Area house music institution. Details on this weekend's party coming up; for now, a very abbreviated hitlist.

Ever get to the record store and find too many records you'd love to buy? This is one of those weeks. I'd write about 20 records if I had the chance, but I have to narrow it down to six. So here goes:

SOMBIONX & LINDSAY "Dance Till Sunday" EP Q Studios (Promo) [House, Tech-house] One of Chicago's most underrated (and somehow one of Doubledown's biggest acts), Adam Nelson's latest EP for his own Q Studios imprint finds his Sombionx moniker delving into 4 tracks of proper Chicago house. The title track is a fantastic manifesto for the jack-is-back movement flourishing in the Midwest, while "Feels Like" comes off like a fierce, minimal UK tech-houser. My personal pick, however, goes to "Summertime," a season-appropriate deep house cut with sub-surrendering low-end technique, a gorgeous vocal from Lindsay, and a fresh sample cut-up that maintains its Chi-town grit.

www.qstudios.tv

PANIC "Big Bellied Psycho" (Original & Cosmic Groove Transmission Mxs) Big Chief (Promo) [House, Tribal, Tech-house] Let's talk limited, because these are first come, first serve, and they'll probably be out of here well before weekend. San Diego's Panic makes his Big Chief debut with "Big Bellied Psycho," a trippy tribal workout that weaves itself underneath a wave of live congas, techy FX, and a classy ethnic flute section. For the B-side, Brique Rouge alumni Cosmic Groove Transmission hand in two distinct remixes: The Acid Daze mix will feed your 303 jones nicely, but I'm charting the I Feel It CGT mix--a funky groover propelled by a bad-ass modulated bass line that shakes floors. Good luck trying to nab one.

www.syntaxrecordings.com/bigchief

JAY-J & JULIUS PAPP pres. SHUFFLE INC. "Evening Star" (Alex Trax & DJ Thanno Dub, Steve "Fella" Kotey, and Jason Brunton Rmxs) Court Square (Promo) [House, Tribal, Tech-house] Speaking of limited, good luck on this one, too. Jay-J & Julius Papp's Shuffle Inc. project gets reworked by three up-and-coming production bodies, but allow me to focus on my favorite. For some time now, Steve "Fella" Kotey has been making a name for himself with his Hairy Claw label and the word around town is that he's just joined Chicken Lips. Here, Kotey does more of what he's best known for: Deep and classy dance music that's both tough enough for the modern dancefloor and playful enough to recall the dancefloors of yesteryear. Though the other mixes on this package surely hold their own, Kotey's interpretation just hit me like a ton of bricks.

DJ BUCK "Gettin' Thru" EP Tweekin [House, Tribal, Tech-house] The ever-popular (and rightfully so!) DJ Buck returns with another EP for our friends at Tweekin Records, and as always, he brings another spot-on production. The focus cut here is, no doubt, "Gettin' Thru"--one of Buck's sickest-ever bass lines and his trademark organic percussive elements make a solid bed for the track, but watch the hands hit the sky when the vocal cut-up exclaims, "Am I gettin' thru to you?" It's priceless. "Ease" takes a similar route, but finds deeper solace in a warm electric piano run and a soulful vocal that might inspire you to break into Buck's house and steal his sample record collection.

www.tweekin.com

BLACK SCIENCE ORCHESTRA "New Jersey Deep" (Original & Swag Re-edit) Junior
[House, Breaks] I don't need to tell you about the original mix here. Ashley Beedle's Black Science Orchestra broke the mold when they originally issued "New Jersey Deep" and practically created the acid jazz genre in the process. Here, Junior reissues the much in-demand original with a Swag re-edit, and if you love the original, you're gonna be all over this. An added intro breakbeat, a lengthened and heightened mid-section, and a nice mixable outro updates the track with class and respect, and Junior's Re-edit Series is shaping up to be one of the best things that's happened to house music in some time.

www.junior-records.com

VANCE MUSGROVE "Elemental / Lids Off" Orc Music [Progressive, House] Okay, trust me, here. I'm like the unofficial president of the Danny Tenaglia fan club, and every time I hear that someone else has attempted to remix his classic "Elements," I get this nervous twitch in the back of my neck that compels me to hide under desks. Why? Well, first of all, the original was just the quintessential Danny track--a perfect snapshot of what he was trying to convey with the term Hard & Soul. And the overwhelming majority of remixes have been lowgrade Danny knock-offs. Do we really need another dark tribal mix of anything Tenaglia's touched? Okay, so back to Vance Musgrove. God bless the guy, because he's managed actually stamp his own sonic fingerprint into the mix, taking the track completely out of its intended context and borrowing only the brooding synth from the original for a deep and atmospheric house cut in the vein of Tom Middleton or early Sasha. No spooky vocal samples, no cave-like sound FX, no cheese. This is absolute quality. And limited to only 500 pressed.

Also in is new remix and production work from Audio Soul Project (full release copies of Mazi's latest for Matter/Form!), Chris Lum, Swirl People, Echomen (remixed by Bushwacka! and Nova Scotia), Losoul vs. JT Donaldson (remixed by Phil Weeks!), Peace Division, Holger Flinsch, Ictus (remixed by Kingkade and Chris Lake), Joshua Collins, Nathan Scott & Gideon Jackson (on limited promo), Miguel Migs, Stylophonic (remixed by John Ciafone and Tom Middleton), Martin Solveig, Cesar Del Rio & Juan Magan, Stirfry, Tony Senghore, DJ Kemit, and three discs worth of Human League remixes from the likes of Freaks, Majik Johnson, Brooks, and others. Also be sure to check out Masters At Work-collaborator and Wave Music contributor Markus Enochson, whose tweaked and techy mix of Brandy's "What About Love?" is currently
rocking our offices. All of this and much more is online now.

New label output from Hooj Choons, Outergaze, Chez, Soundproof, Tactile, Camouflage, Kilowatt, Dope Cottage, Distraekt, Phono Elements, Gourmet, Minimal, NRK, Twijit, Aroma, Mood Music, and lots more is also in.

And restocks? Check it: Limited restocks from Pacific Coast House are back in (you guys cleaned them out!), as well as timeless music from Community Recordings, Kaskade, Tony Thomas, Aztech Sol, Patrick Turner, and the latest Doubledown sampler featuring Johnny Fiasco, Natural Rhythm, and Midas Entertainment producer Thomas Sahs. Also back in: A personal favorite that has definitely gone under the radar. MN8's The Urban Sensual EP on Ultrasound has been in my box for months and months, but for some reason, slipped by with little notice. Give this dubby and tribal tech-house floorfiller a shot. I personally brought it back in for you guys.

Finally: Get Underground's 1 Year Anniversary Party happens this Saturday, May 17, at Club 6 in San Francisco. The line-up features some of Get Underground's best talent over two rooms including Tony Hewitt, Solar, Galen, DJ Adnan with Afro-Mystik's Drum Fire, Fries & Bridges' Hector Moralez, Rebecca Watkins, and the Smartbeat Selectors, Poppa and Dubrocker.

Club 6 is located at 60 Sixth Street, between Mission and Market Streets in San Francisco. The party goes from 10PM to 4AM, and it's only $10 at the door. Hope to see you all there!

More new music next week. Until then, be good.

(Norman Arenas)