Memorial Day is throwing us a bit out of wack this week, but UPS hasn't been able to slow down our Tuesday update--featuring no less than five new pre-release exclusives and a clutch of new titles in our House, Tech-house, Progressive, Techno, and Breaks catalogs.

Once again, here's a sneak peek:

ANDREW & EDWARDS "Slowburning" (Original and Fries & Bridges Mxs) Offset Music (Promo) [House, Tech-house] New UK label Offset Music is already off to a strong start; promos for their Numatik Soul release (featuring a High Plains Drifters mix) are being championed by some of the genre's best. Offset's second release, here on exclusive pre-release, comes from Andrew & Edwards and is remixed by Phil Weeks and Hector Moralez--our very own Fries & Bridges. "Slowburning" is a chunky house cut with a Johnny Fiasco feel: dubbed-out vocal cut-ups weave in and out of classy sax lines and a truly funky rhythm section. On the flip, Fries & Bridges hand in another dose of their signature tech-house sound for a funked-up, bass-centric interpretation whose blasted radio frequency sampling borders on mental. Another reason to add Offset Music to your labels-to-watch list.

OLIVIER DESMET & CHUCK DIESEL feat. LATRICE BARNETT "For You" (Original & Dub Mxs) / "Common Ground" Tango (Promo) [House] Amenti Music mainman Olivier Desmet combines talents with production partner Chuck Diesel for an excellent new EP, their first for Tango. Hot on the heels of their Run For Cover EP on East Coast Boogiemen imprint Odds & Ends, Desmet & Diesel's Tango debut is an exercise in seduction: Tight techy beats, low-slung bass, and the smooth vocal output of frequent Jay-J collaborator Latrice Barnett all lend a hand in the overall brilliance of "For You," while "Common Ground" is a Moulton-styled pumper with classic SF filter funk. Wonderful.

www.tangorecordings.com

MIDAS "Come On With It" EP Doubledown (Promo) [House, Tech-house] San Diego's Midas crew is taking over this year with upcoming releases on 20/20 Vision and, ahem, Primal, coming soon. Here, the crew--Thomas Sahs, Scott Pace, and Paul Paredes--makes their Doubledown debut with a 3-track EP that just about defines everything good about house music in 2003. "Chunky Monkey" is a Chicago jack track channeled through their Texas roots, "Dogfight" is a tweaked and bleep-houser that works equally as well as a video game soundtrack as it does on the dancefloor, and "Night Of A Maze"--the standout track on their limited edition Midas EP for Select earlier this year--makes its reappearance here because it's just too damn good to miss. I'll rarely call a record flawless, but in this case, a spade's a spade.

www.doubledownrecordings.com

SEINAN "Borrowed Roots" EP Worship (Promo) [House, Tribal, Tech-house] Philadelphia's Worship crew stays true to the sound that has pushed them to the forefront of dub-house, and these limited promos from newcomers Seinan add fuel to the fire. Three tracks in all, Seinan hold down a variety of moods beginning with "Freezer Geezer," a tough and chunky house cut that gets my vote, riding along a beefy b-line and a classy tribal element--perfect for peak-time or your more pumping moments. "Lion" and "Yotta" grace the flip, both delivering a deeper interpretation of the dub-house blueprint and an uncanny versatility for dancefloor plays. Quality.

www.worshiprecs.com

Also new this week is remix and production work from Eric Ross & Sombionx (more exclusive white label business from Q Studios), Pound Boys, Stereomovers (remixed by MV and Kingkade), DJ Gregrory, Miguel Migs, Isolee, Gwill Morris vs. Infusion, Kevin Freeman, Proper Filthy Naughty, Stirfry, Lovejuice, and much more.

New label output from Mighty Atom, Addictive, Playhouse, Botchit & Scarper, Funkatech, Baroque, 10 Kilo, Large Music, 83 West, Low Pressings, Faya Combo, Kompakt, and more, is also in.

As I mentioned before, the Memorial Day holiday has thrown us somewhat off schedule, so keep an eye peeled for more new music as we get it. Thanks for all your support, and be good!

(Norman Arenas)