Cole Degenova is a native Chicago south-sider who’s been playing out professionally since the tender age of 15. I’ve heard good things about his funky live shows, and as a secret admirer of blue-eyed soul legends like Michael McDonald, Jamiroquai and Meyer Hawthorne, I was interested in hearing what his sound would be like when I came across “Another Country”, his second album, originally released in August of 2012.

In the intro track “Those Kids”, DeGenova’s smooth voice glides over a bed of fx-heavy guitar loops to paint a nostalgic picture of a youthful bunch of friends for whom living in the moment begins to lose its luster as the years pass. Generally light-hearted, this album was a fun enough ride-through the first time around, but his introspective lyrics can more than keep your interest over the course of subsequent listens. He optimistically muses on love, unspectacular nights out on the town, and tales of young people unsure exactly of just what to to do with the time they have in front of them.

The production is always crisp, tracks drive sometimes by pianos, sometimes by brass, work with the lively percussion to give nearly every track something that stands out, even the jam-ier, instrumentals. You, however, can decide for yourself, as Another Country is streaming in its entirety over at Cole’s band camp page.

The sort of sampled, layered climax this tracks ends with really stood out to me. (Although apparently not as much as that one soundcloud commenter):

Here’s another nice melodic number with an interesting vocal loop going on throughout:

Last spring or so, a track by a man named Suzanne surfaced and from the first listen became one of my very favorites of the year.

After the supply limited-edition vinyls quickly dried up, Running Back Records wisely decided to dole it out in digital form.

Now, after a fairly quiet year later, Suze is back with a vengeance, this time on L.A. upstarts Young Adults.

“Jus U” features a cut-up vocal snippet happy enough to leave you smiling but with just enough bounce in the bassline to keep your feet shuffling throughout. It too can be bought at beatport, but can also be served on one of those black disc thingys, alongside heaping helpings of The Dead Rose Music Company, the LOL Boys and fellow retro-house enthusiasts Urulu.

“Horoscope” is more underneath the dreamy, deep, chill-rave, pill-rave, etc. umbrella along the lines of “Morning Come”. Keep your eyes peeled for forthcoming release, also on Young Adults.

Lastly, I’d encourage you to check out Suze’s slick mix below; one of the rare dj mixes that I’ve listened to multiple times in the past year:

Sampling As An Art is the preferred alias of a Parisian named Max Fader; still unsure whether or not that is his real name, or just a house music twist on Homer Simpson’s Max Power alias.

S3A makes deep house music, my favorite kind of music, out of disco music, my other favorite kind of music. S3A even got some mini-props on the Fabric website. What’s not to love?

I’ll tell you what’s not to love. As of right now, you can only track down one of his releases digitally, making me either prowl about the sketchy, unregulated black marketplace that is discogs, or get up off my ass and over to my local record shop.

Andrew Clarke puts out disco-flavored jams that are generally on the chill side of the house music spectrum. I’m envisioning AC manning the decks at some perfect, outdoor summer party, perhaps people are dancing, but perhaps they aren’t.

Grab this freebie below, especially if you’re familiar with the epic Hudson Mohawke Remix.

He’s been previously involved with acts that I like to keep eye on, like Heion and Hotbox.

A quick listen-thru of some of his dj sets prove that the vibes are strong with this one.

After previewing a few of their tracks, I came to appreciate The Clover for their slightly strange approach to house music that is at once both very funky and a little weird.

I bought some of their tunes though and after a few full-length listens, I was in love. Their bare bones, not-quite-perfectly-worded soundcloud biography only adds to their appeal:

“Something similar to a Funky-Housy band, born in Florence, composed by Antonio Pecori, Stefano Meucci and Andrea Giachetti.”

So if you find yourself in Italy, tell these guys to keep up the good work. And download a free favorite of mine below:

The Clover – Groove Shadows (mp3)

On a monthly-or-so basis, I’m very happy to be a part of The Romper Room, a Thursday night affair that will be straddling the fine line between underground and fun (Fun-derground?) at the Void-equipped Primary Nightclub. The club’s been open no less than two months but has already established a name for itself in the scene, what with its wall of ‘woofers and memorable, secret Nico Jaar show last month.

The next Romper Room, in which we share the stage with fellow locals Weaponry and Club Bad, will go down on August 16th, with Jackersize taking hold of the tables this time at the late-nite 2am slot. So get those excuses ready for Friday morning!

This Saturday, August 11th, for all you Chicago scene family members, there’s a special Jackersize-sponsored day party that you might be interested in checking out. Nothing too wild, just kegs, friends, and good soundsystem with some great DJs at a private outdoor space just west of Chicago’s lakeview neighborhood. The DJs in question are the internationally-beloved Moon Boots, the should-be-internationally-beloved Studio Casual, localites Exbestfriends, and original Jackersize collaborator Mike Palmeri. Direct any and all inquiries to us via

jackersize at gmail dot com

please as we’re trying to keep the guestlist close to the vest.

Finally, one more cause for celebration.

The latest installment of the Workout Tape mix series is up and running, this time featuring a much more summery, populist tip than we’re known for. ENJOY AND THANK YOU FOR LISTENING:

http://soundcloud.com/jackersize/workout-tape-9-the-midsummer

Session Victim is a Berlin-based duo that you simply cannot afford to overlook anymore; that is, if you’re a proud purveyor of smooth, melodic deep house music with just enough bounce for the dance floor.

Whether they’re being tapped for remixes by one of my favorite record labels…

or doing a podcast for one of my other favorite record labels,

…their musical heads are clearly screwed on straight.

I’m not mincing words when I say that this 3x-LP for the always-quality Delusions Of Grandeur is one of the finest releases that there will be all year.

Here’s one of my personal favorites from the package:
Session Victim – Zoinks (mp3)

And here’s an outstanding earlier work, also off D.O.G.:
Session Victim – The Keyboarder (mp3)

For the love of God, Allah, and all else that is holy, head over to your preferred digital marketplace and have a listen.

And for the love of self-promotion, the last Jackersize mixtape lovingly featured a Session Victim track.

http://soundcloud.com/jackersize/workout-tape-8-how-to-chill

Rango likes to keep you guessing. He’ll also introduce you to some prime 80s gems that you may not have play-able versions of in your collections, and for that, we thank him.

http://soundcloud.com/rango-jones/kissing-the-pink-k-t-p-certain

He’s a frequent contributor to the invaluable Edit Records blog, a site that no dance music fan should be without.

He doesn’t seem to do much to mess with the original, but I sure as hell can vouch for his taste.

This young man from Manchester has figured out how to achieve the perfect “Hot Creations-ish bassline, thumping floor-filler” type of track. He’s got a knack for distorting or looping vocals to just the right effect and his tech/deep house songs would fit nicely in a peak-time set.

At the very least, do yourself a favor and check out this freebie he’s made available:

download

Here’s another one that found its way into my shopping cart:

http://soundcloud.com/tom-brady/m-phunk-closing-time-tom-brady

Just like tuberculosis, this TB is incredibly relentless. Only instead of killing people, he just puts out a lot of tracks. So have a look at his stuff on beatport.