CHARLES WEBSTER Vinyl & CDs

Review: Anyone with at least a rudimentary knowledge of the history of UK dance music, and deep house in particular, will tell you that this album is a big deal. It's the first full-length in 19 years from Charles Webster, a producer whose atmospheric, smoky take on deep house and downtempo grooves has always been a cut above his UK contemporaries. The big question is this: is it any good? Predictably, it most certainly is. Featuring a wealth of guest vocalists (Sia, Shara Nelson and Terra Deva included), Decision Time sees Webster effortlessly blur the boundaries between smoky soul, trip-hop, jazz, future R&B, broken beat and house so deep it may take you a while to resurface. In a word: brilliant.

Review: Charles Webster's 2020 album Decision Time - the veteran East Midlander's first full-lengthi 19 years - was predictably good, but more downtempo and immersive than dancefloor-ready. This EP of remixes from the album is therefore long overdue. The EP-opening Dazzle Drums remix of 'This Is Real' is a luscious slab of jazz and bossa-tinged deep house soul perfection, while Jazuelle's 'Retro Rhapsody' version of 'Music' effortlessly joins the dots between laidback breakbeat, street soul and warming deep house sonics. Over on the flip, Mark E reimagines 'The Spell' as an analogue-rich chunk of gently dreamy deep house hypnotism, while 'Luciano' channels the spirit of Matthew Herbert's greatest micro-house productions on an undulating, soul-enriching full vocal take on 'Music'. Grown-up fare that sounds as good at home as it does in the club.

Review: Anyone with at least a rudimentary knowledge of the history of UK dance music, and deep house in particular, will tell you that this album is a big deal. It's the first full-length in 19 years from Charles Webster, a producer whose atmospheric, smoky take on deep house and downtempo grooves has always been a cut above his UK contemporaries. The big question is this: is it any good? Predictably, it most certainly is. Featuring a wealth of guest vocalists (Sia, Shara Nelson and Terra Deva included), Decision Time sees Webster effortlessly blur the boundaries between smoky soul, trip-hop, jazz, future R&B, broken beat and house so deep it may take you a while to resurface. In a word: brilliant.

Review: Dave Seaman and Steve Parry founded Selador in 2013 as a vessel for their vision of house and techno, forged on the foundation of their lifelong dedication to the culture. They've been commemorating ten years of outstanding music with a run of releases that gather together some outstanding new tracks across the spectrum of the label's sound, and just look at the partnerships they've mustered up for this fifth and final entry in the Decade series. Charles Webster and Ursula Rucker lock into an outstanding strain of deep, soulful house on 'Begin Anew' while Oona Dahl and Doc Martin tease a little prog magic on 'Soul On Fire (Dub)'. At every turn these established heavyweights are pushing new sounds, mirroring Selador's overall combination of experience and curiosity with spectacular results.