bobby van putten s the planty herbs project has been reveling in the edit world since 2010, although his output is frustratingly scattered for those who appreciate his tender touch. now though you can revel in the splendour of a full 12-track, double vinyl album that truly shows what putten is made of. from the mellow soul food of nothing lasts to the laidback hip hop funk of downgrade, the dusty house experiments of akustika to the poppy overtones of follow me now, this is the sound of an artist with a rich musical gift and a soulful instinct.

chicago damn is the latest esteemed producer to shore up at marcel vogel s intimate friends label, following the hypoleon ep with some forthright, sample heavy funk house concoctions that nod to his other work on wolf music and the like. -bunny hoppin- is a rowdy but soulful belter with a peppy tempo and an addictive line in looped up samples, while -flush- takes things slower and dustier without getting too lost in the undergrowth. -the truth- lays its samples out in bold, bright brushstrokes with a pattering, psyched out undercurrent for deeper, sunkissed moments, and then -tipsy- finishes the ep off in a playful tryst of re-pitched piano trills and scuffed beats.

played by marcel vogel / it s been a while since we heard any new material from rick poppa howard, the father of prodigious house talent tevo howard. the soul and raw, off-kilter production style runs in the family, and -keep holdin on- demonstrates this perfectly with its immediate warmth and unfussy arrangement. -gimme that love- is the real gem on this record though, toying with a rubbery bassline and a touch more atmospheric detail that makes howards voice shine. that said, if you do require an instrumental version for any reason, the alternative cut stands proud on its own. for our money though, we d say howard s vocals are what makes this record special.

simba is a sweet soul from the uk, wefound him through his release on shadeleaf music and super happy about this 12inch and his remix for marcel vogel on mate 11. a truly gifted man!

i would like to thank my buddy nyak feat mark hand for his sensual remix of human being on a1 and soulphiction for the tripped out journey of always isnt only on a2. while you are here, check out soul clap s floor wrecking interpretation of moonchild on b1, especially when that bassline comes in. and finally give a round of applause to simba for his deep grooving remix on b2. thanks and see you again soon!

dikkens is a beautiful soul from rotterdam who is combining different heartfelt emotions in one wonderful record glued together by a tremendous subbass.

vienna in da house! the latest release from intimate friends invites viennese producer par excellence roman rauch into the fold for the essig jazz ep. straight from the home of the wiener schnitzel, roman is of course known for almost a dozen releases on labels like endless flight, philpot and quintessentials. the austrian is on fine fettle here with three twisted and rolling productions the spoken word delivery from caits meissner on got to be is something of a highlight as is the wonderfully messed up remix of the title track from glenn astro.