In The Remix 2026: Deep House — A Love Letter to the Underground
Few remix compilations arrive with as much editorial conviction as In The Remix 2026: Deep House. Featuring 19 tracks spanning classic Chicago deep house to contemporary club-focused cuts, this selection functions as a generational map of the genre — one that honours its roots without surrendering to nostalgia.
The opening statement is masterful. The Mr. G Remix of 'Northern Lights' (Semtek, Don't Be Afraid Records) sets the temperature with the London producer's signature rhythmic economy: hypnotic percussion at 127 BPM in D Major that locks you in from the first bar. It's immediately followed by the Black Science Orchestra Vocal Mix of 'Dime Algo' (Payfone, Leng Records), which drops to 98 BPM and turns the listening experience into something genuinely organic — that acid-soul blend that Jeff Waddell has always handled with surgical precision.
The label roster assembled here is one of the compilation's greatest strengths. We get Studio Barnhus with Staffan Lindberg and MC G7's 'Botâo (Otavio Remix)' — groovy, percussive, unmistakably Scandinavian — Phantasy Sound with the delightful CC:DISCO! and Confidence Man collaboration on 'Chez Moi', and Armada Music delivering Deep Dish's 'Say Hello (PARAMIDA's Tokyo to Tehran Extended Dub)', eight transcontinental minutes of deep house that alone justify the release's existence.
The Weight of Proper Names
The remixer lineup is, in itself, a purchasing argument. Cinthie reinterprets Rolando with her 'Junie Remix' in C Minor, bringing the Berlin texture that has established her as one of European deep house's most honest voices. Shanti Celeste transforms Hayes Bradley's 'Play It As It Lays' into 7 minutes and 18 seconds of emotional architecture in A Major, while Tuccillo delivers a seven-minute dub of Pornbugs' 'To The Moon And Back' that belongs squarely in the lineage of the great afrohouse-adjacent dubs.
Jimpster unveils a previously unreleased vocal version for the Fred Everything and Joseph Malik cut ('Not A Club Song') — an editorial gesture that turns the compilation into a historical document. Kai Alcé, with his 'NDATL Trumpet Dub' of 'Simple Love', delivers one of the set's most emotionally resonant moments: live trumpet, Detroit soul, and 124 BPM that never rush the pulse, only warm it.
The Closing Stretch and Club Highlights
The final stretch maintains altitude. Huxley extends Josh Butler's 'Hideout' (ORIGINS RCRDS) with his trademark dense bassline and impeccable shuffle. Demuir flips Ely & D Stone's 'Move Over' (Heist Recordings) into a funk-loaded 'Playboi Edit' drawing from the Chicago-Detroit continuum. And Mark Farina alongside Homero Espinosa bring the Allen Craig Remix of 'Best Of Both Worlds' to close the circle — a nod to the San Francisco school that ends the compilation with class and historical perspective.
- Absolute standout: Say Hello (PARAMIDA's Tokyo to Tehran Extended Dub) – Deep Dish
- Emotional peak: Simple Love (Kai Alcé NDATL Trumpet Dub) – BB James, Laville, Slxm Sol
- Editorial surprise: Not A Club Song (Jimpster's Unreleased Vocal Remix) – Fred Everything
- Peak-time weapon: Junie (Cinthie Remix) – Rolando
- Perfect opener: Northern Lights (Mr. G Remix) – Semtek
Ultimately, In The Remix 2026: Deep House is more than a compilation — it is a statement of principles about what deep house can and should be. Unreservedly recommended.
