Sometimes it's unjustified and sometimes it seems like it's only us paying attention - but every so often the rest of the world actually takes notice.

Two of the more talented Irish producers of recent times, John Daly and Donnacha Costello, have had little problems getting attention. Both are back with some great new releases. First up, John with a couple: an original 12’” on Drumpoet Community, ‘This Is A Lonely Beat’ and a remix of ‘Volcano’ by legendary early 80's Italian producer, Beppe Loda. The former won't particularly surprise fans of Daly's output, but no real problem. He's continuing to mesh together his disco, house and techno influences really well. Part of the reason for his popularity, along with his way with a catchy hook (check out the vocal loop on the A-side for proof), is that his music effortlessly falls in between genres - you'll find his records in the bags of all types of jocks.

This genre-hopping is reflected in John's own DJ sets where disco, acid, house, techno and italo all join hands. It's not the most surprising thing then to see him appear on the new Beppe Loda remix 12”. John and fellow remixer Revolving Eyes both provide enjoyable reworkings, but they are the sort of remixes that don't really improve on anything that was in the original version. Loda's original is fantastic though, so they didn't have it easy. But it does tend to raise the question of just how needed remixes are. Remixes work when the original isn’t great, or when it’s turned into an entirely different beast. Which didn’t happen here. One definite bonus with a release like this is that John's current profile will help Loda with a new audience. So in that sense, the release is a success.

While John's star is on the rise, Costello has been laying low of late. Apart from a couple of excellent releases, his output has slowed considerably. This has been a good thing – I was less than enamoured by his ‘6x6’ series, where he started to play out the sound he developed over the Color Series to the point where it wasn’t going anywhere. Donnacha would seem to agree as not only has he changed his tune (pun intended), he's also put Minimise to bed - due to the connotations of having a label explicitly referencing minimal means in this day and age.

His new label is called Look Long and the brilliantly titled ‘The Only Way To Win Is Not To Play Me’ is an excellent relaunch. He may have more difficulty getting this into some the haircuts' record bags but it's a deep and effective piece of mid-paced techno and slow-motion electronica, with a hint of an Asian influence, most notabaly on ‘Track 3’. It's interesting to see that he is now willing to place more dance-orientated tracks side by side with more ambient and downtempo offerings, as it's a side of Costello that quite a few people are less aware of.

Another new Irish name has bubbled up this month – Leonid’s ‘Sadim’ on Patrice Scott’s brilliant Sistrum label. For anyone familiar with the stamp, this release certainly fits in. House with a deep techno edge, with all three cuts surely to find a place on deeper dance floors. What Sistrum - and a few other like-minded labels, such as Keith Worthy's Audio Aesthetic - are making is great music for a crowd turned off by the more upfront, banging dancefloor material. Their rising popularity can only be a good thing. Along with Costello's releases these songs sound just as good when you're sitting out in the sun or in a dark, loud club.

Moving away from Ireland, but staying with the new, Chicago's Tevo Howard has emerged in the last 12 months under both his own name and under the Flo Crew nom-de-plume. ‘Without Me’ – released as Tevo Howard - looks likely to be a contender for a high spot on Best of... lists come the end of the year. It’s as basic as it gets, a nice groove rides along for the first third, but it goes to another level with the arrival of a sporadic and spine-tingling piano riff. It's a melancholic and powerful song, all the more effective due to its simplicity. It's like a quiet, shy companion piece to the bombastic House of House ‘Rushing to Paradise’ release. Howard will be one to watch in the future if this is anything to go by.

Uzuri is a label that has quietly been making a name for itself since its inception in 2007. It was actually one of the first labels to put out the now highly-regarded Lerosa, after his initial D1 release, when he was on the verge of packing it all in! For their latest they have the debut release from London-based producer Jitterbug titled ‘Raw Winter’, which contains three original compositions and a remix by DJ Qu. The A1 cut is a sleek piece of melodic deep techno, which is slightly at odds at the other two. On these he opts for a rawer and heavier style, reminiscent of the lo-fi approach to house and techno of Theo Parrish - though ‘No Pressure’ on the flip is harder than what Theo would do, and the Chicago jack sound comes through too. Watch out for the brilliant vocal near the end.

Compared to those last two guys, Seth Troxler has been around the block a few times. He first appeared in 2005 on a compilation on Omar S' FXHE label. After a couple of releases on high-profile labels Wagon Repair and Crosstown Rebels his latest - and best - comes on Wolf + Lamb. It doesn't start off too well, with the first half of the lead cut sort of plodding along, a nice but inoffensive house track accompanied by some spoken word. The introduction of a sweet melody which gently but effectively bends and plays with as the song goes on makes the first half worth it - once it gets going it should turn a few heads on the floor. The b-side sees Troxler on remix duties on a Nicolas Jaar track - a bit odd considering it's billed as a Troxler release - and it's an abrasive techno track that mixes acoustic instruments with their electronic counterparts. It's got a tribal-ish beat and has an air of randomness with all manner of sounds just landing in over it, but the more you listen to it the more it makes sense. It eventually wins out as the stand-out cut on the EP.

New Yorker Levon Vincent looks set to blow up this year, after a few years of releases that were gently bubbling under the radar. His latest, ‘6 Figures’ on Novel Sound looks set to be a big hit in the next few months, the title track being the one causing the most commotion, with its catchy strings leading the way. But it's the inside track on the b-side, ‘1,000 Miles From Home’, that I think will last longest. It's not an obvious a cut as the a-side but the mutant organ sounds and the impressive dub beats are the definition of a grower. Easy to ignore on the first couple of listens, give this one time to blossom.

Creme Organisation is one of the key labels from Holland’s west coast – and one of the main men there is the prolific Danny Wolfers, who is better known as Legowelt. He came to prominence with his disco-influenced electro but in recent times the early acid sounds of Chicago have come more to the fore. His latest album on Crème, ‘Vatos Locos’, continues in this vein – wall-to-wall to dancefloor bangers. For someone with such a release schedule, Wolfers always manages to drop something interesting and fun each time, and this is no different. On a side note, it's always a joy to get a new Creme release into one’s hands, as not only is it a great label but their artwork is some of the most original (and bizarre) going. The Legowelt album is no different, with a painting of a possessed wolf with a third eye growling back at you.

Keeping with the Dutch, Clone announced the winding up of their label a few months back. We suspected that this wouldn't be quite the end - and we weren't wrong. Clone is soon to be returning with not one, not two, not three… buy SIX new sub labels - Clone Jack For Daze Series, Clone Aqualong Series, Clone Bassment Series, Clone Club Series, Clone West Coast Series and Clone Loft Supreme Series. The organisation has always covered a broad spectrum of music, and it looks like ‘compartmentalising’ is now the key word. In the pipeline are contributions from the likes of Alden Tyrell, Mr Pauli, Reggie Dokes, Heinrich Muller's new project (thats Drexciya/Dopplereffekt's Gerald Donald for the non-fanboys out there), Mike Dehnert and the aformetioned Levon Vincent. Exciting times ahead.