As most of you will know at this stage, Traxx:files likes things Midwest style, so it's time to hit up Detroit and see what else is going on there. Alex Omar Smith continues his FXHE label's impeccable run where it's gotten to the point that I'm nearly getting sick of mentioning it's releases on this here column. So I'll keep it short and sweet. If you like what this guy does then you may as well just straight away go and check his own "Plesetsk Cosmodrome" 12" and the latest release from his cousin Big Strick the "100% hustler" double pack, half of which is original cuts, the other half remixes from Mr Smith. Both are simply brilliant.

Going from one 313 native who gets bigged up all the time to one who should but rarely does; Pirahnahead has dropped an almighty bomb with his latest 12" the "NGTV NRG EP: Stage 1", on London based Third Ear Recordings. Predominately known for the deepest of soulful house music, this time around we get an altogether different type of sound. "Mirror Muse - Internal Inspiration" starts thing off with massive slab of acid, taking in Chicago and techno influences, furiously throwing them back at the listener, giving one little time to do anything but get down. I cannot wait to hear this played out, it's sure to cause some craziness. "Disconnected - Dissed Connection" keeps up the energy and tempo with a drummier sound and a warping, rubber bassline, that gets shut down sporadically for some dial tone sounds, generating a funky and jagged concoction. Again, this is one to get arms and legs flailing about the place. It gets a little darker and deeper on the b-sides "Self - Con-science" and Self - Opus 72 - #37" (answers on a postcard with any idea on what he's at with the song titles here), which both share a similar groove and can't help but be overshadowed by what came before.

"FM Sucks/Nothing's Like Detroit" by Detroit In Effect aka D.I.E. was probably my favourite electro 12" from last year and in a time when quality electro is light on the ground I was pretty happy that they decided to drop not one but two new releases on the same day. "Detroit Party Train" and "Work It" are two releases with PARTY written all over them, taking some age old classic electro sounds and throwing them in to a big pile of funk. The 2 releases are jam-packed with silly vocal hooks and the sort of basslines that will get the least funky of us trying to do The Jit till we fall over. A special mentions goes to the title cut off "Detroit Party Train" (I really, really, want to get on that train) and the closing "Shake A little Faster" on "Work It" which has a small melody line that bizarrely reminds me of "Wonderful Christmastime" by Paul McCartney. I presume it's just my ears playing a cruel, yet amusing trick on me.

Two ex-pat Detroiters who are coming on strong at the moment are London based Scott Ferguson and Maine based Disco Nihilist. Ferguson's "Midwest Born and Bred" ep kicks off with what I think is possibly Ferguson's finest cut to date, "Keep On Lovin' Me". It's got a bassline that Kenny Dixon Jr would pimp out his MPC for which on it's own would have this in my bag for months on end, but half way through he opens the song up with a truly inspired 303 line that takes things to a whole other level. The McNichols & Woodward mix takes the original in a much deeper direction and is a cool, light alternative to the first version while things close off with another of Ferguson's louche mid tempo work outs, "Staggering & Stumbling ". Those are certainly two words which do not desribe where Ferguson is at with his music on this 12. Disco Nihilist is, in a relatively short time, making small but noticeable waves on the house scene, and his efforts are sure to gain even more notice with "From One Place to Another" on Construction Paper. The lead off number "Easy" is sure to be the hit, a deceptively simple sounding Chicago inspired number that has a beautifully understated refrain that gently comes in and out of the background through out before leaving way for a well timed acid line to close things off. "Leaving Bull Creak" keeps up a similar vibe as the opener, with a melancholic air hanging over the un-tampered analogue drums. The b side takes things in a darker, heavier direction with both "Gallop" and the closing "SH-101" showing that 25 years down the line it's still amazing how effective a couple of drum machines and not much more can be.

From the midwest of the USA to the midlands of Ireland, Carlow based Tr-One made an interesting introduction in 2007 on their debut 12inch "Inner Thoughts" on Fine Art Recordings with the statement "We Owe Our Musical Heritage To The City Of Detroit" printed across the label. Was this to be another case of "Detroit-esque" techno (ie, throw a rising strings hook over a 909) and why should we bother paying attention? Well, that debut of impressive lo-fi acid was followed by the mid tempo soulful, disco influenced "Mystery Train" on Nice and Nasty in 2009 so it actually seemed like we might have something more interesting here. Their latest Ep "It Ain't Hard To Tell" on Pogo Recordings again shows them to be willing to utilise an impressive array of sounds and it is the seemingly contradictory mix of bleakness and hope that is a mainstay in much of the Motor City's electronic music output that is the "heritage" they speak of more than any particular sound. The music has a musty, late night groove with an improvised feeling prevalent, with the middle cut "Bombay" being the stand out of the 3 songs. Fitting to it's title there is an eastern tinge to the uplifting keys that bring this masterful house cut to its end. Closing things off on this round up is the latest from the Dublin based Enclave Recordings; the debut ep from Rogan, "78". All 4 songs are heavily influenced by the jazzy, looselimbed works of Moodymann, utilising vocal samples in a similar fashion, but they more than hold their own in a world gone mad on knocking off 90s deep house and the closing "Control" especially is a fantastic rush of stabbing chords and uptempo disco drums.

Top Ten Rob Hood - Alpha [M-Plant] Scott Ferguson - Keep On Lovin' (Detroit v Chicago Mix) [Ferrispark] Pirahnahead - Mirror Muse - Internal Inspiration [Third Ear Recordings] Shake - Frenchie [Frictional] Disco Nihilist - Easy [Construction Paper] D.I.E. - Detroit Party Train [MAP] CRC - Mandragora [Heliocentric Music] Tr One - Bombay [POGO] Tevo Howard - Data (Long Version) [Our Hour is Your Rush] Gosub - The Last Time I Saw You [Citinite]