I was already a huge fan of Italo deep house, having found a ton of it lying around stores in Ireland in the early ’90s. Don Carlos’ music, like the recently reissued Vibraphone Records material, was deep in a way that was similar to deep house from the US, but still had this sensual feel and a killer production value that really set it apart. I was delighted when Guidance Recordings in Chicago put out this EP by Don Carlos. It’s beautiful music, like much of his output, and is well worth checking out still.

The Aquanauts
Karma EP
Guidance Recordings/US/12
The Aquanauts aka Don Carlos, drop a four tracker of sheer get-down abstraction that will have your cerebrum rippling while your butt swings out of control. With four tracks in all, from the deep and funky hard house of  “Karma” to the lush funk of ‘Voyage,” which sounds like a technoid mix of “Mediteraneo” (and it probably is). More essential stuff from Guidance. This is going to be the label to watch in ’97, no contenders. Chris Orr