When not working on our weekly updates, we here are Spirit of House listen to lots of black music - we have to admit we are huge lovers of soul and r&b. Every now and then we come across a release that puts a spell on us with the very first listen, such as the phenomenal "Morning light" by Personal Life, a London based jazzy soul collective formed by Robert Strauss, featuring the amazing voice of Stuart Lisbie plus core members of Amy Winehouse's (rip) touring band. Not much needs to be said about this vintage soul masterpiece - what you get is an eclectic selection of ten masterly orchestrated songs taking you on a blissful journey through jazz, funk and rare groove infused soul music, oozing with a paramount vocal performance by Stuart Lisbie. By no means to be missed.

Defected continue to bless us with their one-of-a-kind House Masters series, this time around they present an extensive retrospective compilation celebrating the work of Charles Webster. The 2xCD features 22 of his legendary productions and remixes, with the digital release featuring an additional 14 tracks. This illustrious compilation is loaded with tons of exclusive and brand new re-edits and remixes as well as previously unreleased material, not to forget to mention it spans the entire breadth of his prolific career (all the classics you'd expect, released either under his own name or under pseudonyms such as Presence or Furry Phreaks, are here), showcasing his exceptional artistic range - those familiar with his eclectic, inspirational and truly unrivaled sound know what we are talking about... Essential.

Los Angeles based MoreHouse Records return with the paramount "Changes" by Toronto's Guerilla Science (Kevin Jhagru & Cullen Greaves), which features the vocal talents of Philly songstress Anume. "Changes" oozes with everything that constitutes a timeless soulful house music masterpiece: sweet deeply rooted vocals, heavenly melodies and gentle yet enthralling rhythms - indeed a future classic. The 'Guerilla Science Hight Street Dub' takes the song to deeper grounds and gets down to the nitty-gritty - one guaranteed to cause a stir on the floor. Robin Eccleston relaxes the vibe on his charming sun drenched interpretation oozing with a gorgeous organic feel, and last but not least Gene King contributes an inexorable analog rework built around pulsating rhythms and exhilarating melodies.

What we have here courtesy of the team of DJ SGZ, Maddocks ans Ras Vadah is sheer musical bliss... To cut a long story short, "Keep on movin'" is top notch soulful house music having timeless written all over. Soulful deeply felt vocals, grand keys and chords, exquisite guitar and smooth'n'deep yet fierce rhythms are guaranteed to send shivers down your spine. The superb truly diversified selection of remixes by the likes of Soulplate, Virgo/E.S.P, Cafrodeep, Diskostis, Miggedy and Oskar Gb, all adding their distinctive soulful/deep, touch gives you plenty of choices to work the floor.

The second single taken from the highly anticipated forthcoming Sunlightsquare album "King Yoruba" has landed, and what a musical feast this is... The single features two paramount songs oozing with a phenomenal orchestration having timeless written all over. First up we have "Afro Boogie Super Hombre", an eclectic blend of afro/latin/salsa which features the inimitable vocal styling of Cuban Javier Valera alongside bodacious brass and fervid percussive rhythms. Next we have a masterly cover version of the unforgettable Earth Wind & Fire classic "Fantasy" oozing with a formidable latin/cuban feel, featuring amazing lead vocals by Kevin Mark Trail and Cuban Lazaro Antonio Rodriguez.

To cut a long story short, "I'm in love" by South African producer Cuebur and songstress Thandi Draai is a phenomenal slice of soulful house music having timeless written all over... From the magnificent original production by Cuebur, Thandi Draai's inimitable emotive vocals to the superb truly eclectic awe-inspiring selection of remixes by the likes of Dirty Harry, Alton Miller, Kojo Akusa, Funky T and Monodeluxe all adding their distinctive deep/soulful touch to the song to give you plenty of choices to work the floor at any given time of the day or night, "I'm in love" is guaranteed to send shivers down your spine and make you yearn for more...

Ear on da Ground Music grace us with the phenomenal "Love, Life & House" EP by up-and-coming South African artists Chriss DeVynal and Ref. Each of the four included songs oozes with deeply felt vocals, heavenly melodies and deep yet soulful afrocentric grooves, altogether spreading a mesmerizing feel guaranteed to make you yearn for more. Also included are two utterly deep truly enchanting dub versions laced with enticing melodies perfect for late night, early morning play. Quite simply, the "Love, Life & House" EP features nothing but the best in deep soulful house music from the motherland...

With the very first listen, we fell in love with these phenomenal remixes by Afefe Iku and Osunlade of the marvelous "Higher" by Git and vocalist Big Brooklyn Red (originally released beginning of 2012 on Git's highly acclaimed long player "Imagination" which is available on BBE Records)... Afefe Iku combines Big Brooklyn Red's incomparable deeply rooted vocals with truly mesmerizing ancestral afro-tribal rhythms and lush keys, while Osunlade's breathtaking 'Yoruba Soul Mix' oozes with his beloved soulful sounds and a masterly orchestration featuring a beautiful guitar solo and glamorous keys alongside pulsating drums. In short, both of these remixes are guaranteed to make you yearn for more. Essential.

South African producer Sakhile Mbatha aka Devoted African Child (or simply Devoted) joins forces with songstress Kholekile 'Kholi' Twala to bless us with "‘Ngibizwa", a truly hypnotizing afrotastic production using deeper than deep rhythms as playground for heavenly keys and chords, not to forget to mention Kholi's inimitable emotive vocals. Antonio Ocasio relaxes the vibe on his phantasmagorical latin/jazz oozing interpretation guaranteed to send shivers down your spine, while Rune combines the vocals with an enchanting guitar and deeply groovin'' rhythms to give the song a more organic feel. Quite simply, all versions are fantastic, making it next to impossible to pick a favorite... By no means to be missed.