If deep house is your thing, then this down tempo soulful French compilation from The Respect is Burning crew is definitely for you. Following hot on the heels of the international hit ‘A night at the Playboy Mansion’ by Dimitri comes the latest offering this time mixed by DJ Deep.

And deep it certainly is, from the caramel flavoured garage vocal track 1 “I’m not dreaming” to track 6 “Misery”, this is an almost syrupy sweet cocktail that doesn’t quite have the alcoholic content to inspire dancing… think lazy Sundays or dimly lit slinky cocktail parties, not funky chunky beats and biting your bottom lip stuff. After the brilliance of the Respect is Burning 1 and 2, I was eager to hear some fresh French produce but was left feeling a bit too mellow and dare I say it – a tad ‘cheesed’ out. The cute bassline of Track 7 flirts with the idea of heightening the pace, but the heavily lacquered vocals soon quash all hopes. The final track did conjure a bit of toe tapping, more akin to the previous two CDs from the crew… more of this please!

A little Bob Sinclar would not have gone astray, he is after all one of France’s finest, but he was included in the first Respect Is Burning compilation. DJ Deep slows the tempo right down here intermingling piano solos with smooth beats and maintains a smooth journey throughout – no peaks and no troughs – just deep, baby, real deep.

As one of France’s most successful house nights (on a Wednesday nonetheless!) from 1996 to 1999, Respect is Burning played host to 150 of the most respected house DJ’s from around the globe. The aural memories are now epitomized in all four compilations and in each you can be assured of quality sounds of the house variety.

A fine chilled out one to whack in the CD player if you’re in the mood, but not for enhancing those Saturday night energy vibes. Smooth and so deep you’d be halfway to the centre of the earth by the time its finished, this is deep house at its finest but only for the true disciples.

BUY: Respect to DJ Deep from chaosmusic.com