Back in the day, when house music sounded like house music, when electro didn’t send you running for the nearest soundproof booth, and when breaks were cool, Miguel Migs and I had something of an intense love affair. He charmed and seduced me with his flowing, sultry mixes, full of warm tones, uplifting vibes, and delicate beats, wrapping the music around me in a flurry of emotional swirls. Then somewhere along the line, Miguel decided I just wasn’t worth the effort, presenting me with half-baked mixes that lazily ploughed all the old familiar territory, adding nothing new to our relationship. So with his apparent lack of interest, and with Lisa Shaw incessantly whispering sweet nothings in my ear to the point where I was going insane, I packed my bags and left San Fran, heading east, having been lured away by the French touch. Fast forward to 2009, and the crafty old devil decides to try re-igniting the flame we once so passionately shared.

The wooing begins on a personal level, with Miguel offering So Far, a tasty slice of soulful house that contains all the traits of a classic piece of Migs music, which are shimmering synths, delicate beats, and seductive vocals. A delightful old-school house vibe pulses out of Nathan G’s 88 Keys to Love, and the funky keyboard workouts on Roberto De Carlo’s You Are the One for Me will hook and reel you up to the second level of the mix. The constant requests from Dutchican Soul, imploring us all to “get on down”, are a little bit annoying, but then Jay-J sweeps down and scoops you up with the masterful bass-driven solid grooves of Love Alive. Miguel then swings by with another personal temptation, the soulful and silky-smooth textures of Sometime feeding seductively into the comforting tones of Lisa Shaw’s Like I Want To.

If a track sounds like it should be described as “tropical”, then that is usually something of a warning sign that the mix is taking a coffee break, and that is certainly the case here with Twisted Rhythm’s lacklustre Get Up. Fortunately, Miguel regains control with the sax-driven Try to Love Me from Joe Pompeo, and his own Life and Music, which rides along on a jagged bass and a driving percussive workout. The peak of the mix has to be Miguel’s rework of Yogi and Husky’s It Feels Alright, a glorious meld of disco, house and funk that will have you bouncing from wall to wall. Love on My Hands from Lovebirds steers the mix to a close in fine uplifting fashion, with its handclaps, synth washes and chunky bass building to a euphoric climax.

This mix really is a delight. Nothing on here leaps out and grabs you immediately, but like all great music, its charms are hidden. You have to work your way in, do a bit of exploring, and prise open the sonic doors. Once you are in, you’ll find rewards around every corner, and you’ll never want to leave. This is a truly gorgeous mix of underground soulful house, with some deep grooves, twisted bass, and measured funk all thrown into the pot. It simply oozes that restrained sophistication that characterised some of Miguel’s earlier classic mixes.

So it looks like I’ll be heading back to San Fran with Miguel and giving things another crack. I’m hopeful things will be more permanent this time, but only time (and Miguel’s efforts in the studio) will tell. I’ll keep you posted.