Jolene 15 Mike Parton

Jolene Records presents its fifteenth release end of June courtesy of label co-founder Mike Parton, a three- track project of jacking, jazz-tinged house jams.

Jolene Records has become one of those labels in the modern house landscape that channels the raw spirit of the genre’s formative years. Rooted in dusty samples, swung drums and instinctive groove, the imprint has carved out a distinct identity through records that feel less concerned with trends and more with preserving the emotional pull and physicality that defined Chicago’s earliest dancefloors. Across its catalogue, Jolene leans into house music as storytelling, where chopped soul, funk-laced motifs and stripped-back rhythm sections meet with a deep understanding of restraint, tension and release. The label continues to celebrate the human elements that made house music timeless.

‘Monique’ opens and sets the tone with squelchy 303 lines that continually oscillate, ebbs and flow through choppy sax samples, crunchy drums, vocal chants and swaying sub bass tones. The aptly title ‘Piano’ follows, built around a combination of jazzy keys, intricately chopped and interwoven to delicately glide amongst a shuffled rhythm section and snaking bass groove.

‘M’ then concludes the release, a loop-driven gritty House cut teasing an amalgamation of intertwined vocal samples, with twitchy synth flutters and warped sirens twisting the latter half of the composition into a frenzied dance floor workout.