A hugely promising first release from New Jack City helped established Music Is Love as a label synonymous with deep, underground house music. Now back with their second installment, MIL kick off the first of their ‘Lovebox VA’ series, a double- vinyl release that includes tracks from 8 artists on the label. The premise of this VA is to preview the diverse musical talent available on the roster, laying the foundations for what listeners can expect from each artists’ subsequent EPs. It’s also a serious exhibition that delves further into the visionary perspective of imprint owners Oli and Angus. The journey through the labels acquisitions will no doubt help illuminate the appeal of MIL as a label focused on exploring and showcasing some of the finest talent in the underground house scene at the moment. The EP is formulated to span the variety of influences indicative of the label’s sound, characterized by each artist’s uniquely different offering. Keep Coming is an outstanding introduction to Liam Geddes, an incredibly tight production with a heavy bassline containing shades of Kerri Chandler fused with deep chords and swirling synths that build and coalesce back into a straight-up groove. Maintaining the garage tendencies, Maxwell’s Need You is all about melody, rhythm and intimacy with skittering percussion laced together with resonating, deep piano stabs and moody bass over an accentuating R&B vocal. There are head-nodding grooves on all tracks, stylized by cut-up vocal flourishes, shuffling hi-hats, groove-heavy basslines and inviting deep house/garage sounds. This mirage of house and garage can be heard on Banjax’s Give it to me, a track that pieces tougher bass, dubbed chords and heavy bass-kicks to really compliment the soulful vocal hook. Jackmaster K quickens the tempo slightly utilizing the classic Happy Clapper’s house sample anchored over sharp snares and a hacienda-like bassline to create a real Balearic 90’s vibe.