Inner Balance

Inner Balance Recordings is a Lisbon-based label run by Jorge Caiado, created by Chez Damier for Caiado, one of his protégés, as a sub-label of the iconic 90s Chicago imprint Balance Recordings. That lineage tells you most of what you need: deep house with proper Chicago roots, moving between deeper, headier material and more club-focused tracks, with a stated aim of putting newer artists on the map.

Most of it is vinyl-only, no digital, which is part of why the catalogue holds its value. Caiado opened the account himself back in 2018 and the numbered IBL series has since taken in Ewan Jansen, Lea Lisa, Dixia Sirong and Minimono.

SEVEN stocks Ed Nine's The Journey Pt.3, Arcarsenal's Compendium EP and Gratts' Brighter Future with Robert Owens on vocals: warm, musical, unfussy house records that do the job at any hour.