JUNO, JAMEK ORTEGA — Deep Breath

JUNO (DE) and Jamek Ortega join forces for Deep Breath, a new 12-inch release on Crosstown Rebels, issued as CRM363 in October 2026. The collaboration brings together two artists with strong connections to contemporary house music but distinctly different backgrounds: JUNO (DE), whose productions move across deep and melodic electronic territory, and Hamburg-based Jamek Ortega, a DJ and producer known for working across Deep House, House, Tech House and Afro House. “Deep Breath” places their shared sensibility into the Crosstown Rebels framework, delivering a club-focused production built around atmosphere, groove and gradual movement. The collaboration is particularly notable within both artists’ recent catalogues. JUNO (DE) and Jamek Ortega have already worked together on several releases, including “Let It Go” on MoBlack Records in late 2025, where their production leaned toward Afro House. Their new Crosstown Rebels collaboration shifts the context toward the deeper and more underground side of contemporary house, making Deep Breath a natural progression rather than a repetition of their earlier work. Specialist listings confirm the track as a 6:27 collaboration and identify Crosstown Rebels as the label. “Deep Breath” is built around the kind of extended club arrangement that allows the groove to develop without relying on a conventional pop structure. At 6:27, the track has enough room for the rhythmic elements and melodic components to establish themselves progressively, giving DJs the space required for longer transitions and layered mixing. The production sits comfortably within the broad Deep House and House spectrum while retaining the polished, contemporary character associated with Crosstown Rebels. The track’s title is an appropriate description of its musical function. Rather than pushing immediately toward maximum intensity, the production is designed around controlled momentum. The groove provides a steady foundation while atmospheric elements create depth around it, allowing the track to maintain tension without becoming overly aggressive. This balance between movement and restraint is particularly useful in the middle sections of a DJ set, where a record needs to maintain energy while leaving room for the next musical direction. Jamek Ortega brings considerable club experience to the collaboration. Traxsource describes him as a leading figure in the North German DJ scene, with a sound spanning Afro, Deep, House and Tech House. He is also associated with Hamburg's NOHO Club and runs the Anotherbedtimestory house event. That background is reflected in the functional character of Deep Breath: it is structured as a DJ record first, with a groove designed to work in a club environment rather than as a short-form streaming track. Ortega's recent catalogue demonstrates how wide his stylistic range has become. His productions in 2026 have moved through Melodic/Progressive House, Afro House and other forms of contemporary electronic music, while his collaborations with JUNO (DE) have previously appeared on MoBlack Records. The new Crosstown Rebels release therefore adds another layer to an increasingly broad discography, placing his production inside one of the most established labels in the underground house and electronic scene. JUNO (DE), meanwhile, brings a complementary approach to the collaboration. His work with Ortega has already demonstrated an interest in rhythmic house music, but Deep Breath suggests a more measured and atmospheric direction. The track's extended arrangement allows the production to focus on subtle shifts in texture and groove rather than relying on overt melodic hooks. This makes the record particularly relevant to DJs working across Deep House, Organic House and more sophisticated late-night house selections. Crosstown Rebels provides an appropriate home for the release. Founded and curated by Damian Lazarus, the label has spent more than two decades operating between underground house, minimal, tech house, electronic and psychedelic club music. Its catalogue has consistently favoured productions with a strong sense of atmosphere and personality, and CRM363 continues that tradition with a record that prioritises groove and mood over obvious commercial structures. The physical 12-inch format is particularly suited to Deep Breath. At more than six minutes, the track has the duration required for a proper club arrangement, while the vinyl format places the emphasis on continuous playback and DJ interaction. Rather than treating the record as simply a physical version of a digital single, the 12-inch context reinforces its role as a tool for selectors building long, gradual transitions. For DJs, the strongest quality of “Deep Breath” is its flexibility. The track can operate within deeper house sets but can also connect naturally with more melodic or progressive selections. Its controlled rhythmic movement gives it enough drive for the dancefloor, while the atmospheric character makes it suitable for transitions between more intense sections of a set. It is the kind of record that can work particularly well when a DJ needs to reduce pressure without losing momentum. The collaboration also demonstrates how two artists can approach the same house vocabulary from different directions. Ortega's Hamburg background and broad DJ experience meet JUNO (DE)'s contemporary electronic sensibility, resulting in a track that does not need to force a stylistic identity. Instead, Deep Breath works through the fundamentals of house music: rhythm, space, repetition, atmosphere and gradual development. The record arrives at an interesting point in Jamek Ortega's catalogue. During 2026 he has continued to release music across several labels and genres, including collaborations with artists such as Tiago Cruz, Friend Of Honor, Arodes and Mahmut Orhan. The Crosstown Rebels release represents a more underground-facing addition to that body of work and places his collaboration with JUNO (DE) in a distinctly club-oriented setting. CRM363 is scheduled for October 9, 2026, according to current Traxsource pre-order information, with “Deep Breath” listed at 6:27. The release is identified as a Crosstown Rebels title and the collaboration is credited specifically to JUNO (DE) and Jamek Ortega. JUNO (DE) & Jamek Ortega – Deep Breath is ultimately a focused meeting between two producers whose recent work has explored the melodic, deep and rhythmic sides of contemporary house music. Rather than overcomplicating the formula, the track concentrates on groove, atmosphere and controlled progression, creating a record that is equally suited to a late-night club set, a deeper house session or a carefully constructed vinyl mix. As Crosstown Rebels CRM363, Deep Breath represents a contemporary interpretation of deep house that values space and movement as much as immediate impact. For DJs and collectors looking for polished underground house with enough depth to reward extended mixing, this collaboration offers a strong example of the quieter, more immersive side of the Crosstown Rebels sound.