LAY FAR レコード& CD

Review: Lay-Far's critically acclaimed debut album "So Many Ways" which took him worldwide gets a friendly treatment from the global music family! In the first installment of the remix series we have artistic versions from Atjazz, Inkswel, Jonny Miller and Thatmanmonkz! Martin Iveson kicks off the EP with a masterpiece of a remix for one of the highlights of the album - electronic ballad "Stand Up" featuring Pete Simpson. When the strings come in you realize - it's Atjazz at his best - conscious boogie for the soul! We believe it may easily become future classics! Inkswel's version of "When I'm Seeing You" is soaked in the warm sound of distorted drum machines and tape delays. Be warned - this heavy-hitter can actually damage your speakers! The B-side opens with the deep and sophisticated afro house of Jonny Miller whose remix of "Summer Vacation" immediately teleports you to the open air party in the Adriatic Sea coast. Last but not the least we have Sheffield's own Thatmanmonkz revisiting "That Dream". Inspired heavily by classic blaxploitation movies, Shadeleaf Music label boss comes up with a dynamic soundtrack for the imaginary chase scene. Badass!

Review: Having recently flexed his deep house muscles with a couple of fine EPs on Local Talk and City Fly, Alexander Lay-Far returns to the world of the disco re-edit with an excellent three-tracker on Basic Fingers. Pleasingly, his edits are sympathetic to the source material, and there's no hint of additional house kicks or needless effects. Arguably the highlight is "Saaba Dub", an excellent instrumental revision of an Afro-reggae classic from 1970s fusionists Light of Saba. He also dips his toe into dancefloor-friendly prog rock with the sprawling "Prime Climate", while "Quality Hours" works a spirtual jazz-funk groove - complete with Rhodes and flute solos aplenty - within an inch of its' life.

Review: It's happening quickly for Russian producer Lay Far, whose breakthrough year in 2012 saw him sidle up to labels such as 4Lux, and now he rounds off an even stronger 2013 with his debut album for Chicago stable Glenview. His is a well-rounded vision of deep house that draws on the soulful roots of the genre while embracing the charms of modern methods for a sound that hits on a whole lot of levels. From the sassy roll of "Yes You Can" to the nasty bass and swing of "Let Me Fly Away" there's a lot of meat to these productions, but it's not all funky flexing as R&B-tinted "Stand Up For Love" ably demonstrates.

Review: Moscow might not be the most obvious hotbed for deep house, but as city resident Lay Far shows, there's some serious talent emerging. The producer also inaugurates the new Fifty Fathoms Deep label from Edinburgh with the Green EP, a record whose dusty soulful tones genuinely sounds as if it could have been picked up in a Detroit dollar store. The work of the city's Slum Village crew is obviously an influence, as heard in the break-ridden grooves of "Triptych", while the likes of Moodymann and Andres loom over the blissful melodies of "Is=Was". Fathomline's remix of "Triptych" opts for a more driving approach, sidechaining the chords and firming up the kicks for a remix that's both searching and filled with untapped energy that bursts forth at the mid-point.

Review: You'd expect a collection of tracks from the likes of Rick Wade and Anton Zap on esteemed deep house imprint Shanti to be pretty nifty, and - predictably - it is. With five soft focus excursions to choose from, there's plenty to get excited about - not least Wade's contribution. "Sexy Rostov" is as smooth and silky as we've come to expect, with enough bottom end groove to please all but the most bass-obsessed rave urchins. Zap's "We Are Satisfied" is equally simmering, but the real revelation is "Marwencol" by the St Petersburg Disco Spin Club - an unfeasibly beautiful slice of slow house brilliance that boasts some particularly intricate piano arrangements.