LEN LEISE レコード& CD

Review: More balearic goodness from Melbourne's Len Leise on his General Purpose imprint. The International Feel affiliated producer delivers sun-kissed island dream aesthetics, by way of celestial FM synth tones and neon-lit analogue synths on these three wonderful offerings. From the hypnotic bounce of "TFTC", the tropical polrhythmic bliss of "MITD" or the tunnelling "STTS" calling to mind George Thompson's Karamika project on ESP Institute.

Review: If you're scouting for some contemporary balearic experimentations then Len Leise is your man. The Australian producer is as multi-talented as he is mysterious, and although his productions paint a very clear picture of his personality and musical ideals, the man remains a figure of mystique. We love that, and we love this new album for his new General Purpose label. "Pretending" opens the LP and it's a curious track indeed, shaped by a dubby bassline, watery acoustics and his own slippery vocal poetry. These aqueous waters fall neatly into the frenetic yet soothing patterns of "Swimming", and then onto more funky territories on the dubwise "Rocking". Flip to the B-side, and you get the relatively more house-minded "Stopping", the subtly tribal sways of "Wandering", and the electrifying dub banger aptly named "Stepping". Think of this album as dub with that faint balearic twist for good measure. Excellent and highly recommended!

Review: It's been a fine year for Mark Barrott's International Feel with the Jose Padilla album an undoubted centrepiece. The Ibiza label aren't quite done for the year however, with Lingua Franca from Len Leise marking the onset of a series of mini-album projects from International Feel aimed around a loose concept for artists to "show more of who they are musically without the constraints of the traditional album format." Few had heard of Leise until he was featured on International Feel last year, but the Australian has gone on to score a rather fine record for the like-minded Aficionado operation as well as contribute to that killer Paradise Goulash mix from Prins Thomas. Some seven tracks deep, Lingua Franca finds Leise crafting "an imaginary journey based on real experiences," with Morocco, Spain, Russia, India and Brazil providing the inspiration for the clearly well-travelled musician. Sumptuous Balearica is of course the order of the day, with the occasional dalliance into something a bit more dancefloor appropriate ("O Caminho"), and ensures Lingua Franca is a fine start for a series that promises contributions from Gatto Fritto, CFCF and Wolf Muller.

Review: Having been uncovered by International Feel late last year, the archival Balericisms of Len Leise now make their way over to the similarly minded Aficionado label. The five tracks on this dashing red 12" were apparently sourced from a rare cassette of rainforest swelter, and it's up to you, the consumer, how much of your time you invest in this fanciful backstory to Leise's work. Should you choose to put it to one side, you will be rewarding with a wondrous array of delicate electronics and organic instrumentation that is wholly captivating from the moment "Asmat Images" locks into groove. As with previous output on Aficionado, this won't be on the shelves for long!!

Review: After a brief dovetail into clubbier territory with the luvved up Talamanca System project with Gerd Janson and Lauer, Mark Barrott's International Feel label returns to calmer waters with this record from the unheralded Len Leise. According to the label Len Leise is an old artist whose work was discovered on a dusty cassette tape whilst Barrott was record digging throughout Paris, but given his propensity for conjuring up aliases for many of the records issued in the earliest days of Intl Feel it's hard to fully believe such a story. There is however no faulting the level of production on display here which will appeal to fans of Antinote's calmer releases.

Review: General Purpose boys Len Leise and Salvador Ricardo have decided to launch their own re-edit series. For the first Also Known as Edits 12", Leise has decided to raid his own archive, offering up two tasty reworks first featured on his 2015 LL Edits EP (a 12" that now goes for silly money online). These brilliant reworks - the dreamy Brazilian Balearica of "Stars for Jorge" and equally starry, horizontal jazz-funk flex of "Desperado Dining" - can be found on the A-side, with the flip reserved for previously unheard rubs. There's "Conerto de Chasse", a heavily percussive, deep Afro-house edit from General Purpose that's also blessed with seriously tactile melodies, and Salvador Ricardo's "Cha Cha Flamongo", a Flamenco-goes-cha-cha cut that's as glassy-eyed and positive as it is loved-up and Balearic.