MAX ESSA レコード& CD

Review: The by-now seminal Is It Balearic label welcomes long-time Balearic boss Max Essa for another superbly horizontal offering that will take you to the beach no matter where you are. He is a regular on this label who has been serving up top tunes and compiling superb collections like 2016's 10-Year Anniversary comp for ages, and the quality levels never dip. This fresh four-tracker traverses gently breaking synth waves, undulating dubby undercurrents and gloriously sun-kissed synth work all in a soothing and meditative style.

Review: IIB reach their 40th release with label stalwart Max Essa's latest EP. Feel The Machine is a proto-house groove with touches of italo-disco. Chugging bassline and cowbells making it a real dancer. Panapolean Dreamer is a more downtempo beat driven affair with eastern strings on a mellow new beat vibe. The second side starts with Tall Shadows Walking Home. Again max explores the proto house sound all smothered in lovely electronic melodies. Twenty Types Of Dusk relaxes the tempo again. Trademark Max Essa Balearic. A killer ep. to celebrate 40 12" releases.

Review: Fresh from releasing his latest LP, the sublime Won Ton Sunrise on Bear Funk, Mr Max Essa reports back to Is It Balearic for 12" duties on the meditative disco bliss of Dovodah. Essa's inherent musicality and mastery of the groove shines through on the title track, with the titular refrain offering a notable if delay laden heartfelt sense amidst the glistening, chugging beat. Mr Lee Douglas is on equally inspirational form with the subsequent remix, turning proceedings into a rush inducing cowbell monster worthy of the moodiest basement parties. Flipside, "Burning Palms" is most definitely Balearic as some acoustic strumming takes centre stage - think A Mountain Of One settling in for a summer of studio recording in the Ibizan hills. Sean Johnston's Hardway Bros remix is as revelatory as the A Side effort from Douglas, bringing a heavy chug to the fore and laying down all manner of dubby fx.

Review: Having been sequestered to produce a second 12 inch for the Coyote label Is It Balearic? only a matter of months after his debut for the imprint, Max Essa has delivered perhaps the definitive Balearic record of our generation in "Panorama Suite". Clocking in at a vinyl hugging 20 minutes, Essa has crafted one glorious undulating groove of luscious pads, gently dubbed guitar rhythms and swooning synths. "Panorama Suite" is destined to be name checked by the more horizontal DJs when asked by journalists to nominate their toilet break record. The flip side is a much more upright affair, "Uptown Vibration" being a retro boogie number characterised by a satisfyingly crunchy beat, slick guitar riffs and laidback chord patterns. "The DJs DJ" Mark Seven rounds off the release with a remix of "Uptown Vibration" that adds a dubby veneer to the arrangement, tightening up the drum sounds, slipping in his own hi-hat thumps and adding some warmth the boogie keys.

Review: Heralding brighter days is surely the job of Is It Balearic?, a label whose entire raison d'etre is silky smooth sounds for long days spent sipping cocktails on sunkissed terraces. This time around, Max Essa and Eddie C have gone head to head, with the former delivering the original tunes and the latter dropping the remixes. Essa gets into full-spectrum deep house for the baggy crowd on 'Jigsaw Moon', which Eddie C promptly pitch shifts and rubs down with some understated acid. 'Jules Y Cyntia' is a mellower offering, revelling in languid guitar, only to be gently pumped up by Eddie C with a heavy, chugging undercarriage to take you deep into the sundown.

Review: 2016 sees Coyote arrive at a decade of posing the question Is It Balearic? Replicating the compilation shaped celebrations surrounding their fifth anniversary, the landmark is noted with this fine 2CD collection. The compiling skills of Balearic chieftain Max Essa are called on for the first disc selections, with Coyote taking care of business on the second for a fine horizontally-minded celebration of all things Balearic encompassing 22 tracks. Tempos nudge back and forth, different vibes coming to the fore along the way as a dash of steel drum is replaced by forthright synth glistens and upright basslines. Legends mingle alongside future heroes, Foolish Felix and Baldelli impressing as much as Last Waltz and Clandestino. As the end nears, up pops Prins Thomas's classic Diskomiks of Downtown Party Network. Here's to another ten years Is it Balearic?