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: Grown up Balearic maestro Max Essa takes us on a lovely trip far out to sea with his latest on Balearic Ensemble. Matinee is like sipping on a cocktail as you float on a glistening med with some rustic old town up on the hillside behind you. 'Tempo Babadoh' then soundtracks the open air dance you have in the early evening somewhere on a terrace as the sunsets, and the two remixes pump up the energy for late night action. For those of us unable to make it to the White Isle, or any sunny beach at all, frankly, these tracks are the perfect tonic.

Review: Max Essa made his name through swathes of releases for Bear Funk, but broke through once more with his essential "Lanterns" LP for Music For Dreams back in 2018. His appearances have been scattered since, but now he makes a welcome return on Hell Yeah with some of that plush, full frequency synth disco business. "Tombolo" is defined by its rich layers of lead chords and cascading electronic percussion, but it's also made even more seductive by subtle splashes of dubby processing. "The Great Adventure" is a cooler jam for more mellow moments, but it's still no slouch in the funk department. "Fool In The Pool" finishes the record off with a truly laid back combination of tabla drums, electric piano and dreamy pads. Blissful, beautifully composed music to let the mind drift to.

Review: Barely a month has passed since the release of Max Essa's latest sumptuous long-player - the lovely "Lanterns" on Music For Dreams - but the Balearic hotshot already has more killer cuts to showcase via a second EP for Hell Yeah Recordings. The real triumph is languid A-side "Han Zoc Roc (Midori Coup)", a gently unfurling fusion of slow motion electronics, gentle beats, meandering melodies and blissful instrumental solos that changes shape several times over 13 mesmerizing minutes. Over on side B, the jazz guitar-rich wonder that is "How You Showed Me Everything" sounds like a tribute to Antenna classic "African Queen", while "Rainbird's Alfafa Jam" is a slightly more energetic workout that could arguably be described as "Balearic funk".

Review: Japan's disco don Matthew Bruce aka Max Essa is back with a three part track, namely Themes From The Hood, The Cad & The Lovely, on one side of vinyl, plus two more on the flip. Recording for a decade, this prolific producer has big hits like "Panorama Suite/Uptown Vibration" that have long been in Hell Yeah boss Marco Peedoo's record bag. The story goes that Essa first approached the label with a bunch of tracks until a good correspondence alchemy ensued and together the artist and label decided to put out the most timeless 12" possible. This is music that will calm busy minds now and forever.

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: If you've so much sniffed a Max Essa record, you'll already have a great idea of how lush this sounds... Sun-kissed positivity and slim-line instrumentation throughout, each of these cuts jet us so deep into late 80s Ibiza we can feel the sand between our toes. From the mischievous guitar Q&A, slap bass and subtle disco bubbles of "Destination You" to the shimmering acoustic guitar and whale cry textures of "All Is Not Lost" via the deep-set meditation and treacle-thick euphoric atmospheres of the EP title track, Max has pulled out every stop to create the ultimate celebration of all things Balearic.

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?

Review: The faultless Razor-N-Tape label has long been one to keep an eye on for fans of all forms of house, disco and plenty in between. This new one from Balearic man Max Essa with slow-motion maestro Eddie C is perfectly timed to arrive as days are getting longer and the sun is out more. It features four lush tunes that roll deep with languid chords, deft little funky guitar riffs and laidback vibes that douse you in all the feels. 'We Live In The Hills' is the standout for us with its fleshy synth work and a sprinkling of tropical percussion.

Review: Tribal Balearic is the genre Aficionado are pushing to describe their latest 12" offering which is a split release from Max Essa and Basso, but put down that pinch of salt because it's another winner for the Mancunian label. Essa of course needs little introduction to anyone that indulges in some of the more horizontally inclined disco releases, whilst fans of the Black Disco label will remember Sebastian Graetz's killer contribution as Basso. There's a pleasant degree of chunkiness to "Chou Chou San," Essa's opening gambit where hefty drums are complemented well by the Oriental synth lines and spiritual pads that Max has made his own. "Peninsular" is most definitely not tribal but it is Balearic at it's most serenest and offers a moment of calm before Basso mans the B Side deck with the vibrant afro disco flavours of "Sore Sebi" and the languid "Waking Up Late".

Review: Japanese Balearic crew Okinawa Delays have long been friends with Tokyo-based Brit Max Essa, while the latter previously remixed one of their tracks for Mudd's Claremont 56 label. Now they've taken their musical partnership to a whole new level by offering up their first joint single. In its original form, "I Can't Sleep" adds an attractive female vocal to a sparkling, ear-catching backing track rich in bubbly nu-disco bass, White Isle-ready piano riffs, swirling synthesizer pads, typically Japanese melodies and mid-tempo beats that boast just the right amount of dancefloor weight. The accompanying remix package is strong, too, with a wonderful dream house interpretation by Italian veterans Leo Mas and Fabrice being joined by a funky Balearic disco take from nu-disco master Pete Herbert.