MELCHIOR SULTANA レコード& CD

Review: Born and raised on the dusty, baking hot island of Malta, Melchior Sultana has long been associated with a brand of warming, emotion-rich deep house that values head-soothing niceness as much as sturdy dancefloor chops. The producer's latest album, Self-Reflection, is naturally rooted in immersive, dreamy and pleasingly tactile deep house, but there's more than enough psychedelic acid lines, crispy analogue sounds and subtle musical variety to avoid accusations of being too "nice". Highlights are plentiful, from the wonderfully sun-soaked, Italian deep house influenced lusciousness of 'You & I' and the organ-splattered New Jersey revivalism of 'Dogma', to the pleasing peak-time bump of 'Remember The Floor' and the spaced-out acid-electro of 'Switch Up'.

Review: The young but already well-formed Deep Inspiration Show label continues its dedication to quality deep house with a new EP that comes as part of their international artist series. Zarenzeit from Zurich and Roger Versey from Arkansas open with 'So Smooth', a blend of rich keys, soulful loops and dynamic vocals over a sensual bassline. Melchior Sultana hails from sunny Malta and follows with 'Nothing Like It Seems' which features silky chords and a shuffling rhythm ideal for late-night sets. On the B-side, Jan Kincl from Zagreb delivers 'Sugar,' a fusion of house and cinematic disco with organic drums while Spain's Barce closes with 'Stigma,' a melodic union of deep house and techno.