RICARDO VILLALOBOS レコード& CD

Review: ***B-STOCK: Sleeve damaged but otherwise in excellent condition***


We're never short of new Ricardo Villalobos material and he's generous with his time as a mixer, but this project offers something different from the Chilean mad scientist of minimal. A Mountain Of One are a duo who deal in Balearic-leaning pop with a subtle charm and an adventurous spirit, and they initially approached Villalobos for a single remix of one of their tracks. As a fan of their sound, Villalobos ran with the project and it wound up as a full remix album of seven different versions. On the earlier tracks Ricardo takes a surprisingly light touch, while the later stages find us knee deep in the mesmerising roll of his minimal house, shot through with dubbed out ingredients from the original songs. It's surprising and satisfying in equal measure, showing Villalobos at his best and quite the scoop for A Mountain Of One.

Review: In the sprawling tendrils of minimal mastery Ricardo Villalobos has attached his name to, it's not always easy to pick out the stone cold classics. 2003 album Alcachofa is, however, a stand out moment from his career when he proved to be more than just a club 12" artist. Sure, the record is mainly driven by house rhythms, but this was a demonstration of the creative power within the minimal approach and Villalobos could get creative more than most. Originally released on Playhouse and now repressed on four 12"s by Perlon, it's a fitting tribute to a landmark record, now with added tracks from the accompanying Alcachofa Tools 12".