Downtempo / Balearic Recommendations November 2015

Review: After teasing us with a hair-raising mix almost two years ago, Rupture finally deliver two powerful pieces of authentic jungle from Toronto's Rumbleton. Neither would have sounded out of place in 93, and they both guarantee chaos now. "Vibration Centre" is the sound of Randall's wet dreams as the drums chop and change quicker than the mind of a chocolate-charged three year old. "Infinite Range Of Awareness" leans more towards the proto drum & bass phase of jungle with icy synths and a mild twang of Metalheadz to its structure and texture. Naughty.

Review: After completing a hat trick of essential releases with "Seaside Tune", Russia's king of lilting melodies, coastal flavours and sunkissed sounds returns with his latest must have release. Back once again on his own Mellophonia imprint, A Vision Of Panorama invites us aboard his luxury yacht for a carefree journey across the ocean. Opening with the animalistic chatter of the Brazilian cuica and a chirping synth melody, "Two Birds" instantly transports us to tropical climes where the breeze plays among the palm trees and the clear waters kiss the white sand. Title track "New Horizons" sees the tempo drop to a languid strut as the fretless bassline takes our dancing bodies under its control. The bright tuned percussion, misty pads and mystical woodwind offer light and shade at the top end, while that Balearic beat should keep the dancefloor moving. As we follow the suns arc onto the B-side, A Vision Of Panorama turns up the heat and the tempo for the beachside proto-house peach "Coastal Waves". The deep and warm...

Review: Given the richness of texture that characterises Jon Tye and Pete Fowler's prolific work together under the Seahawks name, it's no surprise to see such a splendid cast of artists willing to dive in and play around with their music. And so we have Deep Haul, a collection of remixes, redubs, reworks and what not featuring the likes of Prins Thomas, Ruf Dug, Secret Circuit, Pye Corner Audio and more casting their sonic magic over some gems from the Seahawks discography. It's little surprise Scandolearic don Prins Thomas comes through with an early highlight in the shape of a deft electronic disco rework of "Look At The Sun" (that bassline) but don't brush over Rune Lindbaek's sub aquatic Balearic Italo take on "Rainbow Sun" or the charmingly warm Forever Sound remix of "Paradise Freaks".

Review: Following a surprise outing on Paul 'Mudd' Murphy's Leng label, Bonnie and Klein return to the comforting surrounds of Kenneth Bager's Music For Dreams imprint. While their work has always been dreamy and horizontally inclined, Too Many Colors features arguably their most downtempo material to date. Certainly, the woozy, floating chords and languid rhythms of "Magnolia" evoke memories of the golden age of chill-out, while "Flaming Lights" is more Balearic than sharing a jazz cigarette with Alfredo and Jose Padilla. The string-laden vocal number "Give It A Try" has a touch of the "Unfinished Sympathy" about it, while "Aquavivas" smartly fuses chiming melodies, exotic influences, dub rhythms and bustling Afro-Cuban percussion.

Review: Having issued a mini-album from Fuxa earlier this year, Stuart Leath's tireless Emotional Response welcomes the Detroit band back to the label with an album recorded alongside Neil Mackay of Loop fame. Apollo Soyuz was originally released digitally earlier this year via bandcamp, but you can see why Leath would want to license it for a proper vinyl edition. The eight tracks form an exploration of the outer cosmos that is tinged with a deep psychedelia that will resonate warmly with fans of Emotional Response. From the space funk of the opening "Apollo Soyuz", Fuxa and Mackay lead the listener through galactic kosmische, spatial ambience and primal tape loop experiments and more with "Testz 1" a considered highlight.

Review: Cool story: 60s psychedelic folk strummer Cutter was spotted busking in an LA subway by Claremont 56's 40 Thieves. Instantly submitting to his acoustic charms, they strike up a creative relationship. Recruiting the writing skills of Jum Jum Records founder David Harks, they create the cosmic beauty that is "Strutting Serpent". Sitting somewhere between Cat Stevens and Paqua, it's the epitome of Balearic timelessness. For added psychedelic majesty flip for a future version of Cutter's classic "Gift Of Our Fathers". Stunning.

Review: Sven Weisemann is about to drop his third Desolate album Glyphs Of The Lunar. And if these three vinyl-only cuts are anything to go by, it's going to be another spell-binder. "Withering Beauty" leads from the front with its Bonobo-esque drums and moaning, softly-urgent pads. "Hazy Memories" lives up to its name with its jazzy drums and swooning atmospheres while "Watercoloured Clouds" takes us even deeper into Sven's dream factory with spatial Eno-isms and detailed beats that wouldn't go amiss on a certain user48736353001 Soundcloud account.