Back catalogue: Balearic/Downtempo

Review: Colkin from Raw Soul and Mauke Club sets the tone on this new FUTUR compilation, which has been curated by Benedikt Meger with a spherical acid house meditation. Peter Seiler's track, a standout from the reissue of his debut album Flying Frames, features Sheryl Hackett's soulful vocals and merges song structure with jazz improvisation. Eoism from Pulse Drift, Undersound, and Inch By Inch delivers low-swung electro flavours perfect for sunset vibes while the B-side opens with Voertuig of Tonal Oceans and Cobra Club who presents a seriously raw acid jam followed by an experimental, jazzy piece, reminiscent of the 90s downtempo era. 'Eoism' closes things with a floating, futuristic banger, going to make a well rounded (in more ways than one) and ultimately very useful piece of vinyl.

Review: Archeo Recordings home back in on the quintessentially Balearic stylings of Tony Esposito, whose stunningly original works simultaneously flaunt an unmistakable 'Balearism' whilst also escaping pure conformity with the Balearic style. It's only apt that we should consider his music as such; the Neapolitan drummer and bandleader was active largely when Balearic was first termed as a a category, and his idiosyncratic instrumental experiments and geneses - notable among which is the Tamborder, a little known invention of his own making resembling a tambourine - are what set him apart. 'Pagaia' was first released as a B-side to the 7" 1983 record 'Je -Na/Pagaia', and is now a staple of 'Afro-cosmic' Italian music, bringing an otherwise zany disco lilt to the then nascent sound; these are all too fleshed out by the new takes by Archeo staple Feel Fly here. Made in 1983 after a trip to Jamaica, and composed with Pino Daniele; 'Pagaia' is said to reflect the influence of Bob Marley and his group, with whom Esposito once worked both in Italy and Kingston.

Review: Exquisite Balearic inquisitors Archeo Recordings' one mission is to dig up the lost paleolithic fossils of pelagic yore; this time they unearth the 1984 LP stylings of Ettika, with thier self-titled debut track. This bop has gone down in time as an initial obscurio, one that flew well under the radar until, apparently, tastemaker Vidal Benjamin 'rediscovered' it in a bargain bin. Then plugging it via the ironically named 'Balearic Nightmare' mix, it became an overnight re-sensation. It's easy to see why its popularity lay dormant for so long; it was originally made for a 'back-to-work' scheme aimed at unemployed immigrant youth in Rouen, France, so its utilitarian function has since been transcended here. Now reissued on fresh 12" with three newer mixes, 'Ettika' testifies to the fact that we simply need to look harder, and in the unlikely places, for the still undiscovered species of banger out there.

Review: Jacob Long's fourth full-length LP for Kranky hears the artist otherwise known as Earthen Sea expand his repertoire to an almost full reimagining, taking to the now longstanding Earthen Sea moniker from the fresh incarnation as a "piano trio", rather than a solo production effort. Though we gather this might not genuinely be the case, all it took was a simple shift in self-imagining to fashion a completely different take on a still so far meditative sound. Here elements were chopped and resampled, then layered with bass, drums, percussion and additional keys; the result is a fusion of live band acoustics and downtempo loops, sculpted into nine smoke-and-mirror dubs of fractured jazz, soft-focus noir and trip hop dust.

Review: One of the joys of Athens of the North's East Coast Love Affair project - an in-house band with a twist - is its' joyous musical eclecticism. Previously, they've delivered boogie, house, street soul, funk and disco. On this debut album, the collective spent some time in the studio with friend-of-the-family and Pikes Ibiza resident For Mankind (real name Russ Forman), and as a result the set has a dreamy, colourful and picturesque Balearic vibe. Of course, the influences are a bit wider than that - think dub, proto-house, ambient, Larry Hard-style deep house, Sun Ra and Brazilian music for starters - but that descriptor does neatly sum up what's on offer. Deep, evocative, pretty and impeccably produced, it's the most well-rounded and musically expansive East Coast Love Affair release to date.

Review: Glenn Echo & Daniel Meinecke won plenty of acclaim with their last outing What Happened To Yesterday?! and now they quickly back it up with a third outing on MotorCity Wine Recordings What Happened To Yesterday? Vol 2 is another blend of heady, dubby sounds with cosmic dance vibes that span serval sub-genres with ease. 'World In My Head' kicks off with lo-fi and low-key depths, and further downtempo tracks like 'Explanation of The Funk' with Dre King's trumpet and DJ Stylus's cuts, and 'Three-Season Crank' with Raja Kassis's guitar further sink you into blissed-out beats. The flip side has dancefloor-friendly jam 'Off The Rails,' then moves into dubby, meditative territory and ends with the gorgeous 'Black Bird Dub' which allows Echo's eclectic production and Meinecke's keyboard mastery to shine.

Review: London-born, LA-based duo Eli & Fur present their second ever album, Dreamscapes, finding inspiration in the transformations that occur in the mid-to-after-rave hours of dusk and dawn. Fleshing out the sonic interpretation of the veil between self and surroundings, which grows thin in those early hours, Dreamscapes is a 15-track homage to the cathartic musings of our most solitary wanderings of all corners of the night and the flashes in between. From the slowly risen breakbeat transcendents of 'Missing You' to the moody progressive burbles of 'My Reflection', this is a subtly impressive album, one that holds fast to the deep house and tech in which Eli & Fur have always worked, yet unfolds its dreamiest and bleariest ends.

Review: Now here's a rarity for you. Not even many of the most committed megafans know that Brian Eno, Holger Czukay and J.Peter Schwalm, accompanied by Raoul Walton and Jern Atai, performed a secret live music show, outside the esteemed Kunst-und Ausstellungshalle der Bundesrepublik Deutschland, the Art and Exhibition Hall of the Federal Republic of Germany, situated in the city of Bonn, in August 1998. Forming a part of the opening party of Eno's Future Light-Lounge Proposal multimedia installation, this furtively-recorded album hears an exclusive slice of incidental "high-altitude food music", of course made during Brian Eno's airborne ambient era. Now reissued via Gronland, this five-piece cut of sophisti-ambi-krauttronica makes for a welcome surprise.

Review: The latest release from Everything Is Recorded delivers a striking collection that blends electronic, soul and folk influences with remarkable depth. The opening track sets a reflective tone, paired with lush instrumentation and haunting vocals. Collaborations like the one with Sampha, Laura Grove and Alabaster DePlume bring emotional weight, while tracks like 'Never Felt Better' with Florence Welch and Sampha elevate the energy. 'Porcupine Tattoo' offers a beautifully subdued moment, and other collaborations continue to weave unique soundscapes. The release is a testament to XL boss Richard Russell's ability to bring diverse voices together, crafting a deeply introspective yet dynamic listening experience.