Review: International Feel kicks off what is presumably a new series given its title, Mediterranean Dreams - Part 1. For it, they turn to Perugia synth obsessive, underground mainstay and fine producer Feel Fly for four tracks of breezy and sunny disco-house chuggers. 'Onironauta' brings retro Italo chords and nice chunky drums, 'Grace In Space' is a leggy cosmic wonder with far-sighted chords and muted acid magic, then 'Mediterranean Dreams' is pure 80s dream house bliss. 'Becalmed' is the most rough edged and analogue house jack track of the lot.
Review: Anyone who's ever run a record label will happily tell you how it's rare to find musical gold amongst the many demos speculatively submitted by up-and-coming producers. Imagine Claremont 56 boss Paul Murphy's surprise, then, when he received these superb cuts from previously unheralded German musician Ferdi Schuster. Naturally, he snapped them up straight away. A-side "Little River", in particular, is spectacularly good. Based around the sound of a babbling brook, sun-kissed acoustic guitar licks, vintage synthesizer solos and a languid, samba-inspired groove, it's a grade-A chunk of Balearic brilliance. While B-side "Befreit" doesn't quite reach these dizzying heights, it's still a wonderful trip into sunrise-friendly downtempo territory. As debut singles go, it's little less than stunning.
Review: In cahoots with legendary Japanese record store Jet Set, Freestyle Records has decided to offer-up a 45 featuring two tidy cuts from Lance Ferguson's Rare Groove Spectrum 2 album, a second set of inspired cover versions from the multi-instrumentalist, bandleader and producer. On side A the Melbourne-based musician gives his take on Azymuth classic 'Veo Sobre O Horizonte', re-imaging it as a starry, vintage synth-laden shuffle through sun-baked South American jazz-funk complete with woozy horns, Herbie Hancock keyes and eyes-closed female vocalizations. On the reverse Ferguson turns his hand to Carly Simon's 'Why', adding gorgeous horn solos and sunset-ready flourishes to a faithful re-recording of the reggae-influenced number's familiar groove.
Review: Scott Ferguson came to house and techno in one of its most fertile grounds - Detroit, in the mid 90s. Since then he has served up his own take on the timeless genres on a range of quality labels. Now he arrives on Chateau Chepere with four more of his stylish cuts. They are couched in deep house as always but with cues taken from future jazz, garage and plenty in between. These are real winter warmers that will seduce an early evening crowd or lock in a 5 am dance floor in equal measure.
Review: Former Silver City man Fernando Pulichino seems to be mellowing with age. Having previously explored punk-funk, nu-disco and deep house on his solo releases, he's now switched his focus to dub-influenced, slo-mo Balearic synth-rock. Many of the old trademarks are still present - think rubbery live bass, fluorescent, vintage-sounding synths and unfussy beats - but are here joined by fuzzy guitar solos and an evocative vocal from guest star Fiorucci. It's a potent blend, reminiscent of early '80s cosmic rock with a little more nu-disco nous. The original vocal version is joined by a delicious Extended Dub, which impressively stretches out the infectious, head-nodding groove.
Review: Forslag Pa Musik invites you to spend a few super chill hours with him by their native Swedish coastline on this lush new 7" on Terrasolare. It follows a fine outing on his own Sunken Rock label in the form of his first album Book Of Mirrors and is a delightfully laidback and mellow offing with pads for day demeaning and gentle analogue beats with a warm and fuzzy edge. The melodies are innocent and the percussion a deft sprinkling of texture. This is the sort of tackle to heat you to the core and bring a smile to your face.
Driftwood Driftwood (feat 'The Preofessor' Gary Davis - instrumental)
Rock On
So Glad
Pontoon
Mystic Beach
Review: Melbourne producer Andras Fox seems to be mellowing with age. While there's always been a breezy Balearic bent to much of his material, it used to come wrapped in the standard trappings of dancefloor-friendly deep house. This extended EP/mini-album for Mexican Summer sees him in full-on Balearic mode, layering delay-laden guitars, new age melodies and dreamy chords over a variety of shuffling, soft focus rhythms. It's an enjoyably fresh and melodious set, all told, with audible nods to the likes of Ron Trent and Larry Heard, as well as the new age ambient house sound of Cloudface, Confused House and DK. Highlights are naturally plentiful, from the chiming beauty of "So Glad", to the Vangelis-ish pulse of "Mystic Beach".
Review: Dial 81 and tell them it's an emergency... Blair French has dropped his second single this year and there are only 300 copies in existence! Following "Standing Still Is An Illusion" on Rocksteady Disco come two more sublime Balearic affairs that fit Claremont 56 like a snug pair of speedos; "Sandbar Caviar" wafts and sways with island waves as gentle arpeggios ebb and flow creating harmonies and cosmic textures while "Inland Island" adjusts our seats to a horizontal position with its snaking bassline and spacious percussion gradually opening into a heavenly vocal and guitar lead that's tantamount to transcendental.
Review: Blair French is the next quality artist to make their debut on the increasingly vital MotorCity Wine imprint out of Detroit. He brings hints of Balearic as well as signature smoky deep house from the 313 to his work here. 'Ancestarians' (Physical Mix) also has pan-African influences, jazzy melodies and rich organic percussion while the Spiritual Mix is all about going deep into ambient bliss. 'Champagne Kiddie Pool' then looks even deeper into the musical niches of South America with dembow rhythms overlaid with lively claps and cosmic chords. Last of all is 'Sandbox Fossils with driving bass from James Simonson and guitar from Ryan Gimpert.
Review: From P60 is an alias of Zoltan Nagy who this year marks the significant milestone of a quarter of a century in the music game and he celebrates by launching his new label Midnight Fashion Chill with his 'Fallin' EP. Over the years, Nagy has done it all from deep house to Balearic to lounge and downtempo and here brings that touch of class to six superbly soothing sounds that fuse all that and more. The opener is pure horizontal bliss, 'The Times We Spent Together' is a slow-motion daydream, 'Fallin' (with Jaidene Veda) is pure soul-soothing magic and 'When' is a gently lilting ambient soundscape crafted to perfection.
Jose Finagandara, Juan Diego Lllescas & Ground - "Something Sign" (5:39)
Akira Arasawa With KUN & FRANKY-CH - "Yunnan" (8:18)
Review: Especial Specials has joined forces with Osaka-based imprint Chillmountain Recordings to offer up another Enjoy Your Self EP. This one once again showcases the talents on its roster with label head Ground kicking off with a beatdown meets trance sound on "Utau Narukoyuri'. After that slow burner come tribal percussive sounds from 'Arauma' (Kobato Dub), sunny cumbia on 'Something Sign' and a meandering Balearic journey from Akira Arasawa With KUN & FRANKY-CH that is brought to life with new age flute sounds, bird calls, jungle drips and folkloric strings. A fantastic EP, then.
Daryl System & Mr Fantasy - "Sequential Love" (4:37)
Review: Barcelona-based Italian label Dance Conmigo makes a bold debut with a four-track release that is fully aimed at igniting dance floors. The opener from Lukinsky sets the tone with a dreamy, nostalgic journey you won't want to let go of while Elgo Blanco raises the tempo, perfectly bridging day-to-night vibes. On the B-side, Flavio Folco's signature style shines on a track featuring a dynamic live bassline and energetic arrangement. Last but not least, the EP closes with a collaboration from Daryl System & Mr. Fantasy that delivers a warm 80s-inspired groove and cosmic harmonies that transport you to another dimension.
Review: Following on from Running Back's much-needed reissue of their seminal, saucer-eyed early 90s deep house gem 'Mermaids', Ali Tillett's Re:Warm label has decided to serve up a fresh retrospective of the sprawling career of Hull twosome Fila Brazillia. Tillett has done an excellent job too - not an easy task given the sheer size of the pair's catalogue - opting to mix kaleidoscopic early favourites (the dreamy, sunrise-ready brilliance of 'The Sheriff') and bona-fide chill-out classics (the superb 'A Zed and Two L's' and 'Harmonicas Are Shite') with stoner funk numbers from later albums ('Throwing Down a Shape', 'Airlock Holmes') and lesser-celebrated treats (the dense, slow-motion excellence of 'Neanderthal'). There's even a previously unreleased gem recorded last year: the return-to-their-roots brilliance of 'Toro De Fuego'.
B-STOCK: Sleeve damaged but otherwise in excellent condition
Da Starga Tora
Borealis
Alina
Exile
Nussing
Baboobap
Prelude
All Is Changing
Review: ***B-STOCK: Sleeve damaged but otherwise in excellent condition***
Back in the heyday of the Scando-Disco scene, Jann Marius Dahle had a flurry of records as Fjordfunk and under his own name. Rightly recognised by the leaders in that scene, he's been quiet for the best part of 20 years, but now he returns with the stunning, fully-rendered wonderment of "Infinite Zest". This is an album bursting with colour and musicality, as gorgeous instrumentation meets with tenderly executed disco with a distinctly Norwegian mood. From the starry-eyed synth interplay of "Alina" to the noodling funk of "Nussing", Marius Dahle's skill as an arranger and producer is a revelation. A well-deserved, long awaited return to the fray from a rightful peer of Prins Thomas, Lindstrom et al..
Review: It's been a hell of a long time since Kieran Hebden released a full-length album; Sixteen Oceans and Parallel both came out in 2020 and made for twin final inculcations of his twinkly, stellar dance sound. Three, by contrast, comes a full four years later and promises a return to a relaxed space for the artist, recalling the woodside studio space that facilitated his inauguration as a meme. Not quite abandoning the EDM bent, 'Daydream Repeat' recalls those earlier projects, but the likes of 'Three Drums' and 'Loved' are by contrast much more measured, soft-breaksy constructions in sound, recalling a more radical return to hip-hop than house.
B-STOCK: Sleeve split at the top but otherwise in great condition
Marcel - "Joy Of July" (3:27)
Marcel - "Give Me Relief" (4:18)
Marcel - "Can't Stop The Time" (4:07)
From P60 - "Muzai In The House" (3:58)
From P60 - "Cool Stuff At 4 O'clock" (4:00)
From P60 - "Sun-Kissed Shores" (feat MnemonicKiss) (5:48)
Forteba - "End Of The Day" (6:18)
Review: ***B-STOCK: Sleeve split at the top but otherwise in great condition***
Zoltan Nagy AKA P60 has spent the last four years slowly building up his Midnight Fashion label and its dedicated downtempo offshoot, Midnight Fashion Chill. Following a handful of solo EPs on the latter imprint, Nagy has now decided to offer up a first imprint compilation - one that not only showcases his work, but also that of Marcel (AKA sometime Cookin' Records artist Marcell Dudas) and Plastic City regular Forteba (AKA Hungarian stalwart Krisztian Dobrocsi). Musically, the set lives up to its' title, offering an enticing and undeniably blazed mix of DJ Calm style trip-hop, warming 1990s style downtempo grooves, slow-burn Baleric soundscapes, Onra-esque neo-boogie beats and warm, deep and languid, jazz-flecked mid-tempo house.
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