Back catalogue: Balearic/Downtempo

Review: Burnt Friedman and Joao Pais Filipe's collaborative efforts began back in 2018. The former using synthesis and electronics to paint subtly but incredibly specific aural pictures, the latter focusing on the drum and rhythmic end of things. At times their music feels entirely designed for the dancefloors of underground electronic clubs, in other moments it's something very different indeed.


This latest EP lives up to those broad brushstrokes. '21-30' is a lush, almost tropical sounding workout that offers a complex percussive pattern, and combines these with gentle shades of melody, harmony, hook and distorted note. '22-105' brings elements of glitchiness and robotics into the mix. Meanwhile, '18-140' would work well as a brooding building tool (or section) of a 'proper techno' mix, with '23-130' bridging gaps between the lot.

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.

Review: Under the Jaz alter-ego, John Zahl has been serving up laidback, Balaearic-minded edits of musical obscurities since the mid 2000s. Initially, that was for Claremont 56 offshoot Sixty Five, but in the last decade he's also appeared on Passport To Paradise, Rotating Souls and, most recently, Pinchy & Friends. Here he returns to the latter label with four more rubs of atmospheric cuts from the dusty corners of his record collection. He begins with the wonderfully throbbing, solo-heavy dancefloor synth-scape of 'Cloud Worship', before successfully tinkering with a tactile, semi-organic proto-house gem on 'Pick a Toy'. Over on side B, 'Puzzle' is a tidy revision of a cosmic-minded, French language Balearic synth-pop gem, while 'Friday Night' is an eccentric, off-kilter slab of new wave disco oddness.

Review: The ninth release from Worst Records finds Jonnah asking, "what makes a being? What tends to be, always, and yet remains never achieved?" across the five adventurous tracks of his limited Mental & Physical EP. It is rhythmically loose, with tough broken beats, dark dubstep and new age infused ambient designs all magian this a glimpse into the future of our world. The mood ranges from uneasy to contemplative, the energies from blissed out to dark and oppressive. It is a well realised sound world that draws you in deep and has you questioning everything.

Review: Fusion Sequence is a new offshoot from the Mellophonia label that kicks off with a heavyweight release both literally - its 180g vinyl - and metaphorically. It features seven different artists offering up one track each on what is a widescreen exploration of fresh deep house. They are A Vision of Panorama, Eternal Love, Pool Boy, Wolfey, Laseech, Larry Quest and Jay Sound and between them everything from cuddly depths to more moody late-night deepness is covered on an EP that brings plenty of new perspectives. A fine inaugural 12", then.

Review: 813251-01
Several music critics have previously described the Allman Brothers Band's At Fillmore East as one of the greatest live albums ever recorded. First issued in 1971, it breathed new life into the band's stalling career and projected them as versatile, energetic live performers with a passion for providing extended, jammed out takes of their own songs. By and large, these heavily bluesy, freewheeling excursions were far superior to anything they'd recorded in the studio, with some going through multiple changes over 10 or 20 minutes. As this audiophile vinyl reissue proves, the album is as impactful, addictive and musically intense as ever, providing an aural snapshot of three famous nights at one of New York's most infamous rock venues of the early 1970s.

Review: Bristol has a lot to answer for when it comes to atmospheric downtempo stuff. The birthplace of trip hop is still commonly associated with the genre decades after its inception, but this shouldn't make anyone think for a second the city has sat idly by gorging on the fatted calfs of Massive Attack, Portishead and the like without pushing further experimentations in the art of sombre, slow, emotional electronica. Jabu are a great case in point, and if the world were different, fairer, and less overwhelmed with band names you can bet your bottom dollar this South West England trio would be household treasures by now. Having released a number of genuinely mesmerising albums packed with meditations on loss, landing on exalted labels such as Blackest Ever Black, here they present a generous helping of unreleased and previously unheard bits and pieces that led to the back catalogue we now have. Tellingly, everything here was always worthy of release, so it's great this has finally happened.

Review: Legendary Norwegian eight-piece Jaga Jazzist always mixed up post-rock, jazz and psychedelia influences in their own unique way. Never more so was that better exemplified than on The Stix. It was the band's third album released back in May 2003 on Ninja Tune with all songs produced by Jorgen Traeen as well as plenty of musicians playing saxophone, flute, clarinet, acoustic and electric guitars, keyboards and viola amongst much more, which means it is a texturally, melodically rich album with plenty of soaring highs and emotional themes that ebb and flow in captivating fashion. This special anniversary reissue comes on orange and red double gatefold vinyl.

Review: If there's one thing you can count on Jean Michel Jarre for, it's testing the limits of technology and seeing where he can take things further. The Oxygene synth wizard is back at it with a revolutionary new record which seeks to offer his fans a sonic experience like they've never had before. Oxymore has been recorded as a multi-channel, 3D binaural album, and while that might sound a bit vague for the uninitiated, the idea is that it gives the producers and engineers greater control over placing sounds within a three-dimensional, or even 360 degree space. Anyone listening on headphones will be able to experience this new revelation in sound design and hear it for themselves.

Review: He might be in the autumn of his career but Jean Michel Jarre remains an innovator in the field of electronic music. His last album in 2022, Oxymore, was another pioneering exploration of rhythm and sound that has now been reworked alongside a series of collaborators all picked by the man himself. The nine-track selection brings wholly new perspectives to the originals which he calls "a vibrant collection of musical dialogues." An immediate standout for us is the track with Nina Kraviz which is crunchy, distorted minimal techno, while 'Epica Extension' with Brian Eno is laced up with otherworldly melodies. A great work from a mix of great artists.

Review: Second time around for Jean-Michel Jarre's 2022 album Oxymore, a loving tribute to French composer and 'music concrete' pioneer Pierre Henry. As the title suggests, this version features new remixes of album tracks (all of which feature sounds originally created by Henry) by a disparate group of musical talents. That makes for an interesting mix of interpretations, with armin Van Buuren's sizable trance translation of 'Epica' rubbing shoulders with a trippy, off-kilter electro take on 'Sex In The Machine' by Nina Kraviz, a moody Martin Gore interpretation of 'Brutalism', Irene Dresel's raw techno revision of 'Zeitgeist Botanica', and ambient pioneer Brian Eno putting his spin on 'Epica'.

Review: The acclaimed Kito Jempere joins Cherrystones and DJN4 on the label for 2020, with an album full of international minds. Working with array of collaborators across a cast of friends including Jimi Tenor, Wolfram, Hard Ton, Lipelis, Rich Thair (Red Snapper), Ruf Dug, Cedric Gasaida (Azari & III) and many more, presenting this, his third long play.

A hail of freedom of thoughts and voices before these changed times, recorded and shared across continents. Kito - following releases with DFA, Lo Recordings, Bordello A Parigi, Hell Yeah and Duca Bianco - acts as curator rather than conductor, the idea not to transform the contributions but allow them absolute.

Sending music and receiving back, nothing was touched to keep the truth and honour. From Tokyo to London, Berlin to his base in St Petersburg, trusting the chosen artists led to a broad palette, as his 4/4 driven funk expands with Jazz horns to Motorik percussion, Avant-Reich vocals to White Isle melodies, J Pop Balearics to Chanson stories wrapped around Club memories.

A true world meeting, crossing borders and genres. An eye on the dance floor and week long chill outs. With remixes from the likes of Samo DJ, Lipelis, Cable Toy and more to follow, this is more than Yet Another Kito Jempere Album.

Review: Glasgow grime producer Konchis engages his Jetsam alter ego for a wavier sonic serenade than we're used to from him. Tapping into his dreamier, more emotional side for an album length narrative, the Scottish scientist switches from tripped out swooning harmonies wrapped casually over Dilla-ish beats ("End Of Stars") to woozy cries over fuzzy synth riffs ("Cathedrals") to soul-jarring deep sea strangeness ("Mermaids"). Otherworldly, cosmic and mischievously off-kilter, Konchis has found the perfect muse in his alter ego right here. One of a kind.

Review: Swedish-British singer-songwriter Jay-Jay Johanson is now well known for his uniquely melancholic vocals and this new album Labyrinth is another fine example of that. The title track is airy and delicate, with his tender, spoke-sung vocals drifting over a gentle piano. 'The Maze' comes as a Tomas Nordmark Labyrinth Rework with swirling pads making for a churchy vibe as the voice of Johanson hangs poignantly in the air above. Elsewhere 'Paris 2' is a little fuller, with downtempo percussion and busier piano chords and 'The Girl with the Moog in Her Hair' has great retro synths for a subtle cosmic outing.

Review: Multi-instrumentalist and Frenchman Jype serves up a sumptuous debut album here that finds him link with a host of fine collaborators. The tracks are all brain cleansingly clean and melodic, airy and free from clutter. There are elements of pop and jazz, funk and soul from the likes of Sade and Wham! littering the horizontal Balearic grooves and the results are perfect. This is lush poolside music with proper songs and hummable top lines, deep bass and lush vocals. Only two of these slo-mo bliss-outs have been heard before, so dive in .

Review: Back in the summer of 2022, BBC Radio 3 asked fourth world legend and all-round avant-garde musical hero Ariel Kalma to pick artists he'd never met to collaborate with. He chose Jeremiah Chu and Marta Sofia Honer. Following the radio broadcast in the autumn of '22, the trio continued making music together and this is the result: a brilliant, impossible-to-pigeonhole affair that combines snatches of improvised performances from each musician with elements of recordings Kalma made in the 1970s, speech samples, droning tones, ambient electronics and much more besides. It's not jazz, ambient, fourth world or abstract electronica, but something that sits in the fuzzy gaps in between. More importantly, it's sonically superb - a coherent and inspired piece of work that gets the most out of its principle cast of characters.

Review: This is a limited edition 'silent' grey vinyl version of Ariel Kalma, Jeremiah Chiu, and Marta Sofia Honer's The Closest Thing to Silence. The album is one that defies conventions and offers ethereal compositions and intricate soundscapes that immerse listeners in contemplation. Kalma's mastery of wind instruments, Chiu's electronic experimentation, and Honer's emotive vocals seamlessly blend, creating a serene tapestry of sound. Each track unfolds like a meditative journey, guiding listeners through evocative landscapes of sound. This collaborative effort highlights the beauty of stillness, inviting introspection and appreciation for the artistry that emerges from such moments. This, then, is a testament to the transformative power of collaborative creativity.

Review: Kintsugi is the Japanese art of fixing broken stuff in beautiful ways and thus embracing the item's history. It is also in part the name of this new Kintsugi Soul Stepper's album that mirrors that concept by "celebrating the beauty found in piecing together diverse fragments to create a harmonious whole." Filipino Canadian collective seekersinternational and beat-maker jjuwanstockton lead the charge, on a record that celebrates the fusions of many diverse sounds from dub to soul to nostalgic 1980s Japan, as well as many different cultures, and identities.