New releases last eight weeks: Balearic/Downtempo

Review: Intrallazzi and Dario Piana have been friends and Milanese scene contemporaries since 1981, when they both fell in love with the distinctive Afro-Cosmic sound of local DJ (and later Piana collaborator) Daniel Baldelli. Since then, they have both made records aplenty under a variety of aliases, but this EP on Leng marks their first joint release. The headline attraction is opener (and lead cut) 'Out of Control', a dubbed-out cosmic disco chugger propelled by echo-laden percussion and a deep, low-slung bassline, smothered in psychedelic synth and guitar sounds. Fellow Italian producer LTJ Experience remixes, offering up a stripped-back and acid-flecked interpretation. Elsewhere, 'Lazise' is a TB-303-sporting cosmic shuffler and 'Saocraffen' is a Baldelli-influenced fusion of Afro-cosmic funk and ethereal Balearic sounds.

Review: The Mysterious MYOKEN crew is back with their fourth release in the popular series and as always, they're bringing their signature style to the table. This time, they've taken two massive pop and dance anthems and reworked them into atmospheric, proggy-tinged versions that'll have you locked in from the first beat. On the A-side, 'Erase' sets the tone with its spacious, groove-heavy energy, and the 'Erase Dub' brings out the deep, layered textures, making it perfect for late-night dancefloors. On the flip, 'Why' pushes the vibe further with its driving bass and captivating rhythm, before the 'Why Dub' takes things into a more experimental realm, adding even more dubby space and hypnotic elements.

Review: Talking Drums return with Volume 8, another leftfield disco delight from the Manchester-based crew known for their genre-hopping, floor-filling edits. This latest 12" twists vintage grooves into fresh, club-ready energy, blending Euro-NRG, deep disco cuts and Balearic euphoria with their usual offbeat charm. The A-side, 'Fever Dreams', is a full-throttle, sweat-dripping workoutisequencers throb, horns wail and twin basslines drive the track forward with an unrelenting urgency. A cheeky vocal and a breakdown primed for peak-time chaos make this one irresistible for late-night mischief. On the flip, 'Too Hot' dials down the BPM but keeps the heat on, its laid-back disco strut laced with silky strings, funky breaks, and shimmering Rhodes keys. Then there's 'Maximum Balearic Dancer', a sun-soaked closer that takes a fragment of Swiss fusion and transforms it into a hypnotic, flamenco-tinged groove, complete with breezy synths and a soaring piano solo. With their latest releaseiexpect this one to become a secret weapon for DJs who like their edits playful, punchy and a little bit unpredictable.

Review: Stockholm-based multi-instrumentalist and composer Art Longo impresses here with Echowah Island, a new album sure to wind its way into your affections. It was crafted over years in his home studio and is "psychotropical pop" drawing deep inspiration from late 80s music and dub. The album's lush soundscape evokes orange sunsets and ocean breezes and is layered with spring reverb, space echo and wah-wah effects that smooth out the edges as the steady pulse of vintage drum machines moves things on down low. A standout feature is Claudio Jonas, whose ethereal vocals recall classic French femme fatale singers of the 60s. Her poetic, kaleidoscopic lyrics add to a nostalgic dream world that gently bends reality and makes his both escapist and thought-provoking.

Review: Balearic scene stalwarts Chris Coco and DJ Rocca are old pals, with the pair first working together five years ago on an EP released by Faze Action's FAR imprint. Cocorocca, though, is their first collaborative full-length - a set that cannily combines Coco's love of fluid pianos, tactile downtempo grooves and sun-soaked ambient textures with DJ Rocca's passion for dubby basslines, moon-lit low-tempo nu-disco, starry Balearic synth-pop and the trippy and psychedelic ethos of Italy's 1980s Afro-cosmic scene. As a result, there's plenty of subtle variety on show - compare, for example, the dubbed-out slow acid oddness of '303/808' with the sunset-ready dancefloor colour of 'Sunshine Love' and the slap bass wielding dub disco madness of 'Night Dubbin' - as well as plenty club-ready material.

Review: Pacifico is the debut album from Italian-born, LA-based multi-instrumentalist Francesco Perini under the Pearz guise. It tracks a five-year sonic journey through Florence, London and Los Angeles and takes in all the sounds of those places so blends disco, electro, nu-jazz and Japanese City Pop into a rich, genre-spanning sound. True to its name (Pacifico means "peaceful" in Italian) the album captures the reflective calm of travel's end and has collaborations with artists like Kuntessa, VANBASTEN, Natalie Findlay, Jules Apollinaire and others bringing their own depth to the project. The result is a multicultural tapestry of sound that is full of warmth, groove and introspection.

Review: Jonas Visti introduces a new project, Visti's Vinyl Collective, blending diversities of Afrobeat, soul, house, jazz, boogie and pop, crafted with a motley crew from Denmark's jazz scene and international guests. Along with William Winding, Visti infuses electronic elements with instrumental Balearic-esque contributions from fellow musicians Emma Sehested Hoeg, Dawda Jobarteh and Markus Artved, whom all add their voices and instruments. Visti's vision is to create a freeform, genre-defying project, tracking experiences alongside other artists and a connoisseur's intel, built up as he's developed his Visti's Vinyl radio show.