Review: Ryuhei The Man and Ultra VYbe Records have been mining Alice Clark's sought-after, self-titled 1972 debut album, chiselling off gems to re-edit and reissue. They've already delivered one seven-inch and here offer-up a second, which is as predictably as essential as its predecessor. On the A-side Ryuhei takes his razor-sharp scalpel to 'Never Did I Stop Loving You', a bustling, sweet and effervescent chunk of soul-jazz brilliance full of big band horns, impassioned lead vocals and killer grooves. The edit itself is of the "soft-touch" variety, with the Japanese DJ/producer choosing to subtle extend small sections to avoid an over-loopy sound. Over on the B-side there's a chance to savour Clark's original version of 'Hard Hard Promises', an energetic affair that remains one of the long-overlooked artist's most up-tempo recordings.
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