Cosmocities France レコード& CD

Review: Australian producer Inkswel is back on the Cosmocities label in France with more of his superbly soulful sounds, this time with none other than Chicago legend Robert Owens. The lush 'Space Love' is a playful deep house jam with the sort of cosmic synths that recall early Fingers Inc and Owens's smoky tones only heighten that feeling. Steve Spacek provides a mix that rides on broken beats with elastic bass but just as much cosmic energy and a Fluterumental gets all loose-limbed and seductive. On the flip side are two Yoruba Soul mixes that bring extra rich soul vibes and shimmering pad work. A classy and timeless EP for sure.

Review: The always-smiling Soichi Terada is a master of Japanese house music as well as being a fine video game soundtrack designer who brings unbridled synth and piano-laced joy to his sounds. His collab with Manabu Nagayama, 'Low Tension', is the subject of the A-side here with deep house don Jimpster remixing first with all the joyous synth energy of a new spring day and then with a Beatless Reprise that allows you to marvel at the magnificent keys. On the flip, Nick Holder's In The Six remix brings some smoky depths to Luyo's 'Shanee' while a KEENE Venao 7am remix of 'Celestial' is the exact tune you want to hear at sun up.

Review: The Cosmocities label has had a "life-long love story with Japanese electronics" which now comes to bare on this superb collection of sounds from the Far East. It is a two volume collection with the first serving up a to of deeply dug out delights which draw mainly from ambient, electronica and deep house sound worlds. Highlights are plentiful but Gabby & Lopez 'Drive form the Miracle' (Kaoru Inoue remix) is a zoned out post-rave and new age comedown and Sauce81's 'Sign Of Secret Love' is a super steamy synth romancer with slow-mo drums that delight.

Review: Cosmocities have held an enduring fascination with Japanese music which now manifests in two expansive compilations gathered under the title Denshi Ongaku No Bigaku. The French label has made a strong impression since first emerging around 2019, favouring a fertile crossover where organic instrumentation and electronic sensibilities meet, and that comes though on Volume 2 of this expertly curated series in no uncertain terms. There's a detectable jazziness to the music on offer from the likes of Seiji Ono, Uyama Hiroto and J.A.K.A.M, as house grooves and more lilting pulses flow from one track to the next, shining a light on some truly spectacular visionaries in the contemporary Japanese scene.