Mondo Italy レコード& CD

Review: The Mondo label first surfaced back in late-2013 under the tutelage of former Jolly Music producer Francesco De Bellis, 'powered by Gerd Janson's Running Back', channelling a dual interest in library music and the Mondo Movies of 1960s Italian cinema. Across a series of highly prized 12" releases, Mondo has cultivated a slavish following amongst the more horizontally inclined selectors out there. Given their limited nature, it's nice to see Mondo collect their 12" output to date for a wonderful compilation entitled Collezione. The tracklist is programmed to mirror the path of the 12" releases, with L.U.C.A, ROTLA, Studio 22, and Odeon essentially granted chapters to sooth the soul with their deeply textured Balearic sounds.

Review: L.U.C.A is one of the lesser-known pseudonyms of man-of-many-aliases Francesco De Bellis, who has been delivering shimmering nu-disco and Italo-influenced house jams since the late 1990s. I Semi Del Futuro, though, is a different beast to many of the Rome-based producer's releases over the last two decades. It was created with the assistance of a battery of musicians, and explores the fertile ground between hazy film soundtracks, sun-kissed Balearica, and the kind of drowsy, reinvented lounge music that was once the hallmark of Air. It's hugely enjoyable, brilliantly produced, and stacked full of the kind of atmospheric gear that will make you want to reach for something cold, fruity and alcoholic.