Pacific Rhythm Canada レコード& CD

Review: After making his mark with a few high-grade edit EPs for Basic Fingers and Razor N Tape midway through the last decade, NYC-based DJ/producer Arsenii returns with a new project, Bliss Street Queens. There are no edits in sight this time, just a quartet of original productions that offer a distinctly nostalgic, warming and colourful interpretation of deep house. He sets his stall out with 'Celestial Frogs', adding sustained, intergalactic-sounding chords, effects aplenty and a brilliant bassline to unfussy beats, before opting for a jazzier, sun-splashed sound on the similarly deep and squelchy 'Find Me'. On 'Enjoy The Sirens' the Siberian exile makes great use of eyes-closed acid lines, lilting chords and emotive melodies whilst retaining his trademark elastic synth-bass, while 'Spiritus Sanctus' sits somewhere between deep house, electrofunk and sunrise-ready electro. Delicious!

Review: Sophie Sweetland (AKA D.Tiffany) delivered one of the strongest tracks on the Rhythms of the Pacific Vol 2 compilation 12", so it's little surprise to see Pacific Rhythm releasing an entire EP of her productions. Predictably, the Canadian serves up a quartet of tracks inspired by the glowing warmth of stretched-out sunsets and the morning-fresh feel of summer sunrises. She begins with the bustling instrumental hip-hop shuffle of "Get Back to You", before diving headfirst into the crystal clear waters of dub-flecked deep house trip "Blue Dream". Flip for Regular Fantasy hook-up "How RU Plush", a superb fusion of two-step influenced drum machine hits and ambient house chords, and the humid brilliance of "Something About You" (think dream house chords, ambient house textures and tribal drums).

Review: Deep house dons Frank & Tony keep on finding fresh new ground in their chosen genre. It's now Pacific Rhythm in Canada that welcomes them for this latest tasteful outing starting with the somnambulant sounds of 'Agitate' and its drawn-out and dreamy chords. The soporific sounds continue on 'Exiles' with its gentle grooves and starry-eyed piano chords and 'Just Like You' then layers up soft sonic pulses with fizzy synth smears in a way that soothes the soul. 'Back Home' is the final tasteful piece of this most sophisticated house puzzle.

Review: Initially started as a 'long-range collaboration' during the global COVID-19 pandemic, Cooper Saver and Chris McIntyre's Inner Flight project was inspired by a heady mix of grandiose Canadian landcapes, Andrew Weatherall, the second summer of love and the "deeper corners of the 4AD catalogue". As this debut EP on Pacific Rhythm shows, it's a blueprint that guarantees warmth, sonic beauty, sunset and sunrise-ready soundscapes, and suitably loved-up club cuts. Following the slow-burn bliss of organic ambient opener 'Inner Flight', the pair cycles through acid-flecked, early 90s progressive house hypnotism (the stirring 'Explorer 3000'), dubby Balearic beats/dreamy IDM fusion ('Sonar Scanning'), mid-80s Factory Records leftfield electro-not-electro ('Channel Zero'), and chugging, delay-laden early morning colour (the chill out room friendly 'Rainbow Falls').

Review: Something has been stirring in Vancouver for some time, as those who closely follow the exploits of the city's Mood Hut crew will confirm. Here, local record store turned party crew Pacific Rhythm launches its new label with a quartet of tracks from local artists. 1080p and Forbidden Planet man Lnrdcroy handles the A-side, dropping a sublime extended version of "Sunrise Market" - a deliciously dreamy and ethereal concoction built around waves of calming synths - and the chunkier and stripped back - but no less woozy - "Time Zone (Mix 2)". Mood Hut affiliates Hashman Deejay and Cloudface dominate the flip, with the former providing a throbbing, pared-down Dub of Memory Man's self-titled debut. As for Cloudface, his "Panter Bleu" is a deliciously wonky chunk of fizzing acid.

Review: Given the brilliance of the first Rhythms of the Pacific EP, slipped out some 12 months ago by Vancouver store and party crew-turned record label Pacific Rhythm, hopes are naturally high for this belated follow-up. Happily, it's every bit as magical as its' predecessor. Neo Image kicks things off with "So", a warm, evocative and dreamy blend of broken beat, downtempo and garage influences. He follows this up with the similarly heady "JR East", whose drawn-out ambient chords are accompanies by clattering drum machine hits and tactile electronic melodies. Flip to the B for the typically deep and dusty Vancouver house bliss of Florist's "112712" and the gritty, dubbed out deep house brilliance of D Tiffany's "Orange Crush (Plush Managements Mix)". Like the rest of the EP, it's utterly beguiling.

Review: Given the popularity of volumes one and two in the superb Rhythms Of The Pacific series, you can bet your bottom dollar that this third installment will fly off the shelves. Happily, the standard remains high throughout, with debutant Slim Media Player particularly impressing. The artist with the superbly-current name offers up a pair of fine tracks; the low-slung jazz bass, new age pads and bumpin' beats of "Dappled Love", and the decidedly horizontal, loved-up shuffle of "Pink Hues, Bad News". On the flip, Electric Sound Broadcast melds yearning, sun-kissed electronics to freshly beaked house breaks on the delightful "WaveRunner", before 1080p regular Khotin delivers a dash of dreamy, acid-flecked brilliance in the shape of EP standout "Nimbus (Tomi's Pad Mix)".