CRUISIC Schallplatten & CDs

Review: Made up predominantly of live drums and backing sequences, Cruisic affirm a sturdy sonic "yes" in the vein of nu-funk and jazz-funk on their new record, Euphoria. Riffing on the successes accrued since at least 2019, first in the form of an 'Inspector Norse' rendition, then a couple more covers - 808 State's 'Pacific 707', Azymuth's 'Jazz Carnival' - Euphoria is a contrastingly unique selling point, homing in on the duo's own talents and masteries. Cruisic express the essence of house, MPB, acid jazz and groove, hardly ever overextending the tempo and keeping things at a steady 115-ish, all while remaining firmly in the wild camps of smooth and mellow.

Review: Japanese duo Crusic have a history of delivering inspired cover versions. Previously, they've offered up stellar, jazz and jazz-funk-fuelled takes on Todd Terje's 'Inspector Norse', 808 State rave classic 'Pacific', and Azymuth's Brazilian fusion anthem 'Jazz Carnival'. Here, they present their interpretation of one of the most sublime soulful house tracks of all time - Kings of Tomorrow's 'Finally'. Their version is warm, dreamy and gently breezy, with Misa Sugiyama's beautiful lead vocals rising above a summery blend of shuffling jazz-house beats, twinkling pianos, warming synths, heady electric piano chords and spacey electronics. The quality of this instrumentation (and the pair's superb arrangements) comes through loud and clear on the accompanying instrumental take.

Review: Midnight Riot help the listener carve out their own personal Balearic headspaces with their new compilation Balearic Headspace, likening the "experience" of Balearic not just to a sound, but an affect, one that cannot be experienced without specific records or specific times and places. Do we believe it to be true? We may or may not, but that doesn't distract from the whopping curation job here, with most tunes on offer consisting of both total newness and reworks/revisions by the Midnight Riot crew; this 12" is a four-track selection of a wider 19-track digital comp. Our highlight has to be the ultra-smeary Tom Moulton mix of 'This Is Caribbean Disco' by Fsq, which floats atop a serious floe of stretched-out axe bubble and echoing crosstick, as its lyrics deal in word-painted themes of being held underwater. As mindfully, cognitively Balearic as it gets!