OTHER LANDS Schallplatten & CDs

Review: Patrick Gibin has signed some terrific records to his Mother Tongue label, so it's no surprise to discover that the Italian imprint's first "45" is a bona fide stunner. It sees sometime Gustosa producer Gary Superfly join forces with Other Lands (AKA Gavin Sunderland, previously best known for his work as Fudge Fingaz) to offer up the kind of sumptuously warm, languid, loose, toasty and organic fare that can't quite decide whether it wants to be jazz-funk, modern boogie or especially hazy deep house. A-side "Endless" is particularly potent, with waves of kaleidoscopic synth sounds and twinkling Rhodes solos relaxing over a chunky bassline and head-nodding drums, though toastier and hazier flipside "Purple" is almost as good.

Review: Given their shared musical heritage - both are members of the extended Firecracker Recordings crew - it's perhaps something of a surprise to find that Face The Facts marks the first serious collaboration between Linkwood and Gav 'Fudge Fingaz' Sutherland AKA Other Lands. It's less surprising that the album is really, really good. Touching on warming synth-boogie, head-nodding downtempo jams, mutant beatdown, Balearic beats, sunset-ready soundscapes and warming analogue deep house, the 13-track set is notable for the pair's extensive use of dusty old drum machines, tactile instrumentation (think smooth Rhodes solos, languid guitar solos and blissed-out synths) and Sutherland's hazy, sometimes seductive singing voice.