SHAWN LEE Schallplatten & CDs

Review: Given that both have eclectic musical tastes and play a multitude of instruments, it makes perfect sense that Misha Paniflov and Shawn Lee have ended up working together on a handful of seven-inch singles. 'Volkswagenesque', the opening gambit from the pair's latest "45", is another strong sonic statement. It boasts the sun-kissed warmth and laidback vibe heard on many of Lee's productions, with the duo wrapping glistening guitars, gravelly funk-rock solos, spacey synths and warming bass around a languid, percussion-rich rhythm track. You'll find more weighty, beautifully played percussion on flipside 'Miles Away', a more low-slung and dancefloor-ready affair that features some excellent electric piano playing from Lee.

Review: Fresh from dropping another essential seven-inch with his regular Sound Combo band, Misha Paniflov has joined forces with fellow multi-instrumentalist Shawn Lee for a string of collaborative singles. This "45" sports two genuinely impressive cuts, each full to bursting with quality live instrumentation. It opens with 'Sigmund Jahn Bossa', a superb fusion of late 1960s library jazz (think Roy Budd's score for Get Carter and you're in the right ballpark), bustling bossa-nova and spiralling psych-funk. Over on the flip the pair continue to deliver lounge, influenced, tongue-in-cheek thrills via the cheap, Sideman drum machine rhythms, tumbling guitars, elongated Hammond organ chords and hazy backing vocals of 'Aquaria'.

Review: The Soul Surfers & Shawn Lee have linked their creative energies once more with a new pair of singles for the cultured Spasibo Records. Both tracks on this limited gold vinyl were recorded in 2018. One was captured at Moscow's Magnetone studio during Lee's visit for the premiere of a movie documenting his prior recording with The Soul Surfers, and the other was recorded remotely with The Soul Surfers at their Nizhniy Novgorod headquarters and Lee at his London studio, The Shop. The collaboration is a fruitful one with two sublime and timeless funk cuts featuring some bittersweet replaying of classic melodies.