Back catalogue: Balearic/Downtempo

Review: Forslag Pa Musik invites you to spend a few super chill hours with him by their native Swedish coastline on this lush new 7" on Terrasolare. It follows a fine outing on his own Sunken Rock label in the form of his first album Book Of Mirrors and is a delightfully laidback and mellow offing with pads for day demeaning and gentle analogue beats with a warm and fuzzy edge. The melodies are innocent and the percussion a deft sprinkling of texture. This is the sort of tackle to heat you to the core and bring a smile to your face.

Review: Blair French is a brilliant groove-smith who has turned out plenty of classics on the likes of Claremont 65, Rocksteady Disco and Razor-N-Tape. After a recent new limited 12" in April he makes a quick return with this a-side gem, 'The Bird Watcher.' It's a loose and worldwide disco sound with organic perc and languid bass next to wild bird calls and hypnotic flute leads.
Eddie Logix's 'Sunshine, Sunblock' then brings a dubbed out vibe with more jungle sound effects and naturalistic atmospheres.

Review: Gerardo Frisina, the Italian musician and producer renowned for his expertise in Latin jazz, delivers a captivating experience with Mystical Funk on Schema records. Side-1 presents 'Mystical Funk,' a mesmerizing blend of tribal drums, smooth funk grooves, and island vibes that transport listeners to exotic landscapes. On Side-2, 'Spaced Out' takes a more urban direction, featuring an infectious hip-hop/funk beat infused with sophisticated organ sounds and hints of jazz influences. Frisina's masterful production seamlessly merges diverse elements into cohesive compositions that exude elegance and groove.

Review: An ultra-depthy broken house production from fellows Roberta and Fawziyya Heart, 'Take Our Time' is a seeming exercise in how many top frequencies one can lop off, yet still use in service a sense of excitement in stasis. The simple tessellation of soul-fed voice, subdued kick, murmurative Rhodes and mono sub make for a fantastic combo, as we're unconsciously fed lyrics and style signifying tarrying and patience, not to mention the Molokos and Smith & Mighties of the 1990s.

Review: Florecer steps up to the cultured Is It Balearic label with the sort of soothing downtempo sounds that are perfect for sunset moments with a quality drink. There is plenty of mellow and dreamy West Coast lushness to 'Hidden Thoughts' with its shimmering synths and seductive vocal coos while the first remix from Hitchhiker steps up the energy with an arp-ed sound. Das Complex gets dark and chugging as is his usual want on the flipside, then Cafe Del Mar resident Ken Fan offers a trademark chillout sound to close out another most calming EP from this great label.

Review: International Feel kicks off what is presumably a new series given its title, Mediterranean Dreams - Part 1. For it, they turn to Perugia synth obsessive, underground mainstay and fine producer Feel Fly for four tracks of breezy and sunny disco-house chuggers. 'Onironauta' brings retro Italo chords and nice chunky drums, 'Grace In Space' is a leggy cosmic wonder with far-sighted chords and muted acid magic, then 'Mediterranean Dreams' is pure 80s dream house bliss. 'Becalmed' is the most rough edged and analogue house jack track of the lot.

Review: The legendary deep house duo Fila Brazilia return with another retrospective four-track, following last year's Mermaids' reissue. Steel Tiger Records founder Steve Cobby and lecturer David McSherry ha da whirlwind romance with the house scene, one they reignited in 2020 after a 16-year separation. 'Subtle Body' serves as an incredible reintroduction to the dynamic duos sound, tripped-out dubby beats and raw house sessions, with the title track's layered chimes, looped delay feedback and floaty chords blasting right out of the gate. What follows is an unreleased instrumental version of 'Nightfall' from the 2002 album 'Jump Leads', an industrial ambient drifter.

On Side B, the tempo and temperature rises, and we're treated to 'The Light Of Jesus', from the debut LP 'Old Codes: New Chaos'. A bumping house groove, smooth organ and sweet bass combine for an unforgettable track that has stood the test of time fiercely. The EP rounds out with 'Room '96', a live house jam from Hull's Room nightclub - a time capsule to better days. The songs here on Subtle Body might be a window into a time long past, but they remain in the present: and as long as bodies seek pleasure, and dancers want to keep going til sunrise, Fila Brazillia will endure, and soundtrack those moments for us all to get lost in.

Review: In cahoots with legendary Japanese record store Jet Set, Freestyle Records has decided to offer-up a 45 featuring two tidy cuts from Lance Ferguson's Rare Groove Spectrum 2 album, a second set of inspired cover versions from the multi-instrumentalist, bandleader and producer. On side A the Melbourne-based musician gives his take on Azymuth classic 'Veo Sobre O Horizonte', re-imaging it as a starry, vintage synth-laden shuffle through sun-baked South American jazz-funk complete with woozy horns, Herbie Hancock keyes and eyes-closed female vocalizations. On the reverse Ferguson turns his hand to Carly Simon's 'Why', adding gorgeous horn solos and sunset-ready flourishes to a faithful re-recording of the reggae-influenced number's familiar groove.

Review: Especial Specials has joined forces with Osaka-based imprint Chillmountain Recordings to offer up another Enjoy Your Self EP. This one once again showcases the talents on its roster with label head Ground kicking off with a beatdown meets trance sound on "Utau Narukoyuri'. After that slow burner come tribal percussive sounds from 'Arauma' (Kobato Dub), sunny cumbia on 'Something Sign' and a meandering Balearic journey from Akira Arasawa With KUN & FRANKY-CH that is brought to life with new age flute sounds, bird calls, jungle drips and folkloric strings. A fantastic EP, then.

Review: Dial 81 and tell them it's an emergency... Blair French has dropped his second single this year and there are only 300 copies in existence! Following "Standing Still Is An Illusion" on Rocksteady Disco come two more sublime Balearic affairs that fit Claremont 56 like a snug pair of speedos; "Sandbar Caviar" wafts and sways with island waves as gentle arpeggios ebb and flow creating harmonies and cosmic textures while "Inland Island" adjusts our seats to a horizontal position with its snaking bassline and spacious percussion gradually opening into a heavenly vocal and guitar lead that's tantamount to transcendental.

Review: Scott Ferguson came to house and techno in one of its most fertile grounds - Detroit, in the mid 90s. Since then he has served up his own take on the timeless genres on a range of quality labels. Now he arrives on Chateau Chepere with four more of his stylish cuts. They are couched in deep house as always but with cues taken from future jazz, garage and plenty in between. These are real winter warmers that will seduce an early evening crowd or lock in a 5 am dance floor in equal measure.

Review: Apart from having one of the best and most singular names in electronic dance music, The Future Sound Of London have been one of the pillars of modern UK dance music, pushing through a mixture of house, techno, and breaks since the early 1990s - and, in fact, some of their tunes like "Papua New Guinea" are still getting regular play time in clubs today. While they have released a huge amount of music over the last 25 years, they've got an equally vast amount of unreleased gold in their treasure chest, a collection of tracks that have seen the light of day thanks to the present Archived series. This week it's time for the series' eighth instalment, another twelve unmissable bundles of electronic delight. However, this is a lot more than just a compilation, and the tunes work their fine mixture of melodies, breaks and electronic beats into a sublime collection of sounds. If you're into vast and explorative music with a cutting-edge, you needn't look any further.