Originals Volume 10 CD

And so it is that we say a teary goodbye to Claremont 56's superb Originals series of decidedly Balearic compilations. While a bespoke vinyl box set featuring tracks from the series is due at the end of September, this is the last official installment. This time round, NYC-based, Tokyo-raised Frenchman Alex From Tokyo is the man at the controls. Predictably, his selections are spot on, from the laidback, jazz guitar-flecked bliss of his own Tokyo Black Star re-edit of Pepe California's "Meli-Fali", and the wide-eyed synth-Balearica of Violets' "Sunset", to the tongue-in-cheek post-disco funk of Electric Guitars' "Night Bears", and the 1983 proto-house/boogie dubbiness of Tia Monae's "Don't Keep Me Waiting (Dub Mix)". In other words, it's as impeccable and essential as the rest of the series.