Tags: Balearic House

Review: Serial collaborator DJ Sotofett pops up on Honest Jon's with a typically excellent doublepack built around a quartet of studio hook-ups. Aside from Versatile boss Gilb'r (here lending a helping hand on some African-influenced ambient house), most of the collaborators are new additions to the eccentric Norwegian's out-there audio universe. The two tracks with Phillip Lauer and JKS - an intergalactic ambient affair and a chunk of early Fila Brazillia style deep house - are particularly potent, while there's something deliciously warm and evocative about the Norwegian's explorations with Finn Jaakko Eino Kalevi. Best of all, though, are the two tracks with African vocalists Karlolin Tampere and Maimouna Haugen; "Nondo Riddimix", which boasts deliciously dense drums and sparse, exotic melodies, is arguably the highlight.

Review: Faze Action's Afro series hits a fourth and final volume with Zeke Manyika and Faze Action themselves at the helm of two new singles. The vibes on this one take their cues from Afro Latin and Balearic worlds with opener 'Maswera' bringing nice open-air festival sounds, rich horn work and expressive drum funk. Manyika's chants are the icing on the cake for this one. Then comes a nice dubbed-out remix of 'Rugare' by Faze Action with lively disco drums and loose-limbed percussion. The original on the flip is a more straight-up and dazzling disco cut while a paired back instrumental of 'Maswera' closes things down in style. Timeless Afro bombs for sure.

Review: London producer Scott Ferguson, aka Robot84, continues his superlative run through 80s speckled gear on his own label. This time he's cooked up a killer slice of proto house with an Afro vocal boost from TAMA. From the slick reverse edits to the warm thrum of the bassline, the classic drum machines patter to the spangled arps, this is feel good business rendered with reverence and love for the roots of dance music as we know it today. Stick on the A side for the vocal version, flip it over for the dub, or better still bag two copies and get creative in the mix.

Review: The Saint Wax Edit Service is back with more offerings for us to bow before. This latest eclectic disco sermon comes from Pleasure Voyage and kicks off with the topical Afro disco heat of 'Jongkoloni'. 'Arzaa' has a similarly international feel with Arabic-sounding vocals over a nice striped back but simple synth-heavy groove and 'Xibi' then sinks into a lovely deep house groove with 90s influences and more worldly vocals. Last of all is 'Tudod' which has nice tight bassline twangs under pirouetting chords and vocals. A fine EP.

Review: London's Rose Robinson aka Tigerbalm delivers a stunning debut EP on New York's Razor-N-Tape, showcasing her versatile and soulful sound. 'Nina' arrives in three different mixes, all infused with her smooth vocals and lush keys.The original is a low slung affair (feat Farafi) that provides ample mood music, while the thumping Elado mix sets its eyes on the main room, and finally the Voilaaa remix is definitely our favourite - which infuses Afro boogie elements for one seriously infectious version.

Review: South African funk outfit Stimela, named after the Zulu word for locomotive, formed out of the ashes of bandleader Ray Phri's previous band, The Cannibals, and soon became an institution in their homeland. Five albums deep in 1986, they also released the astounding Rewind EP, which now gets faithfully reissued by Mr Bongo for a fresh audience. Every track on here is a winner, from the epic, proggy groove of 'I Love You' to the low slung, synth-rich funky angles of 'Shaka Doo Ba'. You won't regret copping this slab of wax, trust us.

Review: CWPT will play home to Palms Trax's original productions. His latest offering is 'Petu', a new single featuring South African vocalist, Nonku Phiri. Originally debuting in dub form (featured for your convenience over on the flip) during his appearance on The Music Locker as part of Grand Theft Auto Online, it is an absolutely emotive number reaching near spiritual moments and complemented by Phiris' wonderful vocal. Masalos' remix takes the track into neon-lit disco territory and is equally worthy of your attention.

Review: Before delivering the self-explanatory Newwave Project album in 2017, Kuniyuki Takahashi had spent well over a decade delivering spiritual, life-affirming blends of deep house and future jazz. It's this side of his output that shines through on Remix Works, a collection of some of the producer's most sublime reworks of other people's work. Typically atmospheric, musically detailed and emotion-seeped, the set contains numerous headline-grabbing highlights, including a fluid, acid-flecked Latin deep house version of 'Plateau' by Mouse on the Keys, a sparkling and futuristic Afro-house re-wire of Mr Raoul K's extra-percussive 'Dounougnan Magni', a marimba-sporting drift through deep aural rainforests (his sublime revision of Kazumi Watanabe's 'Garuda') and a loved-up, life-affirming re-imaging of Jungle By Night's horn-sporting 'Love Boat'.

Review: For its third outing, AWEH has a brilliantly and much anticipated collaboration between label head Esa and Soweto based South African Kwaito legend Kamazu. The music was made between 2020 and 2022 and is a perfect fusion of new school electronics and authentic and traditional musicianship that also pays testament to the power of musical synergy and South African cultural awareness. 'Shukuma' is a deep house tune with Afro vocals percussion bringing it to life in all new ways. After the dub comes 'Muntu' (feat dirty Bungalow) which is like a classic Chicago house cut with more Afro vocals and fresh percussive sounds and patterns.

Review: The Friends 4 Ever label follows up its transformation of a well known classic horror movie theme for halloween with a new EP that takes a trip into Afro house territory. 'Touareg' is named after a Malian tribe and brings some of their hypnotic vocal chants and Malian blues sounds to a surging and synth laced house groove that never quits. 'Afreekah' is more string laced and melodic with some feel good horns leading the way as it unfolds in loose limbed fashion. Another useful EP from this fledgling label.

Review: Paharas Musica is a new label out of Spain that kicks off with a single served up four different ways. It is a truly blissed out and Balearic one to start with as the Summa remix of 'White Isle Memories' offers just that, even if you have never actually been to the island itself. The house is deep, the melodies sun kissed and Latin and the vocals sublime. An extended mix slows things down and drapes even more heartfelt chords over the top and then the Inner Spirit rework layers in extra melodies to a more driving version with potent bass. The Ridney Sunset reprise is the most laidback of the lot.

Review: Especial Specials has recently helped to take the Japanese label Chill Mountain Record into the world of wax after it previously operated only in the digital world. Now it carries on with a similar MO as it works with Multi Culti label head, DJ and producer Dreems on new set of limited-edition EPs. He has already landed on the likes of Kompakt, Pinchy & Friends and Futureboogie and now digs into his vaults to serve up some edits and dubs that are hard to pin down but often doused in psychedelic overtones, acid and dub. Each one is a unique work in its own right but they all add up to one helluva good EP.