Cosmic | Balearic 202 Items

Los Angeles' Zen 2000 returns with its third release, the third and final chapter in its kick-off string of 7-inches. For this episode, we once again dip into the deep and diverse well of local talent for a single from Tim Jones, a.k.a. Ex.Pontoon.

“Coming Back” is a slinky, off-kilter slow burn, a slinky vocal groove snaking through SoCal G-funk refashioned into a crackly reggae dub wobble. The other side is a delirious and psychedelic trip into the desert, the fiery sun scorching the earth below. Icy guitars and a cavernous arrangement turn the sonic horizon into a shimmering mirage. For the digital bonus, an instrumental version of the B-side, further revealing the nuanced and delicate composition of the piece.

"Dan shall be a serpent in the way, A horned snake in the path, That bites the DJ's heels, So he skips a beat in his mix”

Moscoman continues his Treisar journey with the stunning Snake & Pygmy EP. On the A side lies the gorgeous trance inducing Snake In A Hat, an uplifting intergalactic voyage gliding through layers of synths, twinkling piano notes and melancholic melodies that skillfully progresses into pure bliss. On the flip, the pace slows down with Pirate Of The Lost Ark. This dark mesmeric number features Moscoman’s signature gritty bass style, rolling snare drums and swirling synths all mantled in mind bending effects. The bpm rises again on the closing track Forget The Rest, an irresistible amalgam of dreamy keys and rumbling drums, punctuated by a catchy electronic funk.

Snake & Pygmy is the second of twelve releases for Moscoman’s Treisar label.

Another smasher from Nous, this time courtesy of Cofaxx, AKA Joseph Magee and his boundlessly breathtaking 'Pico Vu' EP, a seven tracker that manages to cover immense ground and knowledge within a compact narrative. And each track is a mandatory component of this cleverly assembled story with startling standouts such as 'Dicey' a deep Detroity piece, layering into a Sound Signaturey space, while LA's seasoned producer Brown Irvin closes side 1 with a bolshier bash at opening track 'Tide Pool's ambient, semi-conscious swirlings. Over on the flip 'Velvet' is all golden era electronica stylings, early days Warp and Planet E on a lingering dinner date, while 'Shape to Fade in's smoky textures straddle irridescent sounds for a not-out-of-place jazzy backroom style builder.

First album of Mexican producer Leonidas Ghione. 10 Downtempo/World original tracks

Finally the time has come, Ltd, W/Lbl turn inward and release their first in-house production on their new series "Limited Black Label". You'll find 4 artists again, the A -side dedicated to jazz, the B to the Middle East. 4 tracks, 4 moods. There's something for everyone, whether you're feeling hot or cold this record is for every situation.

The intoxicating songs of the Sirens found in the bay of Napoli are irrististible to all, lured to their sounds as if by magic. Writhing to their hypnotic and sudctive voices. Through the warm, soapy waters of Naples Bay. Partenopes music echoes round the pillars of rocks until listeners can bear it no longer and they are pulled onto the dancefloor, as if transported to another land.

Following his “Cosmic Sands” cassette on Light Of Other Days, Greg D debuts “Ocean Walk” under his new alias, GEE DEE. Recorded in 2019, the EP marries ambient, dub, and house influences to create an enticing body of mid-tempo magic. Using limited hardware [505, Juno 6, D50, and a Space Echo] the four-tracker bears a hazy vibe throughout and pairs simple drum programming with sun-kissed synths and hypnotic bass lines. Whether dusk is upon you at your local cafe bar, or the lights are down in the discotheque, GEE DEE delivers an array of leftfield bumpers that will fit just about any mood. Coming 2020 on Superior Elevation Records.

The release is on 180g vinyl. One year on since their last venture as Black Spuma on International Feel, Fabrizio Mammarella, also known as Telespazio and Phillip Lauer, one half of Tuff City Kids, are back with the insatiable Orme EP.

Sheila Fleurator steps up for Neubau 005. Actually "deconstructing the Neubau 005" would fit better. Fierce Banger Alert!

Simon Peter, Simon Cotter, Murena, B&B. Aficionado enjoyed a storming start to 2017, serving up a pair of sell out EPs from either end of the Balearic shoreline - now they're back with one more for Good Measure. Teaming up with the Mancunian fashion house for a second season, this sonic selection pack is softer than velvet, smoother than silk and more durable than Moonboots' P.E. kit.

The release comes on 180 g vinyl. Talamanca System are the unlikely trio of Gerd Janson, Phillip Lauer of Tuff City Kids and Mark Barrott. Their sole release in late 2014 became one of the best selling on the International Feel imprint. My Past Is Your Future brings them back together for a trio of magical productions that cumulate the power of their production skills and winks at a forthcoming album coming on the imprint this summer.

Featuring tracks by ullständiga Rättigheter, Ruf Dug, Fachrur Riaz, PRAAH, Ruutu Poissand Compassion Crew! Nice selection of balearic-leaning house tracks!

Following up the first release quickly with Detroit native Paul Alan, who now resides on the sunny west coast. Paul Alan aka Dtchplnes, delivers the smooth latin driven car cruiser “Provider” and the sun blissed slow skate vibes of “Charlevoix”, which also sounds great on 45. The two track 7 inch is wrapped in a treasure map jacket with a compass foil stamp and includes a postcard.

It’s Italian time! Sam Ruffillo is back. Sicilian producer doing smooth Balearic disco with Italian vocals. The direction is clear: Sam Ruffillo’s music brings us back into the Italian riviera and the hippy days of Ibiza in the late 1970ies. Even his way of production is similar to how the early days disco producers in Italia used to work: No samples needed. Instead a few guest musicians come to jam over Sam’s beats in his Italian studio space. Guitar, bass, percussions. Sam later makes the production and added keyboard solos and put together the vibes into what is this new EP. The girl voice comes from Ninfa. It’s the classic studio story: Ninfa is a singer and DJ and friend of Sam. She was hanging at the studio while Sam was finishing these tracks. She stated to sing along… the words came up spontaneously… so they decided to record her and finally decided to keep them. The vibe was too good. Why talk English if u can do it better: in Italian! :) This is second for Toy Tonics after his Sport House EP from last year. Sam also appeared on the solo record of Joel Holmes on Toy Tonics. Together with Kapote Modica he co-produced and made the beats on that record. Now Sam is back with this pure Italian EP. Inclusive remixes by new German artists Gome and Italian Musemeci - known to many from his fabulous Italo-trance releases on Diynamic records.

Cosmopolitanism is creeping into the bedroom studios of producers worldwide. Romanski is another agent evolving transcultural hybrids, which blend from retained folkways to modern aged club grooves. A mixture of electronic beats in a rigid machine order and handmade organic moments woven together to form an eclectic sound. With a bit of drama, the hamburg based dj & producer Romanski, invites you on a diverse journey with his unique vision of club music. Balearic groove patterns accompanied by repetitive bongo motives & dimmed synth themes flow along the 4 tracks (2 of them featured on 7" vinyl) of this EP. The title track "Karma Calling" is a passionate homage to Mulatu Astatke, "Tagh Tagh" is surrounded by an iranian children’s song, "Gaugin" features a tahitian vocoder line about the french painter and on "Ants" Romanski reflects on lyrics that came to him when resident at a sanatorium years ago. Romanski is using his custom sound range & tools to express his downbeat grooves in this well balanced release. Hide below or turn around the umbrella with devotion and delight.

With the two-part EP Mediterranean Dreams, Perugia producer and composer Feel Fly revisits his musical roots and pays tribute to the sounds and ‘sun-kissed nostalgia’ that informed his style. Mediterranean Dreams Part 1 collected four tracks, and added that Feel Fly touch of emotive chord progressions and layered production onto cosmic disco grooves to powerful dancefloor effect. Now with Mediterranean Dream Part 2, Feel Fly switches the tempo both up and down, to fully demonstrate his affinity for club moments of all shapes and sizes. Nebula flies out the gate with full intent, recalling classic Detroit techno while pushing the vibe even more wide-screen - it’s driving, melodic dance music that delivers on the fine details as much as it does on the life-affirming, big picture sentiment. Optical Bells opens in meditative style, not unlike a new dawn in a Tibetan monastery, before each element of the track slowly reveals itself and assumes its place. It’s an arrangement technique that Feel Fly employs masterfully, and gives the impression of a camera lens moving into focus, or a storyteller setting the scene. The revolving chord changes pull you in and while whisking you away, you’re compelled to engage with the moment - like being asked to dance by a mysterious stranger. The B side kicks off with Luce Eterna Ai Sognatori, still keeping the tempo high while cherry-picking disco house drum patterns and piano synths with a slight Italo flavor to create an irresistible slice of dancefloor dessert. This is a soundtrack for Sognatori, in whose dreams anything is possible. The EP finishes up with a superb cut of echoey balearic dub in the form of Templum Dub. Putting the drums through its mixing desk paces, Feel Fly reanimates the drum kit with delays, phasers and flangers, and wraps it up in hazy drifting pads that could accompany any moment of contemplation - from that morning espresso to a midnight phone call. Mediterranean Dreams Part 2 acts as the perfect compliment to its prequel Part 1, and shows a producer at the height of his powers, reimagining his musical roots and composing a love letter to the sounds and stories of his youth.

Perugia producer, synth collector and linchpin of the underground scene Feel Fly pokes his head above the trenches to deliver a consummate four track EP Mediterranean Dreams - Part 1. Onironauta rolls up all the best bits of spaced-out disco and italo house into an expansive dancefloor soundtrack that would sound equally at home in a Den Haag squat as by an Ibizan hillside pool. Sounding in turns both futuristic and nostalgic, it sets the tone for the dream-like timezone in which this EP resides. Meanwhile slowed-down 303 chugger Grace In Space sounds perfect for Room 2 - that is, if the room is on an orbiting space station and someone adjusted the gravity settings. The track concludes the side with timeless balearic drift and a dash of kosmiche afro percussion sprinkled on top. Flip the 12” over and the title track Mediterranean Dreams seeps through, with more than a slight nod to the summer of ‘88, like a faded photograph. The revolving chord progression and melodic synth phrases that weave through the groove fit together sweeter than the cogs in a swiss watch. EP closer Becalmed rounds proceedings out in fine cosmic disco style, firing more 16th note lasers through the dry ice than Kitt, as melancholic pads float over the rhythm section like a négligée. It’s a stylish way to sign off a collection of tracks that are equal parts fond memory, hopeful optimism, and hazy dance-fuelled hedonism.

Uprooted, the sound of here and there. Uprooted is a project curated by Vidal Benjamin. The concept behind the project comes from his own personal experience of being uprooted. Under the wing of Versatile Records, he has decided to launch a collection of double-sided limited edition, vinyl only, celebrating the dualityof people who take their roots from a place and embrace another culture.

The idea is to ask an appreciated music activist with a double cultural pedigree to choose two tracks. One track that incarnates the place where he or she comes from (the sound of there, side A) and another

No digital for this série. Vinyl only.

Ilija Rudman has tried to make the most of his pandemic-induced lockdown by spending as much of it as possible in the best imaginable way – by pouring his creativity into bold sonic adventures - the newly launched Ilija Rudman Presents Meteor One. His latest endeavour is characterised by an experimental essence, live-feeling sensibilities and an extraterrestrial outlook. “Meteor One is an outlet for musical experiments recorded and performed as 'in concert' stuff, laying on L.A. Grooves, cinematic, funk and spoken words” . The long arrangements build an emotion of space travelling, moving free through the galaxy... at the same time the music can move dance floors and can set up a beautiful listening experience.” Meteor One Music is an epic musical journey, unfolding steadily over almost 25 minutes and permeated by carefully selected vox pops and spoken-word vocal samples from deep in the Rudman archives. The often sparsely-arranged instrumentation meanders over rolling drums, while a constantly evolving bass glues together waves of synths and effects as they rise and dissipate. The arrangement glides through ultra-chilled sections into stirringly energetic periods, with Ilija's live feeling there for all to hear. The delicate music helps to cast a uniquely introspective spell, and we're looking forward to hearing how this timely series will unfold.

First move of the collaboration between Dj Fede and Robert Owens. Pure gold vibes, digging deep, with a warm house vibe and hard hitting beats. A 4 tracks Ep with different moods, that includes remixes from Don Carlos and LTJ Xperience.

Just south of the roundabout, is a pulsing sign of life. The well-spaced sunlit room with its polished concrete floors and olive-green banquettes, thrums with a certain optimism. It's a slap on the back. It's a splash of cold water on the cheeks. It's a crushing bear hug of a welcome.

Formix Series returns with the volume two. Dreamy funky disco marks from Formix himself and the collabo between Traffol and Delexy.

Black Bones are back to outdoor digging it seems, coming over all Balearic for this, their 7th outing. Not a cm of precious vinyl wasted again as we get another indispensable 4-tracker deftly combining excavations from the Scottish highlands, a buried blue beat classic, and some more of their expertly unearthed idiosyncratic pop from the tiled discoteca's of yore.

For his first EP, Master Flashhh carved 5 beautiful tracks of analog funkiness, drawing inspiration from drifting in Georgia, solitary walks alongside the ocean in Finistere Brittany or recording his neighbors banging behind the wall.

"Nemesh is a ravenous wolf; In the morning he devours the prey. In the evening he divides the spoil."

Events take a somber turn as Moscoman’s Treisar project edges closer to its natural conclusion with Nemesh.

The ninth chapter in the Treisar series opens up with The Lady Of The Light, a mechanical ride through the later stages of madness, all in automated bleeps and sinister laments.

Pain Collection sees Moscoman channel his post punk sensibilities through anguished guitars, while Walls Of Jericho gives Nemesh its final master stroke with a middle eastern dancefloor war song.

Mothball Record continue to branch out from their Italo-disco roots while staying true to a high quality of unique and obscure music. This latest release is a collection of 90s rave and hardcore inspired tracks with an unmistakable euphoric/melancholic Dutch flavor from mysterious producer Ruud Jansen. No less than six strong and diverse tracks provide options for all occasions, from home listening to techno parade.

Stefan Schwander aka Harmonious Thelonious is definitely not a newcomer. He has been around for a long time and has already released lots of amazingly varied music on labels such as Emotional Response, Italic, Meakusma and Diskant. He’s also an integral part of the infamous Duesseldorf / Salon Des Amateurs axis that is an obvious hotbed of talent. He describes his style as "American minimalism vs. African drumming vs. European sequencing", a heady mixture which is clearly evident on this EP though with a definite Middle Eastern twist. Here at Versatile HQ we were introduced to this clutch of tracks by one of the members of Acid Arab and we were totally blown away. Stefan has a very unique production style, fusing all of the above elements with a hint of Gamelan, a dash of tweaked FM synthesis type sounds with a dose of warm ambience and finally his own singular touch on the mix. We are very happy to present you these 4 tracks to you, an essential EP from one of European music's true originals.

Smooth Swede Sune’s follow-up to the beloved Butter Love EP is equal parts bright and bittersweet. Elevator Connoisseur boasts the producer’s knack for sampling and crafty layering in unison with his trademark dusty drums.

Selected Productions is a collection of tracks produced by Tom Chasteen in the late 90s and released on the Exist Dance label. Exist Dance started in Los Angeles in 1991 and was among the first labels to emerge from the LA Rave scene of the time, although musically the label pursued its own path , sometime in tune with rhythmic warehouse madness, sometimes heading elsewhere. These tracks emerge from later in the Exist Dance story, when Tom Chasteen was living in Prescott, AZ, performing at Phoenix and Tucson raves and clubs and steadily releasing small pressings of 12” singles and EPs. Ghost Story is a high desert tale, emerging from the hours long Roland 303 and Space Echo based live performances Tom was doing at the time, condensed into a dramatic vinyl side and featuring guest guitar work from Clive Wright. Champion Sound is a remix of a 1991 Exist Dance release, the original being perhaps the first “Breakbeat” track from the West Coast. This version expands the concept of remix to its limits, keeping only some vocals from the original and setting them free in a new psychedelic landscape. The Accident Of Birth takes the breakbeat style to a darker galaxy.

Reparto Vinile is back with the second release. "Storia Fantasy" with Italo Funk influences, it is the track that best represents the Cabopolonio project.

Tropicantesimo is an extended musical ritual which takes shape through the celebration of sound and dance. Originally born as a regular party at the Fanfulla club in Rome, Tropicantesimo gradually transformed into a collective listening experience which eventually found place at Pescheria the group's official home and studio. Slowly the collective animated by djs Hugo Sanchez, Lola Kola, Rocco Mago, Gabor and Egeeno, began to open up to impromptu jams and collaborations with musicians and djs of various backgrounds. The rhythms are incessant, the BPM is slow and hypnotic. Voices flow between songs, messages and pure sound. The music is kneaded organically to release energy. All this can be found through the extensive production work based on tons of recordings collected over the years. Tropicantesimo Session 3 is the third in a series of three EPs that anticipate the release of the album "Gitania". Like in the previous two chapters here you have three songs recorded and mixed at Pescheria.

Coyote drop a special 7 inch single. Inspired by recent events over the last 2 years and their continuing love affair with all things dub and reggae sound system.related. They have been playing lots of this type of stuff at their monthly night at The Bodega in Notts. Apparently causing some heat at recent Alfos parties too. Bubble Up!

Double Geography drops heavyweight 7" on IIB. Beautiful synth patterns and melodies drifting over a shuffling drum pattern. Like a long lost Maxi 12 dub mix from the 80s. Just lovely.Flip it over for the boss that is Ruf Dug's rework. Buzzing flies and slight de tuned stabs create a slightly moody eastern super dub chug bomb.Do not miss this

Mr Bongo is proud to present three unique reworks of Kit Sebastian. Each of the producers featured in this package created their own interpretation of the 'lo-fi-hi-fi’ originals and have taken the duo’s sound into bold new directions. When it came to choosing who should remix Kit Sebastian, Natureboy Flako (Flako / Dario Rojo Guerra) was a producer at the top of our list. Keeping true to the original, whilst leaving his own stamp on the track, his mix adds break-beat drums and middle-Eastern guitar riffs that transform the track into a more cinematic piece. It sounds to us like the music from an exotica dive-bar scene in a David Lynch film - which of course, is a very good thing.
Producer and DJ Baris K, who was behind the awesome 'İstanbul 70' series (re-edits of classic Turkish gems), takes ‘Durma’ in a very different direction. Totally reconstructing the track, his remix has flipped the original and totally run wild. The results are an epic left-field electronic workout. By bringing the spoken-word vocals to the forefront and giving the track a darker industrial vibe, it wouldn't sound out of place bouncing around the walls of a Berlin basement club at 5am on a Sunday morning. The pairing of Kit Sebastian and Halal Cool J grew after DJing together at the alternative Great Escape party at the Mr Bongo HQ in May 2019. They share a love for dusty old psychedelic Turkish records. Halal Cool J (aka Aly Jamal / Don Leisure) has released records on First World and is a co-member of Darkhouse Family with Earl Jeffers. For his interpretation he has delivered a mix-tape-collage with a hip-hop aesthetic, and rather than focusing on remixing a specific song, he has cut and paste his favourite elements of tracks taken off the band’s 'Mantra Moderne’ album. Available in 2 limited-edition, hand-numbered sleeve designs.

Italo disco meets Balearic ethno-funk in the third installment of re-edits from DJ collective Siffleur. Side A is your leftfield, sensual 80s nostalgia, your introspective, post-multiverse ‘club tropicana’. Side B will take you on a dreamy night-journey through city streets where love is a pink neon light.

Music is a language. This new label is a hypothetical sound trip between skyscrapers, wild places, deep imaginary oceans in our mistreated, but fascinating globe. No specific musical genre, but a sort of global beat, winking especially at the Balearic sounds. You can call them edits or re-publications, but our belief is that you can make tracks that are extremely expensive, in their original version or that have never been printed on vinyl. Imaginária wants to respect the publishers, authors, producers and musicians of the published songs, but fundamentally you who promote our idea.

Within Reason Records welcomes Hugh Mane to the fold with a four track EP that is his most polished work to date. Veering away from his usual club ready sound, Hugh takes a much more relaxed approach on 'Resonant Moods', choosing to focus on meticulous production techniques and textural layering to create an EP that transcends both time and space. Often the case with Hugh's music, you can be 6 minutes into a track and not know that any time has passed at all. 'Resonant Moods' is a wonderfully crafted EP that encapsulates emotive tonality and playful rhythms, whilst oozing spacious sub frequencies.

Straight from the Mediterranean Sea, the Greek Duo Bonnie and Klein have landed at MM Discos to present “roof Garden”, an EP where the balearic beats and downtempo takes over the control and where the “2 Balearica devotes” invite us to enjoy an amazing trip from the Ionian coast thru the Aegean beaches until Myrtle Sea. Bonnie & Klein are no longer unknown after being working the last 4 years for well renown labels as “Leng”, “Music for Dreams” and “Is It Balearic?” among others. Following their previous releases, B&K stay loyal to their own personal vision of “Chillout”. Highly influenced by the architecture and culture from Greece, George & Thanasis build beat after beat an amazing work where their “Laid Back Style” will be the main character on this story, a long with haunting keys, wicked percussions, and sounds and melodies that will remind to “Far East”.

P&F Recordings returns with it’s fourth release. This time they are coming at you straight outta NAPOLI, ITALY with a four track EP by MILORD (known to many as one half of the duo “The Normalmen” and one-third of “The Mystic Jungle Tribe”).
M • E • T • A / M • U • S • I • C. is one part vintage library-music studio wizardry another part lowkey house. Imagine a slinky G-funk synth at a new-age retreat, a spacey kraut jam at an eighties video arcade - all at once familiar, yet unglued from any particular moment in time.
12 Inch Picture Sleeve shrink wrapped with an obi strip.

At the third New Interplanetary Melodies' astral journey stopover, it was mandatory to catch an Italian project deeply inspired by the Sun Ra visionary realm, expressing contemporary trials of hybridising jazz with artful electronica. So Ra Toth and The Brigantes' Orchestra landed on vinyl grooves for the label, after having previously appeared on the likes of Mathematics and Berceuse Heroique. Behind the sound, we find the elusive and unpredictable genius of the well-respected producer Marcello Napoletano.

Quiroga is back on Really Swing providing an extensive set of tracks in his typical style, a breezy and ear pleasing affair with his longtime friend and collaborator Dario Bass. “Dabbler in Love” is a sunrise-ready boogie affair with stunning chords and bass progression summed by a twinkling Rhodes solo; “Kundabuffer” drives into more jazzy territory delivering throbbing basslines over a 4/4 latin beat while “Villa Lysis” is a laidback piano soundscape over a lately bassline on a Capri sunset. On the flipside “Snaporaz” named after the Marcello Mastroianni’s character draws a housey jazz atmosphere with an astonishing bassline reminding of Kaytranada’s groove. “Drum’n’Bass for Papa” closes out the release - an homage to Plug/Luke vibert where chord progressions fuse onto a Squarepusher-Pastorious esque bass lead. Rock on!

Ibiza legend and all round well respected industry man Chris Coco is back with more of his seaside sounds. This time his Mediterranean magic is cast over 'La Guitarra' which as the title hints has Flamenco style acoustics with tropical house drums and heartfelt synths. There is a pair backed and delicious dub also, and then modern disco don Rune Lindbaek comes through with a mesmeric take that is laidback and lush in its design. Last of all is Daniel Braca with a Deep In Brooklyn remix thing brings some fine Latin house styles.

Irisarri, Westlake, Fehlmann & Scott Remixes. Back in 2011 Markus Guentner and Heiko Badje formed Stareaway to follow their vision of creating both enchanting and haunting music from melodies and drones. Combining Guentners complex Wall of Electronic Sound and Badjes ethereal androgyn voice and multifaceted guitar play, they indeed produced some epic works between Ambient, Pop and Shoegaze, strangely shimmering and profoundly mysterious. Now Stareaways fantastic (and back then maybe a little overlooked) album No Life In This Ghost Town sees its rerelease and is, for celebrational purposes, accompanied by this EP of four stunning remixes by stunning artists Rafael Anton Irisarri (who also did the mastering), Simon Scott (Slowdive), Thomas Fehlmann and David Westlake (ex Sneaker Pimps). Rafael Anton Irisarris magical take on O Suomi sparkles bright, still with melancholia always present. David Westlake emphasizes the Pop-aspect of Appointments, adding lush synth melodies and light-filled grooves while Thomas Fehlmann lets All Over You spiral into Popambients most majestic heights. Finally Simon Scott builds a Kathedrale aus Klang on Dreams May Never. Amazing remixes of amazing originals.

First full release by BSS (Luigi Vittorio Jansen) on Hivern following contributions to both 'Fragments' and 'Hivernation' projects. 'Bredius' showcases four tracks whose common thread is a detailed sound design of electrified percussion and a delicate and emotional approach to melodies. The EP will be available in two different versions: a standard one and a limited edition with the covers printed at l'Anacronica in Barcelona. Both artworks designed by Luigi himself.

After just over a year-long hiatus from the Earthly Tapes series – the 3rd Chapter is finally upon us. Offering more mind-altering tracks to the series, we welcome 6 new members to the Earthly Measures familia! We kick things off with ‘Comets (part I & Ii)’, the first release by Orso, the new musical project from Jean Dasso AKA Yeahman, stepping into club and drum music. Alongside faster rhythms, with influences of UK Break music, African dances and traditional instruments, we’re taken through a two-chapter journey led by modular melodic loops, old traditional voices samples and Orso’s own recordings. Up next is a trip to Argentina as we welcome Balam to the EM family, join him as he takes you on a daydream across the Latin-American rainforest where synthesizers and nature collide to create the perfect mix, guided by a voice from the deep jungle. ‘Ensueño’ is a dance-floor tool fitting for both the start and end of the night. Japanese native Mamazu steps up the tempo for the third track ‘Tombi’. Transporting us to a hypnotic and hedonistic state as delightful aerophones sound with the exotic chant, delivering the feeling of a dry breeze from the unseen frontier. Another dance floor ripper! The B-side starts with ‘Voces’, a track inspired by the music that Chilean artist DJ Raff’s mum listened to when he was a teenager making beats in his bedroom. He used to take her records and tapes to sample and make boom-bap beats. Voces is influenced by both Spanish and Chilean 70’s music, although deconstructed to make an amazingly catchy melody. . Ditti takes us through an ever-twisting groove as we swim upstream, spot a wave and take off... welcome to ‘Poly Party’. The soundtrack to a carnivalesque funked out ballad on a Polynesian beach shifting between the rhythms of a guitar & riding the surf, cutting synths & dripping flows. We wrap things up with ‘Small Town Rebellion’, a story told by Scottish producer Kusht – this downtempo chugger reflects the story of a young man in a dead-end town with no future. He needs to break his fate and carve his own path by revolting and manifesting his own destiny.

Buena Onda - Balearic Beats is a lovingly compiled collection of exciting music from the new Balearic generation that captures the essence and eclecticism of their Berlin party oasis, Buena Onda. It takes in 12 tracks of fast and slow, acid and downtempo, lush and dreamy sounds to transport you to a place of beauty, warmth and soul. It has been compiled by Hell Yeah label boss Marco with Buena Onda 's resident DJ and co-owner Gallo, and arrives later this summer as a 12" sampler, limited cassette, download, stream and original t-shirt. This first sampler features four tracks from it with artists Lucas Croon, Sergio Messina & The Four Twenties, Gallo, and Black Spuma all featuring. First Up, Lucas Croon takes us on an epic 10 minute trip with his head-in-the-clouds sounds, long legged drums and summery pad work. Next, Sergio Messina & The Four Twenties mix vocodered vocals with lush acoustics on the dreamy 'Fly Away' while on the flip, Gallo's Tropical Hinterhof Remix of J-Walk layers up lush chords with new age hand drums and synth gorgeousness that is soothing and cleansing. Last of all, Phillip Lauer and Fabrizio Mammarella aka Black Spuma's mid tempo drums sink you into a groove that is embellished with heavenly chords and plenty of oceanic breezes all carrying you away. This is a fine taster of the full length compilation to come.

While the ongoing global pandemic means our chances to gather and dance beneath deep blue skies are likely to be limited, there’s never been a greater need for warm, positive and life-affirming music. NuNorthern Soul has decided to do its bit by offering up a brand new 'Summer Selections' sampler that’s packed to the rafters with magical musical treats lifted from some of the label’s most potent forthcoming releases. The EP begins with something rather special from Canadian producer Igor B: a gentle, sunrise-ready soundscape rich in languid hand percussion, bubbly synthesizer lines and glistening guitars. Entitled 'Deep Breath', the track is just one of the many highlights you’ll find on his forthcoming debut album, “Stranded Seaside”. There’s a similarly tactile and immersive feel to 'Early Morning Ferry' by George Koutalieris, a Greek producer whose debut album 'Stop, Look, Listen' will be released by NuNorthern Soul later in the year. On his contribution to 'Summer Selections Two', Koutalieris wraps lilting, sun-soaked guitar solos and soft-touch electronics around a chunky groove that doffs a cap to the more laidback end of the 1970s West Coast rock spectrum. Next up, long-time friend of the family Chris Coco delivers a stunning interpretation of 'Dinum', an overlooked neo-classical/ambient fusion track by Faroe Islands-based producer Kristian Blak’s Yggdrasil project. Coco’s simmering, string-drenched re-imagining is featured here as a teaser of NuNorthern Soul’s reissue of the 2014 track in the autumn, which will also feature a mind-blowing 10-minute rework by Mike Salta – an artist who is also featured on 'Summer Selections Two'. This time round you’ll find Salta collaborating with Mortale on the starry, EP-ending ambient bliss of 'Bells of Burgibba', a deliciously drowsy mixture of twinkling electric piano motifs, chiming lead lines and woozy pads taken from the forthcoming “Celestial Hike EP”. It paddles in similar sonic waters to label boss Phil Cooper’s stretched-out, slo-mo Balearic dub of new signing Faint Waves’ 'Aphrodesia', a teaser of the artist’s “Islands In Time EP” which can be found elsewhere on 'Summer Selections Two'. No NuNorthern Soul label sampler would be complete without a contribution from BJ Smith, an artist who has been with the imprint from its earliest days. Smith returns to the imprint with another reminder of his uncanny ability to deliver ear-catching cover versions that re-cast classic cuts as loved-up rays of Balearic sunshine. This time round Smith takes us on a huggable shuffle through Prefab Sprout’s 'All the World Loves Lovers', re-imagining it as a future Balearic anthem and a summer 2020 sing-along. It’s not only a sneak peak of what we can expect from 'Dedication to the Greats Volume 3', his first covers collection for nigh on six years, but also a life-affirming highlight of an EP that oozes musical positivity from start to finish.

A mysterious 45 from Fortuna Records by The Souvenirs. Two spiritual meditation clappers, sounding like ancient rituals for percussion and flute. Hallucinogenic music for healing and exorcism, echoing Tunisian stambali where spirits of ancestors are called to heal the sick. Smokey 4x4 rhythms make way for a primitive wooden shepherd's flute. A special one for connoisseurs of everything dubby and the obscure

The five tracks that became Abbondanza all materialized from Summer to Winter of 2020, a time of unprecetended productivity in the home studio. Some of them developed from first time fiddlings on new synthesizers, some from unaccompanied jams on percussion instruments. I hope these tracks capture my naive fascination and joyful jamming I had while creating them.My Florentine friends of the Intro-Spettiva collective introduced me to the concept of "stalla" (stables) - their codeword for a proper party. At a particularly memorable Tuscan stalla in 2019, I got to know Edizioni Mondo head Francesco de Bellis and his amazing music. A year later, we listened to the first demos of this record in his damp basement studio close to Vatican City and here it is in all its abundance!

It’s a new day – and 2022 marks a very special new chapter for Parisian producer Hugo LX, who delivers his latest sound offering on his freshly founded imprint Doma Music. A collective adventure, « The Platinum Wave » sees the return of Hugo’s most frequent collaborators – trumpeter Hermon Mehari and guitarist Christopher Johnson, with the addition of pianist Tony Tixier – the four of them connecting, building and weaving their sonic textures over these five sound cuts. A starting point in the Doma music catalogue, « The Platinum Wave » aims to propose a different sound in dance music, both a continuation of a certain musical legacy and an exploration of today’s boundless possibilities, as much as an intimate soundscape from four artists deeply involved in the Paris creative scene – and most definitely, a first taste of things to come on the label.

Chad Pulley makes his first solo appearance on John Beltran's All Good Music label, although keener eyed spotters will know that Pulley and Beltran previously collaborated on a track under the Bel-Pull Productions moniker. He steps up to the task ably, slipping into All Good style comfortably with the calm and melodic, gracefully coasting techno of 'Through My Eyes', before the flip side reveals the wistful 'Mesmerizing Blue', where pianos and synths call and respond over exotic rhythms. 'Sticks' completes the set, slightly harder and funkier than its two predecessors but again with an emphasis on musicality, off kilter danceability and originality. On this showing, a name to watch.

Last year's 'Will We Ever Dance Again' 12" was a big one for Coyote who now follow it up and impress once more. First up they do so on 'Baka Re-Rub' by paying their respects to the iconic Jon da Silva remix of The Fads track. It's steamy, tropical, full of loose drum energy and jangling synths that lightened up any club. On the flip you find 'No Entry' which is a big house anthem plenty of classic tops, uplifting arpeggios and pianos, and dramatic strings next to big acid lines. It's an all out, hands in the air gem that brings the good times.