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Open Space is proud to present our first ever full-length LP by LA’s newest 3-man band, Puli. Some words from our dear friend Matt McDermott below:

In recent years, a cadre of musicians from the east side of Los Angeles have reestablished the city of angels as the first city of Balearica. Alex Ho’s “Move Through It” followed in the lumbering footsteps of Project Sandro’s “Blazer.” Now, there’s a new landmark for the floating west coast sound. Swirling, the first album from LA supergroup Puli.

If you’ve got your ear to the ground you know the names involved here. Drummer and producer Damon Palermo’s pedigree stretches back a good 15 years or so, starting off with dub punks Mi Ami. Phil Cho is one of the busiest DJs, musicians and advocates for the deep stuff in LA, throwing legendary hillside parties under the Third Place banner. John Jones, the preternaturally talented guitarist and electronic tinkerer, records as AV Moves, is a key member of the Suzanne Kraft and Baba Stiltz live configurations and plays in The Trilogy Tapes-affiliated act Geo Rip.

But this listing of personnel and credentials puts too fine a point on it. Puli are three close friends who go to parties, DJ and get tacos together, repairing to their Chinatown studio a few times a week and coming out with remarkably textured, idiosyncratic downtempo jams. Building off the solid foundation of their 7-inch of heavyweight dubs for Melbourne’s Constant Delay, Swirling is an exploration of new horizons in chill out.

“Ramona” acts a statement of purpose—with halftime/double-time dub-tinged rhythms, hazy yet bright synth motifs and atmospheric guitar from Jones, not terribly far from the expansive approach of Japanese dub aesthetes Pecker. “Cloudy,” meanwhile, is a sort of deconstructed and bittersweet Balearic pop featuring Cho’s ethereal vocals. “Bongo Springs” is steppers’ house not far from close LA peer Benedek or the Mood Hut crew up north.

But what truly sets this record apart is the space and layers in the production—while it’s nominally an electronic record, Puli is a band that has slowly crafted these songs in the rehearsal space. “Havana Jam” cruises along a sliding roundwound bass guitar take with dubby chords and textural guitars. Palermo’s hand drums and live percussion enmesh perfectly with icy pads on “Leech Seed Dub.” Cho is back on the mic for the gorgeous closer, “C.S.B.”, underpinned by breakbeat and trunk-rattling sub bass. Puli doesn’t sound like anyone else, and is ultimately reflective of the city itself. Listening to Swirling feels like navigating a warren of side streets in the eternal sunshine. Take the drive and dive.

The third volume of the AfroColombia Remix series merges African and Colombian sounds with contemporary electronica. It's a collaboration between Colombian labels Galletas Calientes and Palenque Records that celebrates Palenque's 20+ years of activism and Galletas Calientes' two-decade legacy while honouring the late Abelardo Carbono with a remix of his track 'La PiNa Madura' by Voilaaa - it's a standout here with hints of funk, soul and disco all bringing the sunshine. The compilation also reinterprets Nigerian Igbo Highlife and Ekobe music thanks to producers Captain Planet, Uproot Andy and Caribombo. They bring new, funky energy to timeless classics while preserving the original cultural essence.

The Mellons are set to enchant and enthrall with their new 7” release, ""Tell Me Why b/w Please Baby Please,"" marking a vibrant follow-up to their acclaimed 2022 album “Introducing... The Mellons!”. Continuing their homage to '60s psych pop, these singles encapsulate their signature blend of shimmering harmonies, intricate baroque touches, and rock sensibilities.

""Tell Me Why"" offers a lush tapestry of melody and emotion, while the B-side, ""Please Baby Please,"" emerges as a raw, urgent cry for relief amid life's chaos. With its grittier edge and desperate energy, this track delves deep into the turmoil of personal and collective struggles.

Adding an extra layer of intrigue, the B-side features a ghost track, an unexpected surprise that promises to captivate listeners with its enigmatic allure. Accompanied by a visually arresting music video directed by A.C.B. and filmed by the Captain, ""Please Baby Please"" embodies the Mellons' evolving sound and their commitment to pushing creative boundaries. Get ready for a sonic journey that mixes sunshine pop with stormy introspection, and let The Mellons' captivating new release sweep you off your feet.

Returned to us from early 90s Japan are the holy holy sounds of Ghost. Their collective, clearly inspired by various forms of transcendental music throughout history, created a new syncretic psychedelia with these albums, mixing the texture and vibe of multinational forms of traditional music, with strummed antique stringed instruments and the haunting wail of a recorder on top of their heavy beats and guitars. The considerable depth of this approach was explored through 2014 over another five Ghost LPs, as well as the further explorations to the present day of leader Masaki Batoh, as a solo artist and with The Silence, Damon & Naomi, Helena Espvall and most recently, nehan. These first three Ghost titles were originally released by P.S.F. on CD in 1990, 1992 and 1994, respectively, radiating enigma and energy in palpable waves with their original sound. After the acclaim that greeted Drag City"s 1996 US release of Lama Rabi Rabi, we quickly reissued all three on vinyl - and they quickly went out of print! At which point, Ghost had Snuffbox Immanence and Free Tibet ready to go. And then, Hypnotic Underworld. And then, and then . . . . Now, it"s been 25 years since they were last offered on vinyl. In the twenty-year sweep of Ghost history, these first three releases qualify as primitive early Ghost - sort of like a German Os Mutantes (or perhaps a Brazilian Amon Düül). The subterranean presence of a diversity of progressive/avant classic rock influences (Pink Floyd, Incredible String Band, Captain Beefheart, Scott Walker, Led Zeppelin, Popol Vuh, Third Ear Band, to name but a few) provokes further synthesis, making for an entirely new meditation on the traditional order of psychedelic music. The first two studio albums, each one an iteration of Ghost"s unique lysergic folk music, were followed by the monolithic "live in various places" happening of Temple Stone, which raised the trippiness levels considerably. But this was only the end of the beginning . . .

Returned to us from early 90s Japan are the holy holy sounds of Ghost. Their collective, clearly inspired by various forms of transcendental music throughout history, created a new syncretic psychedelia with these albums, mixing the texture and vibe of multinational forms of traditional music, with strummed antique stringed instruments and the haunting wail of a recorder on top of their heavy beats and guitars. The considerable depth of this approach was explored through 2014 over another five Ghost LPs, as well as the further explorations to the present day of leader Masaki Batoh, as a solo artist and with The Silence, Damon & Naomi, Helena Espvall and most recently, nehan. These first three Ghost titles were originally released by P.S.F. on CD in 1990, 1992 and 1994, respectively, radiating enigma and energy in palpable waves with their original sound. After the acclaim that greeted Drag City"s 1996 US release of Lama Rabi Rabi, we quickly reissued all three on vinyl - and they quickly went out of print! At which point, Ghost had Snuffbox Immanence and Free Tibet ready to go. And then, Hypnotic Underworld. And then, and then . . . . Now, it"s been 25 years since they were last offered on vinyl. In the twenty-year sweep of Ghost history, these first three releases qualify as primitive early Ghost - sort of like a German Os Mutantes (or perhaps a Brazilian Amon Düül). The subterranean presence of a diversity of progressive/avant classic rock influences (Pink Floyd, Incredible String Band, Captain Beefheart, Scott Walker, Led Zeppelin, Popol Vuh, Third Ear Band, to name but a few) provokes further synthesis, making for an entirely new meditation on the traditional order of psychedelic music. The first two studio albums, each one an iteration of Ghost"s unique lysergic folk music, were followed by the monolithic "live in various places" happening of Temple Stone, which raised the trippiness levels considerably. But this was only the end of the beginning . . .

A decade is a long time in music, but it feels less epic when the music in question is timeless, picturesque, and immersive. Founded in London, run from Bali for a period, and now based in Ibiza, NuNorthern Soul has grown from humble roots to become one of the most popular outlets for Balearic music on the planet.

NuNorthern Soul started in the late 1990s, long before the label launched, NuNorthern Soul was a regular Sunday session in a bar in Chester, UK where label founder Phat Phil Cooper and school friend Jim Baron (Ron Basejam, Crazy P, JIM) sat behind the decks and played laidback, eclectic musical selections to wind down the weekend. The name was suggested by one of the event’s regular punters, who likened the community feel of the event to his experiences as a Northern Soul dancer.

Fast forward to 2011. Following a move to London, Cooper was introduced to Ben Smith, a singer-songwriter and producer whose music he’d long admired. After bonding over a few pints of Guinness, Smith offered to hand over a hard drive full of unreleased tracks; together, the pair put together what would become the NuNorthern Soul label’s first ever release: a fine album of beautiful, boundary-free music entitled The Movedrill Projects.

Another EP from Smith, Dedications to the Greats, followed in early 2013, with the sometime Fug and Akwaaba band-member recording emotive, life-affirming cover versions in his signature style. It was followed by an EP of opaque, sunset-ready songs from Ragz Nordset, and NuNorthern Soul was on its way. While the label has subtly moved around musically since, offering up EPs and albums that incorporate elements from a multitude of becalmed and blissful styles, the core ethos remains the same. Significantly, those early Ben Smith and Ragz Nordset releases still stand up to scrutiny all these years on.

Smith has remained a big part of the NuNorthern Soul family ever since, and it’s fitting that two of his tracks – the stunning, undulating downtempo epic ‘Over Land & Sea’, from improvised 2019 album From The Ash, and Jonny Nash’s glistening, shuffling 2015 rework of ‘Hold On To It’ – are featured on this 10th birthday celebration of the NuNorthern Soul story so far.

It’s right, too, that Jim Baron, whose stints behind the decks with Cooper in Chester began the NuNorthern Soul story, also makes two appearances. His chugging, jangling, wide-eyed 2014 Ron Basejam rework of Ragz Nordset’s ‘You Started It All’ – a track that has so far racked up over three million streams on Spotify – was an early label hit, while his fragile, softly spun masterpiece as JIM, ‘Whisper in the Wind’ (featuring none other than Ben Smith on guitar), features here via a deliciously stretched-out, sunrise-ready remix from James Holroyd under his Balearic-friendly BEGIN guise.

Sentimentality aside, the success of NuNorthern Soul is rooted in Cooper’s ability to pick music to release from a wide variety of artists that fits the label’s colourful, atmospheric, and tactile sonic vision. This lovingly curated box set is testament to that, with immersive, yearning efforts from veteran musicians such as Jon Tye (here appearing as Captain Sunshine, via the breath-taking ‘The Oceans Inside’) and the late, great Ryo Kawasaki (remixed by Mancunian, former Body & Soul NYC resident DJ Andi Hanley) being joined by wonderfully on-point productions from relatively recent signings such as Torn Sail (the Balearic folk swell of ‘Disconnected’), George Koultalieris, My Friend Dario and Tambores En Benirras.

10 Years, 5 EPs, 10 tracks, exclusives, previously unreleased and hard to find NuNorthern Soul treasures. Packaged in a full colour commemorative designed box with full colour inner sleeves. 1 track per side of vinyl for maximum audio pleasure. Comes with 4 page NuNorthern Soul insert. Limited edition.

Spanish producer Divorce From New York (AKA Alvaro Granda) returns with his brand new LP ‘Sausalito’ on London’s High Praise. With his previous full-length 2021 offering ‘This Ain’t Jazz No More’ having gained support from Tom Ravenscroft (BBC 6 Music), Jamz Supernova (BBC Radio 1Xtra), Worldwide FM, BBC Radio 1, Errol (Touching Bass), DJ Mag & many more - the stage is set for this heady and potent sophomore release.

Known for his work as one half of San Sebastian based production duo Reykjavik606 (who have previously collaborated with the likes of Tenderlonious and Ishmael Ensemble) Granda creates a rich web of broken beat flavours, uplifting sonics and syncopated rhythms - melding elements of jungle, house and bruk with jazz sensibilities.

Featuring seven brand-new and flavour-packed tracks, ‘Sausalito’ is an uplifting and joyous listen from start to finish. Immersing himself in his extensive collection of Jazz, Soul and Disco vinyl, Alvaro channels golden sunshine-injected influences into a wonderfully cohesive and infectious record. First single ‘Last Ray Of Sunset’ sees Alvaro join forces with long-term collaborator Piek. As its classic disco sounds meet jaunty, MPC- driven drums, and an irresistible bassline - leaving us dreaming of hazy summer terraces, and those last fleeting moments of daytime as evening takes hold.

‘Holly Grove’ evokes a sense of mystery and intrigue with it’s celestial rhodes and flute flourishes, before being joined by syncopated bruk-beats and the alluring vocals of Sarah Zoyaya, who’s tones entwine with some wild synth playing and twisting polyrhythms. Final single ‘I Haven’t Recovered From Last Night With You’ entrances the listener with it’s hypnotic saturated percussion, swirling vocals and reverb-laced key stabs. Creating visions of endless and vast expanses, it shows Alvaro’s ability to weave textures and melody to incredible effect.

With this record, Divorce From New York solidifies his position as one of Europe’s most authentic and original beatmakers. With a range of styles and influences ‘Sausalito’ takes us on a dancefloor leaning journey from sun drenched rhythms through to detroit-techno esque programming. With extensive live performances scheduled for Summer 22 (including a performance at Kala Festival) you can expect to hear this one doing damage on the world’s dancefloors.

Captained by Hugo Mari and Josh Byrne, High Praise is a london-based record label and party. A vessel for uplifting music, made with good energy - they have released music from Yadava, EVM128, Lay-Far, Partner Music & more.

Divorce From New York will release ‘Sausalito’ on 2nd September ‘22 via High Praise.