As a winemaker hailing from the Palatinate, Florian Hollerith understands a thing or two about vintage. It's something that also comes through when you sample his music - rich, full bodied with just the right level of acidity. 2018 was already a good year with Ohrenzirkus featuring on both Sven Väth's Sound of the 19th Season mix CD as well as this year's Dots and Pearls vol. 5 compilation. Florian certainly announced his arrival on the scene in style, so it's only fair that he gets the chance to demonstrate his full range of skills on his very own Cocoon Recordings release. 2019 however, has a darker, more complex flavour...
Florian certainly knows a hookline when he finds one. On the EP's title track Perlas, he's working from the inside out with complex layers creating a vortex of sound. This dense sonic mesh is playful yet dangerous, with ethereal voices and jagged chants adding to the disorientation of the opening exchanges until the congas and skipping bassline give us something to hold onto. The dance floor melts under our feet as a raw, tripped out groove takes hold before the bass suddenly morphs into a brassy acid line that spreads its wings and soars. It's music for the headstrong, a celebration of the timeless tribal ceremonies that have come to define us.
Love Summer adds a contemporary twist to the melodic joys that drenched the early nineties in pure ecstasy. The soulful vocals soothe the mind as horn stabs punctuate the sensual groove, generating power and passion in equal measures. It's a straightforward approach, revolving around a familiar yet eminently seductive riff that just keeps on rolling, propelled forward by the force of its own momentum. There's no need to fuss when you hit on a winning formula like this.
More retro futurism abounds on Electro Indianer as arpeggiated bleeps usher in another vast, sprawling soundscape designed to induce a collective trance on the dance floor. Whistling, circular effects wash back and forth increasing the tension notch by notch as we're led deeper into the wormhole. Finally, the track deconstructs slightly, creating enough space for classic Casio-style bleeps and percussion to embellish a beautiful blissed out ending that trails off into the sun rise, as ancient Native American pipes pick out a haunting melody in the distance.
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The Mandatory Eight first appeared on the compilation "Funk, Soul & Afro Rarities: An Intro To ATA Records" released in 2015 on Here & Now recordings with the song "Suckerpunch", which has since become the label's most requested song for re-release as a 45. ATA have dug deep in the archives to unearth two dance-tempo 45 killers to placate the calls until studio time is allotted to the band for a debut album.
The band's sound and ideology definitely lies in less refined eclectic soul. Feel over precision, passion over execution, soul-on-a-budget grooves.
From the opening drum pick up of "Soul Fanfare #3" it is clear that The Mandatory 8 are here to make you move. With proud horn lines reminiscent of something that you might find in the Stax vaults, Soul Fanfare definitely takes it's lead from backing bands such as the Barkays and the funkier side of Booker T and the MGs. One can imagine that this was definitely a set opener for the group, guaranteed to put foot to floor. Guitar and bass have a care free movement and feel, conjuring up tones of late 60's summer soul hits.
The B-side "Turn It Out" has a darker, moodier feel to the previous side. Still a dance floor filling groove, the band take a direction more similar to below the radar funk outfits such as Amnesty or LA carnival. Biting minor horn lines set the tone backed by a bubbling bed of congas, rhythm guitar, unruly bass and drums which don't dip below boiling for the duration. "Turn It Out" features a manzarek-esque farfisa organ solo which sets the sonic tone of a band without funds but with plenty of soul in the bank.
Both sides will reflect well for different moods on the same dance floor.
Headz up! Guti's current club cutter 'Red Eye' continues to wriggle and writhe its way hypnotically into our sets and psyches with these two crucial versions from one of house and techno's most respected gentlemen... The one and only Kenny Larkin.
Weighing in at a combined length of 20+ minutes, both remixes capture the Detroit legend at his deepest and most cosmic with his hands glued to the dials. Not just part of the biggest single from Guti's 'Year Of The Conga' album so far, they also tell a unique tale of their own...
These mixes were originally meant for the full release earlier this year, alongside killer mixes from Loco Dice and Priku. But when Larkin received a shiny new Moog One he rang Guti and label bosses the Martinez Brother and told them that they'd have to wait... He was about go back in with a whole new modular perspective.
You can feel it, too; that deep throb on the subs and trippy psychedelic swirls of his 'Black Eye' mix and that wobbling voluptuous bassline in his 'Pink Eye' mix are just two examples of Kenny's attention to sonic detail and pure analogweight on these two immersive, alluring remixes.
Well worth the wait, and another precision chapter to the beautiful back-to-roots adventure that is Guti's third artist album 'Year Of The Conga', don't sleep on these... They're going out strictly as Record Store Day specials. Vinyl crew, this one's for you.
Life is all about rhythms. We don't know what we're dancing to until we're in so deep we can no longer control ourselves. The rhythm controls us.
Right now both Guti and the Martinez Brothers are dancing to the conga rhythm. Guti's third album, they've been dancing to it since the summer, teasing us with a whole slew of percussive new... And they'll continue throughout 2019. Chance are you will, too. Eventually the rhythm will control all of us. It's too infectious not to.
Here's the 411: 'The Year Of The Conga' is Guti's third and most rooted album to date. It came about through a personal request from brothers Chris & Steve Martinez. Both unapologetic Guti fans they wanted the very first album on their Cuttin' Headz label to be his. The result is a total reconnection back to his Argentinian foundations, his club roots and everything that first lured him to the dancefloor...
'I'm back to my roots and found my Latino groove again,' says Guti who wrote the album throughout 2018, starting it whilst bulleting through Japan by train, the majority crafted in the jungle of Dominican Republic, having collected and sampled native percussion instruments, and then finally mixing down on his return to Europe. 'Every song is full of rhythm and created to make you dance...'
He's not messing around; from the writhing snakelike percussion and rousing calls and cries of opener 'Aee' right through to the final mesmerising waves and farewell struts of finale 'Voladora' this an album is born both for and from the dancefloor. No overthinking, no purism, no exclusion; just unabashed physical hypnosis, fuelled for the floor, guided with gut instinct and years of groovecraft. It's the sound of an artist who's disconnected, explored and reconnected. He's older, he's wider and more in tune with his own pace and palette. One of the most diverse and explorative artists to come from Loco Dice's Desolat stable, this is Guti simplifying his passions down to an essence of everything that's magic about his roots and our shared dancefloor culture.
The highlights are in abundance; those hazy-but-persistent New Jersey organs on 'Telling The Truth', that wobbly sub on 'Red Eye', that shimmering sinewy acid line on 'Se Baila', the spicy pianos and wet horns of 'La Orchestra Fantasma', the list goes on. Each cut designed for deep mix pleasure, each cut rolling with a strong organic flavour and alluring percussive dynamics, each cut showing Guti at his most inspired, warmest, playful and ready to wrap you up so deep in a conga you'll soon lose yourself.
Cuttin Headz, cuttin straight to the chase but never cutting it fine... Let us be the first to wish you happy new year with the first ever album on the currently unstoppable label. We'll wish you a happy new conga, too. 2019's going to be a vintage and Guti and the Martinez Brothers are leading the charge.
Robert Steenkamer is known as a purveyor of exquisite house music. Under his Roberto S guise, the Torontonian has released several landmark records. Besides this, he is known as a valued selector in his native Canada. The collaborative releases with Jex Opolis under their "Conga Radio" moniker have received worldwide praise throughout the house community. For his Pulp debut, Steenkamer has created a diverse body of music that touches different moods and genres.
On the A-side, the opening track "Inner Rhythm" is a orchestrated piece of work that uses an uplifting vocal cut and ethereal flute sounds to create a calm and positive dancefloor experience. Also on the A-side "Swizik" is a melody-heavy work where Steenkamer uses fun sequences, euphoric pads and well balanced drum patterns.
The title track is placed on the A3 position and is a genre-transcending cut. The tempo is is low and the beats are dragging along with the well-executed pads and synth riffs. On the B-side, the title track is being remixed by fellow Canadian "Florist". On this remix, Florist turns the slow vibe of the original into a soul touching dancefloor creeper that will definitely gain a lot of support in melodic circles. "Remember When" is a positive work with a snappy bassline and oozing synth sounds. Glass Road EP will be available from all specialized retailers in early 2019.
Planet E present the Michele Chiavarini and DJ Steve Crawford remixes of 'Just Like Muzik' and 'The Sabath' taken from Terrence Parker's 2017 album 'GOD Loves Detroit'. The three-track remix EP is due for release March 8th. Handpicked by Terrence Parker himself, both remixers offer fresh takes on two of the standout tracks of the original LP. For the first and last track of the EP Michele Chiavarini reworks 'Just Like Muzik', with a bass lick which dances in and out of shuffling hats, channelling the high energy of the original house patterns and stabs into something different. Soulful pad progressions merge with Merachka's original vocal, before energetic strings and vibraphone solo take over, carrying the listener along. DJ Steve Crawford's remix of 'The Sabath' sees him transpose the arpeggiated synth rhythm and pads of the original into a fresh grooving 4/4 affair. Congas and punching kicks meet with harmonious string melody and slapped bass, creating a head-nodding reimagining of the master.
Editorial venture to France for ED025 with four expertly edited, blissful gems from Parisian producer, Chevals.
The A side hits with two hazy cuts of sun drenched disco house. 'Left Behind' swells with filtered tales of lost love radiating a bittersweet warmth. Rich bass melodies and clipped funk guitars shine through as thoughts drift away across glistening seas. 'Eye Of Love' is served up next, equally as impassioned with buzzing synths, basking Spanish guitars and joy-filled chords and congas give a sense of desert islands where day-to-day life is only a figment of the imagination.
Flip it over and 'The Line' hits with a pumped up, soulful bassline that solos and sidewinds with brazen hats as its accomplice. Squelching keys and deft Rhodes touches add luscious harmonies to leave listeners lulled by its masterful flow.
Last up, 'Time' takes a pensive, eyes closed trip - delicate vocals, summery synth lines and glimmering samples washing away the worries as they wander over the airwaves.
About The library Tool Kit' Series The New Sub-label From Wncl Recordings Features 12 Short tools' Per Release, For Use On Discotheque Sound Systems And Home Stereos Alike. Released On 10' Vinyl With Digital To Follow At A Later Date
About This Record Jane In Palma (the Artist Previously Known As Don Froth / One Half Of Bato Bato) Graces The Tool Kit Series With A Selection Of Jazz And Latin Cuts And A Flip Side Full Of Live Conga Jams
DJ Dan has been a pinnacle of the dance music scene in America since the early 90s and has toured around the world with the likes of Carl Cox, DJ Sneak and Pete Tong to name a few. Dan's label imprint InStereo is played by many top DJs around the world and Dan has chosen some of his strongest releases for Vol. 2 of the Slammin Trax series.
Four electrifying edits from London & Paris based Mytron & Ofofo on the unstoppable Razor-N-Tape. 'Beach Buggy' goes full throttle from the get go with a conga fuelled, disco jam before the clock strikes twelve and 'Midnight Drive' offers up a low slung, late-night boogie cruise. On the flip side dreamy chords, soulful sweet nothings and synthesizer swells are the order of the day for 'Eli's Coming', leaving 'Capricorn' to close out the e.p. with a bass heavy, intergalactic chugger. Razor-N-Tape can do no wrong snap up on sight!
or 22 years now Zhark Recordings Berlin has been operating relentlessly on an alternative technoid vision. The keystone of this vision is an approach of full artistic autonomy in full front against the demons of the momentariness, reproduction and stagnation, which were ever present in these past 20 years. This endeavor intensified over the years leading to numerous releases on all types of medium. With the vinyl catalogue number 30 the big K is setting out ONE more TIME to settle the score presenting yet another wrenching collection of DANCE Variations.
The Haunting chains of a demoralized sorcerer in HINRICH, the shattering congas of a sinister entity in RATTLE DISCO, the euphoric bawling of a merciless god in LET ME FLY AWAY FROM YOU, the alternating motives of growing tension, clarity and unavoidable obscuration in the UNDERNEATH the 4th Alignment. All these motives are entangled in layers of a fierce percussive bombardment.
Cryovac Recordings is proud to release its' 20th edition on random colored vinyl. Cryovac is a gathering of minds that work together to create a physical record of their sound in this time. We go our own way in production and arrangement for our personal vision to endure. Our goal is to add a new layer to the Detroit soundscape.
D.J. Roach is a techno activist with a rhythm agenda of percussive techno. His banging and clanging romps rock through breakdowns and back again. Conga and claps work together to form a shaky funk. what is needed for a healthy dancefloor.
A.Garcia's subtle drone rides waves of synth in an offering of minimal ease. His moody atmosphere turns tone in soulful harmony; while simple drumming builds to a nonchalant bop. The rise and fall of the elements allow you to examine the track on all sides. Garcia smoothes out an early morning gem that is taylormade for a smoke.
- A1: Chuck "Big Guitar" Ernest - "Blue Oasis" (With The Satellite Band)
- A3: The Wailers - "Driftwood
- A4: Lenny & The Thundertones - "The Moon Of Manakoora
- A5: Biscaynes - "Midnight In Montevideo" (With Co-Encidentals)
- A6: Red Harrison & His Zodiacs - "Chant Of The Jungle
- A7: The Palatons - "Jungle Guitar
- A8: Chayns - "Live With The Moon
- C1: Bailey's Nervous Kats - "Cobra" (Feat James Mills)
- C2: The Blazers - "Sound Of Mecca
- C3: The Gems - "Slave Girl
- C4: Jerry & The Catalinas - "The Arabian Knight
- C5: The Jaguars - "Night Walker
- C6: The Shelltones - "Blue Castaway
- C7: The Blue Bells - "Atlantis
- C8: Bill & Jean Bradway - "Paradise Isle
- D1: The Melody Mates - "Enchantment
- D2: Don Reed - "Nature Boy" (Feat The Voice Of Love)
- D3: The Baton Of Andre Brummer - "Tumba
- D4: Darla Hood - "Silent Island
- D5: Martha Raye - "Lotus Land" (With Phil Moore Orchestra)
- D6: Baha'i Victory Chorus - "Nightingale Of Paradise
- D7: Carmen - "Isle Of Love
- D8: The Monzas - "Forever Walks A Drifter
- E1: Akim - "Voodoo Drums
- E2: Don Sargent & His Buddies - "Voodoo Kiss
- E3: Joan Joyce Trio - "Captured
- E4: Pony Sherrell - "Tobago
- E5: Jerry Warren & The Valids - "Enchantress
- E6: The Centuries - "Polynesian Paradise
- E7: The Potted Palm - "My House Of Grass
- E8: The Castiles - "Enchantment
- F1: Five Glow Tones - "Quiet Village
- F2: Modesto Duran & Orchestra - "Silent Island
- F3: Ross Anderson Chorus & Orchestra - "Tam-Bu Theme
- F4: Bobby Christian - "Caravan
- F5: Bruce Norman Quintet - "Arabian Rhythm
- F6: The Slaves - "Hari's Harem
- F7: Arnie Derksen & Chise - "Similou
- F8: The Three Bars - "Caribbean Cruise" (Feat Nicky Roberts)
- G1: Robert Drasnin - "Chant Of The Moon
- G2: The Blue Jeans - "Moon Mist
- G3: Artie Barsamian - "The Enchanting Melody
- G4: Eddie Kochak & Hakki Obidia - "Jazz In Port Said
- G5: Gene Sikora & The Irrationals - "Tanganyika
- G6: Bobby Paris - "Dark Continent
- G7: Chico Jose - "Locura (Madness)
- G8: Clyde Derby - "Lost Island
It Was A Musical Cocktail Born In A Marketing Meeting: Two Parts Easy Listening, One Part Jazz, A Healthy Dollop Of Conga Drums, A Sprinkling Of Bird Calls, And A Pinch Of Textless Choir. Serve Garnished With An Alluring Female On The Album Jacket For Best Results. Exotica! The Soundtrack For A Mythical Air Conditioned Eden, Packaged For Mid-century, Tiki Torch-wielding Armchair Safariers. Be It Mosquito-bitten Torch Singers, Landlocked Surf Quartets, Fad-chasing Jazz Combos, Mad Genius Band Leaders, D-list Actors, Or A Middle Aged Loner Programming Bird Calls Into A Hammond, Exotica Was Always More Concerned With What Geography Might Sound Like Over Who Was Conducting. Captured Across Three Albums Are 48 (54 On The Cd) Curious Examples Of The Short-lived Genre's Reach, Each Summoning Their Own Sonic Visions Of Shangri La, Bringing Their Versions Of The Pacific, Africa, And The Orient To The Hinterlands Of America. Technicolor Paradise Is Where One Makes It, After All.
Various Artists - Technicolour Paradise: Rhum Rhapsodies & Others Exotic Delights
James Stewart is the host, resident DJ and co-promoter of monthly night 'Black Atlantic Club' at Le Sucre in Lyon. Borrowing the term 'Black Atlantic' from renowned scholar Paul Gilroy's 1993 book, Stewart presents 'black music' as a transnational, incredibly diverse cultural exchange. An avid lecturer on the subject and founder of the Blog Afrosouldescarga, he merges an intellectual approach with the musical and creative side of things: as an active conga player and percussionist, member of Voilaaa Sound System and showhost at Radio Nova. This EP is the work of of a mature and thoughtful musician, combining different musical influences at a high level of production. Alma Negra Records are proud to present James Stewart with his Cotonou EP!
Since the release of their critically acclaimed debut album in 2013 on Names You Can Trust, La Mecánica Popular has quietly been contemplating the evolution of the group's sound, philosophy, and overall approach to making music. Band leader Efraín Rozas' experimental nature has continually pushed the boundaries of his own definition of not only Latin American music, but its broader relationship with music's global culture and history. The sound of "psychedelic salsa" that LMP helped capture in their debut was destined for further outside-the-box interpretations, and with the formation of a new quintet lineup over the last few years, LMP began to incorporate a more free, improvised and instrumental-focused performance of Rozas' increasingly radical compositions. The band subsequently took this liberated approach directly into the studio, recording Roza Cruz live, in its entirety. It was a cathartic experience, a necessary methodology for the new album's concept that embraced the intimate performance of its players and did away with standard techniques of isolation and overdubs.
The evolution of the band's sound on Roza Cruz brings forth a blend of styles rarely heard together, a touch reminiscent of electric-era Miles Davis or Eddie Palmieri at his most experimental, as the driving force of timbales and congas provide a bed for a wave of lush, analog amplification that mirrors the dueling leads of fuzz guitar and electric piano. But as far out as those instruments take the listener, the raw rhythm — the clave — always keeps it tethered to the earth and the dance, a cerebral yet visceral gift for the mind and feet.
music is the silence between the notes.' the french composer claude debussy once said.
the german trio wareika, consisting of florian schirmacher, henrik raabe and jakob seidensticker, love the silence between their notes, even if their music is often fully loaded with many detailed sounds, rhythms, melodies and intercultural sound links.
since 2007 they spread their passion for repetitive club grooves in the minimal house spheres that love to swing in the epic way. with four albums on labels like perlon or visionquest as well as eps for labels like eskimo, tartelet, circus company or bar 25 under their wings, the trio proofed their craftsmanship for multi-layered dance music already arrestingly deep on numerous releases and during tours around the globe that brought them also to japan.
now they deliver a new one hour long sonic journey on the tokyo based mule musiq, the label on which wareika member florian schirmacher already released as part of the glowing glisses project in 2008. also wareika itself are not new to the japanese imprint, as they previously dropped a remix for mule for the mysterious project jemmy in late 2015.
and now water, sky, sun, wood' - an ambitious one-track (on vinyl separated into four parts) love letter that kicks you deep into meditation - assumed you surrender yourself to their complex sounding and grooving story-arc. it all started with an unplanned four-hour jam session between henrik and flo-rian, gaming and messing around on the piano, guitar and drum computer.
later florian edited the happening into a one-hour sensation, henrik added some congas and synthlines and jakob mixed it down. the result is a meticulously edited, deeply absorbing dance between the pi-ano, guitar, conga, mfb tanzbär, mfb dominion 1, ob-6, jupiter 6 and manikin mellotron synthsizer. you can use it to get lost. lost from the daily grind. lost from precast perception.
lost in music. you can use it for your imagination to move to a place beyond words that guarantees some genuine experience. or you just can shut yourself down to it, dive deep into your unforeseeable dream world and dance your sub-consciousness around and around.
whatever each listener chooses to do, wareika's latest adventurous blend of jazz, techno, house and world music will move each soul individual. primarily because water, sky, sun, wood' is a reverbera-tion of the inner notes that are floating and dancing in florian, henrik and jakob. and as the greatest music in the world is nothing but an echo of the inner music, wareika managed to reach a new fresh peak of their multidimensional artistic body of work, that grows and grows to stand out in terms of deepness, permanency, eternalness and silence between all sounding sensations.
After two hip-hop albums (Got To Get Down in 2016 and Impact in 2017), the unpredictable Afro Latin Vintage Orchestra comes back to its fundamentals with a new instrumental album:
MORPHEUS which repositions the band in the spirit of their previous spatial, almost cosmic albums Last Odyssey (2012) and Pulsion (2015), both released on Ubiquity Records and acclaimed by spiritual and fusion jazz lovers, library music fans, as well as rare grooves diggers (ALVO's first 4 vinyl albums now being out of stock).
Each new ALVO new release is a millesimal which evolved and learned from its predecessors.
Masta Conga, who's still leading the herd, has for main purpose to explore the musical space-time, gaining ground on never before revealed tracks, followed by his now faithful team of atypical and
farseeing musicians.
Compared to Miles Davis and his On The Corner by Wax Poetics, the band dives again in this realm of psychedelia and beyond', in particular with the contribution of Indian musicians. Twirling
around violins, superimposed patchy keyboards and effects, just as if their conductor wasn't already sufficiently influenced by Pierre Boulez and others such as Hiroshi Murakami... The result is however more uncluttered and loaded with multiple vibes than its predecessor Pulsion, which already carried the ceremonial characteristics of cult movie soundtracks. Tracks Moksha',
Air' and Morpheus' are the perfect demonstration, and far beyond their names. Simple grooves, lunar, but terribly efficient, emphasized by a mix that puts focus on these fiddly contributions of ethnic instruments, on percussions and horns on a drip of delay, reverbs and other space-echoes.
On the other side, the very rhythmic Descarga Uno', Descarga Dos' and Super Dopamine' show that the Parisian crew hasn't lost its good habit to look around latin, ternary, and syncopated
rhythms, in the ALVO only style! A new millésime, a Grand Cru maybe, but for sure to taste and appreciate in all weathers including space ones.
Rude Operator's dissonant intro on Witchdoctor synthesizes a half-time beat with jazz undertones before bouncing into a percussive bassline. Constantly evolving drum patterns, punctuated with horn bursts and upright bass from Ornette Hawkins, keep the dance floor moving.
Gunman's blissed-out atmospherics pave the way for a heavy combination of chopped up breakbeats and a juked-out drumline. Equally influenced by early jungle and contemporary footwork, 808 percussion and congas punctuate the undulating bassline.
Arrowhead fuses dubbed out elements with a running apache break and ominous synths. Percussive vocal stabs propel the song forward, while a deep, driving bassline and amen cuts bring the pressure.
War Diamond pays homage to DC's indigenous sound, Go-go. A hypnotic conga drum workout rinses oscillating bass with nature sounds, taking you above the canopy with a relentless swing. Lightly toasted by Born I Music, this fresh take on jungle delivers a heavy, tribal perspective.
- A1: The Cactus Rose Project - Jelly
- A2: Leston Paul - Santa Cruz
- A3: Dancing Fantasy - Voodoo Jammin' (Eros Mix)
- B1: Bandolero - Rêves Noirs (Instrumental)
- B2: Don Carlos - Aqua (Part One)
- B3: Language - Tranquility Bass
- C1: Kamasutra - Sugar Step
- C2: Moodswings - The Jazz Man
- C3: Congarilla - Sacred Tree
- C4: Red Sun - Honey From The Baka
- D1: Coste Apetrea - Hej Där
- D2: Christoph Spendel Group - Forever
- D3: Frank De Wulf - The End
- D4: Cantoma - Gambarra (Unreleased Mix)
Over the years, Phil Mison has become the go-to selector for those looking for Ibiza-themed compilations. None of his previous collections, though, have been quite as personal as Out Of The Blue, a compilation inspired by his first spell behind the decks at the Café Del Mar in 1993 - and the remarkable chain of events leading up to it.
Mison made his first trip to Ibiza in the summer of 1991 and quickly fell in love with the magical music being played by Café Del Mar resident DJ, Jose Padilla. On his return to the UK, Mison began to cultivate his own take on the laidback, open-minded style, recording mix-tapes of Ibiza style chill out' tunes to give to friends.
In November 1992, Mison was hanging out in Tag Records, Soho, when Padilla walked in. He plucked up the courage to speak to the Spaniard because earlier that summer Mison had given one of his friends some tapes to take out to Jose in Ibiza so he wanted to see if he had got them. During the conversation Mison invited him down to his next DJ set at Nicky Holloway's club, the Milk Bar and less than three months later, and clearly impressed by what he'd heard on the tapes, Padilla invited Mison to fill in for him at the Café Del Mar, beginning in April '93.
It's that first trip to DJ in Ibiza - a crazy six-weeks spent dividing his time between spinning records at Café Del Mar, hanging out in Jose Padilla's house in the hills, and meeting some particularly eccentric White Isle residents - that proved the inspiration for Out Of The Blue.
The compilation contains a mixture of records that Mison played in his earliest Ibiza sets, those that remind him of that period, and recent discoveries that boast a similarly warm, loved-up vibe. Mison is at pains to point out that it's not a track-for-track representation of his first sets, but rather a collection inspired by this most momentous of experiences.
As you'd expect from a selector of Phil Mison's standing, Out Of The Blue is an outstanding collection. Some will no doubt hear the influence of his mentor - the man he credits with effectively turning his DJing career around - in the undulating rhythms and new age melodies of Kamasutra's Sugar Step', the meandering synthesizer solos and Spanish language vocals of Congarilla's sublime Sacred Tree', and the lilting flamenco guitars of Gambarra', an unreleased mix from Mison's popular Cantoma project.
Elsewhere, listeners can marvel at the starry ambient bliss of Belgian legend Frank De Wulf's The End', recline to the saucer-eyed fusion jazz of the Christoph Spendel Group, shuffle along to tactile, hard-to-find period deep house from Language, Moodswings and Don Carlos, and marvel at The Cactus Rose Project's ridiculously rare Jelly', a sparkling, disco-era jazz-rock outing partly inspired by the Doobie Brothers' Long Train Running'.
Out Of The Blue may well be a very personal selection of tracks celebrating a moment in time, but it's happily one that we can all enjoy.
Ben Sun returns to Delusions for his 4th release on the label including three more tracks which show the Australian via London on his best form yet. Full Moon kicks off the Tides EP at full throttle with a muscular conga-led disco house roller. Slurping 909 hats and the most twisted of synth solos courtesy of regular collaborator Fantastic Man (and his beloved Juno 60) provide the icing on this simple bass-cake which never fails to energize the dancefloor in the most special of ways.
Star Ritual drops next, going heavy on the percussion once again for a minimal stripped back drum tool which packs a mighty punch. Dubbed out vocal hits punctuate the beautifully loose groove with subtle hints of afrobeat implied by the bassline making for a warm summer track dripping with tropical vibes.
Finally we have Glass Waves bringing the EP to a glorious close, all chiming synths, bouncing moog bass and waves of chords layering on top of a heavy drum track. Ben repping an early 90's blissed out Nu Groove mood on this one and managing to sound as fresh as ever in the process.




















