Search:magic sound

After impressing with his debut album, 'Buy The Ticket, Take the Ride', on Tsuba last year, Magic Feet label boss Craig Bratley is back with a hot new EP on his own label that features tracks by Unisexl Audio Club, Beato Cozzi and the man himself.

Since 2014's LP release, Bratley has been remixed to great effect by Ewan Pearson and has continued to take his machine made, darkened disco sounds to clubs and festivals around Europe.

His sound is robust and analogue, has come out on labels like Andrew Weatherall's Bird Scarer and Is It Balearic and now for the first time arrives on his own Magic Feet, a label that has showcased sounds by Timothy J Fairplay, Antoni Maiovvi and Tommy Awards amongst others.

Up first here is Unisex Audio Club with 'Event Duality,' an elastic, low swinging, mid tempo track with frazzled synth lines, pixelated melodies and lots of dark energy. Flabby bass adds serious weight to this most arresting affair.

Beato Cozzi offers up 'Killer ', which comes on like a long forgotten Italo B-side, a chugging rework of a solitary 1990 chart hit that sounds all the more resplendent for its rainy alien melodies, extra visible and twinkling chords and invitingly laboured drums.

Then comes Bratley with the first of two cuts. 'Photons' is seven minutes of loose and lush house music with arcing pads, feel good chords and emotionally swollen melodies. It's the sort of breezy, al fresco tune that would sound great at a boat party and shows a more tender, vulnerable side to Bratley's work.

His second, 'Analogue Voodoo', is a slow and sparse affair where futuristic synth lines, apocalyptic drums and darkened spoken word snippets all conjure an unsettling, industrial mood. It's a fresh sounding cut that is destined to stand out on any dancefloor.

This is another fine offering from Magic Feet that offers disco lovers of all shapes and sizes something to explore and enjoy.

Something is looming on the horizon, a flickering presence, a sparkle in the twilight, hardly visible at first, then slowly taking shape and finally coming into view: "I will depart/I see, I will, I won't go far," Stefanie Boehm (Couch) sings on "Sirens", one of 10 tracks Ms. John Soda have recorded for "Loom", their first album in eight years – and it's true: It's a return that often feels like yet another departure, like it's time to say farewell once again, one last hug and off it goes into the valley, where life is already waiting.

A lot has changed since Ms. John Soda released the first 7" back in 1998, since Micha Acher (The Notwist, Tied & Tickled Trio, Alien Ensemble) joined Stefanie Boehm and completed the creative nucleus of this band around the turn of the millennium; day-to-day life indeed feels different some 16 years later (and half as many since the release of their sophomore album, "Notes and the Like"), but the basic chemistry, the intricate balance of electronic and analog molecules that orbit this nucleus – and thus, the resulting mood and vibe -, they're still recognizable, still undeniably Ms. John Soda: Whether it's the dense, intensely rushing soundscapes of "Hero Whales", numerous layers pushing and taking off into the same direction, the propelled clatter of "Sirens", a track like "Millions" that blows off more and more steam, a glistening, wheezing sort of madness even (though there is a tender side to it as well), the perpetual, magic lantern-like motions of "Name It" (think Trish Keenan and Broadcast) or the gradually descending melodies of opening track "In My Arms" – they're all lined with a certain tension, underpinned by a certain atmosphere, a unique brand of melancholy that never quite gives in, keeps searching for new outlets and answers.

The album title Ms. John Soda have chosen for their third full-length, "Loom", obviously hints at this feeling of re-emergence, gathering and looming, but according to the singer, it also refers to a weaving loom: It's about "weaving and combining a vast number of influences, ideas, instruments, melodies, rhythms, and layers to create a whole," says Boehm, whose vocals span these new tracks like thick, reliable ropes that glow with marine luminescence. "It's about weaving individuals into a group ('Millions'), weaving and merging former ideals and hopes with reality ('The Light'), combining 'hi' and 'bye', beginning and end ('Hi Fool'), interweaving opposite or contradicting concepts, such as pushing forward vs. being pushed ('In My Arms')." And while the weaving, just like life itself, can easily get out of hands, "because you lose track, and yet life goes on ('Name It')," a lot of these songs – e.g. "Hero Whales", the billowing "Sodawaltz", "Fall Away" – revolve around a shimmering sense of something we can't quite grasp or put a finger on just yet: "Intuitions, hopes, dreams, wishes, affinities, distances, temptations…"

Whereas Cico Beck aka Joasihno (drums, electronics), also part of Aloa Input and the latest addition to Ms. John Soda's live band, and drummer Thomas Geltinger helped out on various tracks they recorded with Oliver Zülch in Weilheim, Boehm and Acher were also joined by Karl-Ivar Refseth (percussions) and Matthias Götz (trombone). Together, they keep feeding the loom with countless spools of yarn, until epic piano closer "Fall Away" seems to offer a temporary respite: "find your way/take the dry suit off/for a night". Time to rest, to take a deep breath. Or is it already the first rays of dawn looming on the horizon?

Mbongwana Star is a newly formed band from Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratc Republic of Congo. Made up of a sprawling network of shanty-towns and night shelters, day-to-day life in the city is far from easy, but the band don't want sympathy. Tired of pre-conceptons around African music, Mbongwana Star ('Mbongwana' means 'change') are creatng their own identty, fusing traditonal Congolese rhythms with post punk and´electronics inspired by life in the townships around them,
'making magic out garbage' says producer and band member Doctor L (who produced Tony Allen's
'Black Voices' album). The result is revolutonary. This isn't an African band per se. It's a trans-global barrier-bustng sound
machine. '..an altogether unique vibe. We will be paying close atenton' - Boilerroom

After "III" Dusty Kid is back with a new album that is a trip and homage through and for his native land, Sardegna. "The Arsonist" anticipates this trip from its most dramatic part, touching upon an issue that haunts the island every summer: arsons. Setting itself apart from the contemporary techno music trends 'The Arsonist Part II" delves into 90's trance, reminiscent of legendary Jam&Spoon and rave parties. An intense explosion of pathos reminding us of the glorious Loveparade to describe a dangerous situation, a desperate attempt to save the Sardinian land. The pathos peaks with "Doa" when the fire leaves behind utter desperation and desolation, ashes and smoke. "Doa" is another stage in this new journey for Dusty Kid. It is an emotional and melancholic stop, drenched in the magic of the spaghetti western genre, honoring Morricone that has always been the artist's idol. The track is dedicated to the date of July 18, 1983,  when in the north ofSardegna the worst arson happened; here 9 people lost their lives and 15 reported terrible burns in the attempt to extinguish the fire. This has later become the European date to raise awareness against forest fires. The EP ends on the balearic notes of "Serpentara', little abandoned island in the south east of Sardegna, that represents a small batch of land that is untouched by men, their doings and their fires. 'Serpentara' recalls the likes of "Sueno Latino', the summer of love '88 and Ibiza, when ravers wanted to take a break from the hysteric acid house and needed softer and dreamier sounds. Dusty Kid is back with a masterpiece that cannot be missed, a perfect soundtrack to the Summer of 2015.

Front Left represents a very special corner in a very special spot on this planet. Every week the front left people gather together to celebrate techno music.
Techno is what brings us together and what makes us family to one another. We rejoice listening to it, produce it, talk about it, share it and mainly dance to it.
It is incredible how one physical spot creates so such magic and human connection.
This label brings the productions of the front left people to the world.
In the first release, you will find Elad Magdasi, a heavy dancer and an emotional producer. His productions are wide-ranged and loaded with a true rave spirit, combining an acid-line treatment and his melodic point of view. In the last two years Elad's productions turned to the techno side, and now he feels it's time to finally let his music out. Gathering knowledge and figuring out his style brought him to this point. His love for raving is what keeps his mojo going and brings the inspiration to his life.
Joining the first release is Matrixxman (Charlie Duff), the talented producer who's been shaking dance floor with his hit "Protocol" for already 2 years and now releasing his debut album on Ghostly. Not surprisingly, the connection between Elad and Matrixxman was also formed on the Front Left.
The first release combines a slick collection of sounds.

Reissue of a unknown b-side of an early Belgian trance outfit release. Before they made euro trance they made this heavenly balearic gem. It screamed for Lauer remixes and he provided...
Unless you have been sleeping it should be pretty obvious that WPH head honcho Red D has a weak spot for early Belgian trance stuff. Before trance was even known as trance that is... The early 90ies were the post new beat era in Belgium and loads of producers were experimenting with new sounds to steer away from the blatantly commercial new beat chart stuff. So that's when the magic started happening.

One of these producer outfits was The Mackenzie, who on their very first releases covered a territory somewhere between new beat, Chicago house and Balearic sounds. None of these tracks really 'hit', but some 25 years later WPH shows you that true timeless quality always resurfaces. 'No Promises' is simply a divine piece of work from start to finish and should become that underground summer hit played by any DJ worth his or her salt when it comes to putting melody over beats. One listen to this one and it's easy to see why German stronghold Lauer was the go to man for some remix action. Lauer brings you a different take and a classic cover version of the original.

As a little bonus Locked Groove & Red D made an edit of a remix done by The Mackenzie in that same period. I think you will agree that both these tracks were made to be on one E.P. Trust WPH to bring it back in a different way!



[C] b1 | The Right Side (Locked Groove & Red D's Exotische Edit)

Continuing on from Vol 1's theme of established artists working in disguise, 'Music First Vol 2' delivers another sonic assault with this absolute rollercoaster ride of a record. The mysterious Scorpio T opens the EP with 'Neptune Rising', a squelching acid-bass boomer that can simultaneously spiritually elevate and physically devastate any dancefloor. Rounding off Side A it's followed by Scandalous Arthur's 'Acid In My Mind', a lo-fi tape-hissed jacking beast of a banger that sounds like it's genuinely been brewing in a vat of highly toxic acid for at least 25 years and guaranteed to melt your mind. On the flipside comes JaX DaX returning from Vol 1 with the low-frequency moody slo-mo electro workout 'Fucking Computer' that oozes bad attitude and booty-shaking basslines in equal abundance. Bringing the trip to a close is Kyrenic Azalee with the self-titled 'Kyrenic Azalee', an x-rated new beat tour-de-force of epic proportions that will fry minds and bodies with its relentless energy. Limited edition so don't sleep on it, not that it would let you.

Tasty Treats, another side project of the multi-talented Ronald Burrell dropped this 4 track EP way back in 1993 on the cult Citi label out of NYC.
As expected the tracks contained within have all the facets of that magical "Burrell sound"; healthy doses of Soul, sleaze, deepness, late night atmosphere and that solid, no nonsense NY/NJ House attitude, for the heads, the dancers, the all nighters and the freaks! This is pure Shelter/Garage joy!
The Burrell brothers back catalog is just ridiculous in terms of releases, styles and quality control and this EP sits comfortably up there with some of their classics. An all round solid EP for all true House music lovers regardless of area code or geography!
%100 legit re-issue, re-mastered and brought back for the summer 2015 flex - Don't snooze!

Following a three year hiatus from Cadenza, the label is delighted to welcome back Felipe Valenzuela and Dani Casarano for a third release on the Luciano's imprint. Both producers are respected individually for their prowess in the studio and as DJs, but as a combined force collaborate with magical effect in the studio. Together the pair run Melisma records and considers each other as musical soulmates. The pair's familiarity with dance floors across the world is reflected in these two tracks for Cadenza, continuing the labels rich musical history of electronic dance music fit for all purposes. 'Instinct' opens the release with an instant bubbling groove, supported by a groovy bass melody, crunching claps and shimmering rides, dancing around the tracks core rhythm. Subtle drum edits, reverberating snares and warm pads grab the listener's attention, whilst the tracks central rhythm maintains the pulse and lively feel of this exceptional production. A versatile slice of intricate house music that will find it's way into many sets this Summer. 'Impulse' sees the pair venture into more avant-garde territory; exploring themes of dissonance, syncopation and tension and release. Lo-fi electronics and discordant pianos notes create a unique pallet of sounds responding to each other. Offbeat string arrangements and shimmering synths evolve over the 14+ minutes track duration. Perfect headphone electronics with stacks of detail and fresh touches.

Speedy Ortiz is proud to announce their sophomore album, Foil Deer, which will be released via Carpark Records on April 20th.

'Major Arcana' released in 2013 won them glowing reviews , features and several UK tours (highlights below):

- 4 PAGE NME FEATURE

- 9/10 LEAD REVIEW IN NME: 'One of the reasons 'Major Arcana' works so well is because it's addictive and fun. The guitars and bass sound incredible, like the last Deerhunter album without the Yankee Doodle Dandy'

8/10 Drowned In Sound : ' Speedy Ortiz are way too euphoric and glorious to suffer for their artfulness. Stripping away the frills, at heart Major Arcana is a mournful treasure that asks to be celebrated.'

*NME RADAR FEATURE: 'What's miraculous, though, is that Major Arcana doesn't sound at all self-pitying; it's torrid Slint-meets-Pavement rattle bolsters Sadie's relished words so that yelling along is an exercise in gleefully exorcising your own demons'

8.4 ON PITCHFORK: : 'There's the squalling, guitar-on-guitar carnage of Archers of Loaf, the grungy mysticism of Helium (Dupuis lifted the title Major Arcana from a book she was reading on black magic), and of course the deadpan wit of vintage Liz Phair ('I was never the witch that you made me to be,' Dupuis tells a burnt-out old flame on 'Plough', 'Still you picked a virgin over me').

Standard LP is gatefold, single black LP with chapbook, plus digital download card.
Deluxe LP Is as above but with metallic gold coloured vinyl, and sticker.(200 ONLY FOR UK)
CD comes in digipak with a folded poster approximating the chapbook in the LP.

Speedy Ortiz said they would get the flowers themselves. What a lark! What a plunge!

When considering Massachusetts' Speedy Ortiz, that line from Virginia Woolf comes to mind. Not only for the obvious echoes to DIY, a form and function that's characterized the band's nascency, but in the proto-feminist undertones driving much of their sophomore album, Foil Deer. "I'm not bossy, I'm the boss," Sadie Dupuis sings on "Raising the Skate," invoking in spirit one half of the Carter-Knowles clan and echoing the other's wordplay. And wordplay makes sense, considering Dupuis-the band's songwriter, guitarist, and frontwoman-spent the band's first few years teaching writing at UMass Amherst. She's drawn to the dense complexity of Pynchon, the dreamlike geometry of Bolaño, the confounded yearning of Plath-all attributes you could easily apply to the band's 2013 debut Major Arcana, which fans and press alike have invested with a sense of purpose and merit uncommon in contemporary guitar rock.

The group, including Mike Falcone on drums, Darl Ferm on bass, and new addition Devin McKnight of Grass is Green on guitar, have spent the last year on an almost endless cross-continental touring jag, tagging along with the likes of The Breeders, Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks, and Thurston Moore. That shift into full-time musicianship brought with it an attendant reordering of priorities when it came to songwriting, and the band members' lives in general. They would get the damn flowers themselves.

Dupuis wrote much of Foil Deer at her mother's home in the Connecticut woods, where the songwriter imposed a self-regulated exile and physical cleansing of sorts, finding that many of the songs came to her while running or swimming alone. "I gave up wasting mental energy on people who didn't have my back," she says. "Listening to our old records, I get the sense I was putting myself in horrible situations just to write sad songs. This music isn't coming from a dark place, and without slipping into self-empowerment jargon, it feels stronger." Many of the songs deal with a similar sense of starting over, editing out the unnecessary drama. "Boys be sensitive and girls be, be aggressive," she sings on "Mister Difficult."

And while their debut album was recorded on the fly, Speedy Ortiz spent almost a month in the studio on Foil Deer. Falcone's drums are taut, mechanistic; Ferm's bass ranges from the aggressive rattle of an AmRep classic to smoother, hip-hop inspired lines. McKnight, meanwhile, lends spacier, textural riffs to complement Dupuis' wiry, melody-driven guitar style. "The demos for our songs have always had tons of small details and production experimentation, but we never had any money to pay for more than a couple days in the studio, so the songs came out very live-sounding and guitar heavy," Dupuis says. It was recorded and mixed at Brooklyn's Rare Book Room with Nicolas Vernhes (Silver Jews, Enon, Deerhunter), with the record mastered by Emily Lazar (Sia, Haim, Beauty Pill), lending a more polished sound and a pop sensibility that will stand out to existing fans and new converts alike. For all the lyrical complexity and guitar-based excursions Speedy Ortiz have built their reputation on to this point, Foil Deer has a sense of light-footed fun. What's the point of doing things yourself if you're not going to enjoy the trip

Standard LP is gatefold, single black LP with chapbook, plus digital download card.
CD comes in digipak with a folded poster approximating the chapbook in the LP.

2015 sees the return of Welsh psychedelicists White Noise Sound with their second album 'Like a Pyramid of Fire'.After honing their craft across the UK and through Europe - with the likes of Super Furry Animals, The Warlocks, Spectrum, Mark Gardener (Ride) and members of Spacemen 3, Spiritualized and The Brian Jonestown Massacre - WNS completed their debut album in 2010 with the assistance of Pete Kember (Spacemen 3 / Spectrum / E.A.R) and magician Cian Ciaran (Super Furry Animals). Released by cult California based label Alive Records (whose back-catalogue includes releases from The Black Keys, Beachwood Sparks, Iggy Pop and James Williamson and The Soledad Brothers) in 2010 (US) / 2011 (UK), the eponymous debut was greeted with widespread critical acclaim and WNS toured through Europe in its support. 'Like a Pyramid of Fire' sees the band take their trademark wall of sound - at once relentlessly pulsating and blissed-out - and conjure from it a sonic palette with range and depth. WNS worked closely with producer / DJ Phil Kieran and again with Cian Ciaran and the result is a metronomic and hypnotic onslaught of melody, groove and exploration which goes beyond the standard tropes of psychedelia.

White Noise Sound will be playing a special London show as part of the Convergence Festival on Monday 16th March 2005 (with label mates Eat Lights Become Lights and guest DJs Andrew Weatherall and Ben Osborne)

Supporting Jesus & Marychain in Cardiff on 22nd February.2015 sees the return of Welsh psychedelicists White Noise Sound. This single is taken from their second album 'Like a Pyramid of Fire' out in April 2015.After honing their craft across the UK and through Europe - with the likes of Super Furry Animals, The Warlocks, Spectrum, Mark Gardener (Ride) and members of Spacemen 3, Spiritualized and The Brian Jonestown Massacre - WNS completed their debut album in 2010 with the assistance of Pete Kember (Spacemen 3 / Spectrum / E.A.R) and magician Cian Ciaran (Super Furry Animals). Released by cult California based label Alive Records (whose back-catalogue includes releases from The Black Keys, Beachwood Sparks, Iggy Pop and James Williamson and The Soledad Brothers) in 2010 (US) / 2011 (UK), the eponymous debut was greeted with widespread critical acclaim and WNS toured through Europe in its support. 'Like a Pyramid of Fire' sees the band take their trademark wall of sound - at once relentlessly pulsating and blissed-out - and conjure from it a sonic palette with range and depth. WNS worked closely with producer / DJ Phil Kieran and again with Cian Ciaran and the result is a metronomic and hypnotic onslaught of melody, groove and exploration which goes beyond the standard tropes of psychedelia.
White Noise Sound will be playing a special London show as part of the Convergence Festival on Monday 16th March 2005 (with label mates Eat Lights Become Lights and guest DJs Andrew Weatherall and Ben Osborne)

! Irreal, the fth long player from Chicago's Disappears, is another trip down the rabbit hole. The album plays out as a dream sequence - hazed dub landscapes give way to the group's most experimental and open music yet.



If their last album Era conrmed the fact that Disappears are on their own trip, then Irreal is where it kicks in. Eternalism, roboethics, identity - it's a Ballardian mix of imperfect melodies, half thoughts and good ol' dystopian modernity. It's a master class in texture, pace and control.



Produced by John Congleton at famed Chicago recording institution Electrical Audio, Irreal sits in the negative space where art rock and post punk collapse onto each other. It's the sound of Disappears reporting back from The Void.



track listing:

1.Interpretation 2. I _ O 3. Another Thought 4. Irreal 5. OUD 6. Halcyon Days 7. Mist Rites 8. Navigating the Void



press quotes for Era:



'On Era, Disappears begin to pave a path to transcendence that's a little more varied, grabbing the more anemic sounds of Clinic and Liars, while keeping the forward momentum of their most obvious influences Spacemen 3 and rough-edged Velvet Underground. They know they trade in the business of the past and work within confined musical language, but they play on, middle fingers scratching their eyebrows.' 7.3 Pitchfork



'For Chicago based quartet Disappears, time seems to move at a different, altogether more indeterminate pace. Era is a work of magic; a record you could lose days or even weeks in, without noticing at all.' Drowned in Sound



'It's an incredible mix of legitimately haunting energy and maturity that is really, really hard to nd, and even harder to nd in an exciting form that doesn't come off cynical or jaded.' The Talkhouse



'Era is truly a landmark album for this formidable foursome' -Brainwashed

Erlend Øye is a skinny nerd, but maybe that's what makes him a pop star. His huge thick spectacle-lenses act as an interface between his inner life and his numerous collaborators and fans. Erlend Øye is a travelling singer-songwriter, who has been making music in various constellations since the late nineties. He sang for Röyksopp, while his own bands are Kings of Convenience and The Whitest Boy Alive, who recently split up. A laid back, everyday vibe runs through Erlend Øye's music. Erlend is not larger than life, at the most his songs may be. The pop star from next-door doesn't make any drama, but leaves that to life itself. His relaxed, laid back sound opens your eyes and ears for places, situations and encounters. A certain mournfulness runs through the songs, although they deal with a longing for self-fulfilment. Erlend sings of loneliness, and in doing so, he creates a 'we'. Until now Erlend's projects have often been based on simple concepts - two guitars and two vocals with Kings of Convenience, and four instruments with The Whitest Boy Alive. With his new solo album he frees himself of these parameters; for the first time everything is possible, for the first time Erlend Øye stands alone. The songs on 'Legao' were arranged and recorded with the Icelandic reggae band Hjálmar.

The magic of 'Legao' lies in the fact that Erlend's vulnerable vocals and his sincere lyrics are supported by the elegance and consistency of the band. Today roughness is often used to counterbalance roughness, whereas on Legao a equilibrium is sought - and found. A simplicity, clarity and minimalism is created that is rarely found in pop music. Erlend Øye has grown up. He accomplishes nothing less than the step towards an independent, free-standing solo musician, who can perform in any constellation - with a band, orchestra or alone with a guitar.

The Jamaican Reggae duo Dave and Ansell Collins hit big time in 1970 when they topped the UK Charts with one of the all time classic reggae singles 'Double Barrel'.
It also became one of the first Reggae hits in the USA.
The distinctive chant of singer Dave Barker calling out the intro to songs letting the listener know what about to hit them is timeless.
He also carries a great soul voice that has added magic to many a great reggae tune.
Dave and Ansell are two talented artists that on their own have added so much to the reggae sounds we know and love.
But together they have made a name that will go down in history as one of the great duo's that came out of Jamaica and onto the world's stage.
We have compiled a set of songs that show the wide ranging talents of Dave Barker and Ansell Collins..
Time to Double Up...one more time........

Late Night Tales welcomes back the cult figure and ultimate musical connoisseur, Bill Brewster to compile his second episode of the curated compilation series 'After Dark'. An obscure and timeless DJled journey which begins somewhere out in the near ocean, the waves are rolling and lolling gently into the shore, while a full moon shines on the surface. It's only faint, but somewhere nearby is the sound of bass, pulsing slowly, almost in time to the waves. Welcome back to 'After Dark: Nightshift'. Once again Bill Brewster comes armed with a sensitivity and sense of occasion that few other DJs possess. Delivering another batch of slow cooked musical stews, making sure the tempo stays nice and steady and the emphasis is on funk, soul, grits and corn fried chicken, Brewster has done so much digging, Late Night Tales had to hire a forklift truck and tractor. Among the unreleased nuggets, there's the Fernando mix of The Detachments; inordinate excitement about Gino Fontaine, a tune spotted a year ago but has languished in Andy Meecham's Stafford catacombs ever since. Also unearthed are some hitherto secret recordings between Robert Fripp and The Grid, and there are also some proper club faves here, too, like the daft but brilliant 'Mopedbart' by Hubbabubbaklubb and the luminous 'Boutade' by Mugwump, as well as killer oldies like Salsoul Invention and General Lee

As per our collective minds; music is a universal language which is spoken and written around the globe. With his backpack loaded with records and his mind full of ideas, Tagtraumer has been exploring foreign countries and undiscovered sounds. Eight years have passed on his seemingly endless journey. Through different people, extraordinary situations, adventurous experiences and unknown vibes an elixir of magic is created. It is the engine and the resource that drives his artistic inspirations.

a1. Music Is Your Medicine (Aux 88 Original Mix) 7:08 - Detroit's AUX88 welcomes singer, 'Samara' on to the big stage with big sound. All the elements of a anthem ride within the track, as 'Samara' holds her own ground in this premiere collaboration.


a2. Medicine (Nubian Mix) 4:43 - Flat-Out/The intro IS magic sprinkled around 'Ms. Samara's' voice, calling to the listener,
'Don't stop the music....let it be your medicine'. A delighted mix to a well-written lyric of rejoice & bliss to the dancefloor.


b1. Medicine (Detroit Manipulation Mix) 5:21 - Minimalistic, big Motown techno stabs join the vocal in this engaging taste of sound and texture. Medicine for your soul; Indeed.


b2. Medicine (Detroit Institute Mix) 5:28- Traditional, rich strings play hide & seek with the stark sound of a drone-y bassline for full-on effect. Punchy kicks, dreamy chords, great song....your cured.

Baptise & Pierre Colleu
French brothers Baptiste & Pierre Colleu have been making music together since they were children. They spent a chunk of their childhood in Africa, which they say has inspired their work in the studio. That influence is submerged fairly deep on 'Dolphin Kid,' the title track for these two EPs. There's an undercurrent of eerie soulfulness and woody percussion accents running through this oddly alluring cosmic-house seducer, but its roots are more Balearic than Afrobeat.

The five remixes of 'Dolphin Kid' enhance the Colleu brothers' original in incrementally fascinating ways. On 'Coyote's Intense Mix,' the respected UK duo augment the laid-back rhythm with nuanced 303 twangs and boldface the hand percussion to magnify its latent funkiness. L.I.E.S. recording artist Willie Burns slows 'Dolphin Kid''s pace to a majestic, hollowed-out, dub-funk strut. It's unfathomably deep. Seattle tech-house maverick Jon McMillion serves up the most twisted, sinister version here, warping the main synth part into a disorienting swirl of borborygmi while intensifying the rhythmic urgency and expanding the sound palette. The second EP concludes with two masterly remixes by Black Merlin. His 'Romance in the Dark Mix' turns 'Dolphin Kid' into a chilling, Goblin-esque piece of dungeon ambience. But it's Merlin's nearly 13-minute 'Peyote Mix' that really reels in the cinematic magic, as he launches the cut even deeper into the black, adding thrusting, throbbing disco kicks and enough horror/thriller-film soundtrack signifiers to give John Carpenter a perma-grimace. Poor 'Dolphin Kid' has come to a gory, but very exciting end.