Mario Basanov At Juno Download

Review: Mario Basanov is clearly a man who spends all his waking hours in the studio. His first album, a collaborative effort with pal Vidis, was an expansive two-disc set. Journey, his solo debut, clocks in at a similar length, though the second disc does borrow heavily from previous solo singles and EPs. Even so, it's a grandiose proposition. Musically, it's pretty much what you'd expect, shuffling between typically Lithuanian deep house, sprightly nu-disco and the sort of fluid deep-pop that sits somewhere between the two camps. There's little in the way of darkness or grit, just pleasant, feel good niceness that bristles with vivid synths and sneaky Italo influences.

Review: Super-shimmering vibes from Lithuanian producer Basanov on this release: "More For Less" is a purring piece of disco that doesn't sound too far away from fellow Eastern European electro boogie peddler Illija Rudman. Coated with Canadian vocalist Jeremy Glenn's emphatic vocal, it's an instant soul smoocher. Remix-wise Mario provides his own more stripped back underground house twist, Pablo and Maurice serve up a subtle early Get Physical style Euro version and Michael J Collins presses the 'weird' button as we drift in a laidback Mushroom Jazz style groove. Beautiful.

Review: Judging by the inherent floating sensation that runs through "Just Think About It", it would seem that Lithuanian producer Mario Basanov has found his muse in Miss Bee. Regular followers of Under The Shade output will know the former has already worked his magic with the latter, having remixed her collaboration with Rampi earlier this year. It's a partnership that works wonders, with Miss Bee's sultry tones the perfect match for Basanov's elastic treatment of analogue sounds and upwards glancing melodics. The usual array of remixes sees Art Of Tones calling shotgun and delivering a remix that swerves proceedings down a decidedly rump shaking disco path, with some excellent key stabs throughout. This is matched by the Social Disco Club and Mirror People remix that builds brilliantly from the glistening opening few bars into an excellent live disco chug - just wait for those piano lines to come soaring in!