Marius Vareid At Juno Download

Review: Marius Vareid has long been part of the furniture at Prins Thomas' Full Pupp label, releasing a string of typically Scandolearic 12"s over the last few years. Here he presents his long-promised debut album, a dewy-eyed journey that's as Balearic as stumbling out of Space at midday with a mile-wide grin on your chops. While there's plenty of delicious synthscapes, dreamy downtempo grooves and soft-centred Norwegian disco to enjoy, the album's best moments are more obviously bright, breezy and rush-inducing. The wonderful title track and piano-heavy "Sandstrand", in particular, are utterly beguiling, as is enchanting closer "Tropisk Storm". Highly recommended.

Review: Out on Prins Thomas and Steve Kotey's peerless Full Pupp label, Norway's Marius Vareid delivers this stunning release of well-crafted and seriously affecting cosmic nu-disco. Having already released an album on Full Pupp in collaboration with Jarle Brathen under their Ytre Rymden Dansskola alias, this single picks up the grooves and soundscapes from where that project left off. Title track "Vallefaret" keeps the grooves gentle with some distantly echoed pianos to the fore, but the arrangement is so effortlessly perfect it keeps your attention hooked as arpeggiated synths drift over the building beats. Villa Farris keeps the same vibe, this time making good use of synthy brass keys and some deep, almost sub-aqautic pads. As Full Pupp consistently prove, when it comes to quality cosmic disco, Norwegians do it better.

Fellow Full Pupp stalwart Blackbelt Andersen is given the chance to flex his skills over a mix of Vallefaret and throws in some added disco claps and hypnotic hi-hats, as well as some driving bass parts, overall making it more dj-friendly. Jarle Braathen's mix however goes nicely deep, adding long dropouts where he builds the mood with some heavy dub-style delays on the synths and percussion, before dropping back into the groove and chopping up the original's chords to make it his own. As Full Pupp consistently prove, when it comes to quality cosmic disco, Norwegians do it better.