International Feel Uruguay At Juno Download

Review: Over the past 12 months, Dan Keeling has impressed greatly with his productions under the Bubble Club moniker. The self-released "Lonely Acid", "Morning Star" and "Violet Morning Moon" all demonstrated an innate ability to rise above the sea of mediocrity engulfing nu-disco, with carefully chosen remixes complimenting his brilliant disco/nu-disco/deep house fusions. As good as those singles were, none were quite as impressive as this debut for the ever-reliable International Feel imprint. Where those quietly sparkled, "The Goddess" shimmers. Seemingly keen to fit in with International Feel's relaxed ethos, Keeling offers up a sumptuous midtempo Balearic disco groove that's so tasty, it's almost edible. "The Goddess" lazily rises and falls throughout, building rush-inducing pressure via layer upon layer of perfectly pitched instrumental elements - from spiralling sitar lines and sweet organ chords to soaring strings, distant flute samples and even some dubby vocal snippets. As if that wasn't enough, Quiet Village deliver their best remix for some time. Their 12-minute, delay-laden epic is not quite as wonky as their classic reworks of Gorillaz and Allez Allez, but it inhabits similar territory. Crucially, though, there are uplifting elements amongst the foreboding, delay-laden percussion, paranoid atmosphere and reverb-heavy organ chords.

Review: Timm Sure and Ampo are producers on the rise. Under their Coyote alias, the Nottingham duo have been responsible for some particularly slinky nu-Balearic moments over the past 12 months. Aside from remixes for Smith & Mudd and Max Essa, they've released six EPs and an album, Harlyn Bay, on their cheekily titled Is It Balearic? Recordings imprint. This new EP for Uruguay's fast rising International Feel label - home to Rocha, Harvey and others - is a departure of sorts. While the gorgeous flipside remix of International Peoples Gang's "Second" is pure sunset Balearica - think Jose Padilla's classic Cafe Del Mar compilations given a noughties reboot - lead track "Moving" is far more stripped down and dancefloor-centric than any of their previous offerings. It could have easily wandered into pastiche territory, but it doesn't - thanks largely to the deft production and the loving way it's been realized..

Review: Forever the horizontally inclined innovators, International Feel introduce a mild curveball in their direction with Flights of Fancy, a new series showcasing what Balearic should sound like - through the custom made Ear Dimension Filters they employ on the coastline of Punta Del Este of course. The identity of those behind Flights of Fancy remains a mystery, as does so much with International Feel, but regardless both tracks present adopt a vintage discofied aesthetic that will find a place in many a heart. "Love's A Dancer" comes across like a forgotten Moroder gem given the Noid recordings treatment, whilst the altogether more widescreen vision of Balearica that is "Tempo Of The Night" positively glides towards the runout groove.

Review: The album format suits some artists more than others. On this evidence, it's a snug fit for producer Ben Williams' Gatto Fritto project. Like his previous exemplary 12" singles for Dissident, Electric Minds and International Feel, this self-titled debut album quietly tiptoes between claustrophobic paranoia and dream-like bliss - on some occasions even within the same track (the calming and uneasy "Solar Flares Burn You"). These central themes underpin a beautiful and occasionally unsettling mix of tracks that draws on everything from Radiophonic Workshop synth-experimentation, classic Balearica and evocative ambience to smacked-out pop (see "The Curse" and "Lucifer Morning Star"), evocative ambience and groggy new wave disco.

Review: On ACDise # 2, Gonno follows in the footsteps of maverick Japanese labels and producers like Sublime and Ken Ishii. The title track delivers a superlative slice of deep techno as Gonno combines warbling acid lines with trippy chords. On "Made From Muddy Water" and "Turn to Light", he shows that he's made from the same kind of hyperactive creativity as his predecessors, with the former a languid guitar-led soundscape, while fragile melodies unfold over clipped beats on the latter. The remixes don't disappoint either. Gatto Fritto's take on the title track features lazy, acid-soaked break beats, while the Skudge reshape is brilliantly utilitarian, the acid line soldered to the duo's typical dense, loopy rhythms.

Review: DJ Harvey's Locussolus return to International Feel with a two track EP dominated by the storming ode to Berghain, coincidentally arriving at a time when the Berlin club's future is very much in the air. Sounding every bit as good as the best parts of last year's Locussolus album for the label from the Punta Del Este, "Berghain (Darkroom Mix)" offers a chugging, K-hole friendly alternative to the all too prevalent pedestrian nu-disco sound that should appeal to the afterhours heads. "Telephone (Mediterranean Mix)", meanwhile, is a prime slice of Balearic disco-pop in his own inimitable style. Oozing fun, it should get an airing at plenty of festivals this summer.

Review: Having recently thrilled eagle-eyed record collectors with a number of stupendously limited vinyl pressings (around 100 copies in some cases), International Feel return to the digital download format with a couple of sterling reworks of material from Harvey's hit-and-miss Locussolus LP. While Eric "Dr Dunks" Duncan's sprawling, dubwise house take on "Tan Sedan" is solid enough (and certainly oddly nightmarish), it's the Com Truise version of "Throwdown" that really stands out. In typical Truise fashion, it re-casts the vaguely Balearic original as a vintage synth symphony beamed down from the stars by an army of Dr Who monsters and camp 1950s robots.

Review: Given the sheer number of British artists releasing on International Feel, we're beginning to think that a free trip to Punta Del Este is offered as part of any record deal. The latest to potentially be soaking up the rays on the South Atlantic coast of Uruguay are The Mythical Beasts aka Felix Dickinson and Toby Tobias. If either of these names needs an introduction then back to those disco night classes with you! As The Mythical Beasts, Dickinson and Tobias present an altogether more lackadaisical sound, with "Communicate" fully channelling the sound of 80s Dutch icon Jan Hammer. This wouldn't be an Intl. Feel twelve without some fine accompanying remixes and we are suitably stocked with a variety of takes from Permanent Vacation, Alphabet City and Das Volt. The Munich duo lead the way with a tight tropical disco take that ups the pace and focuses on a particularly introspective xylophone melody whilst Alphabet City demonstrates the recent Under The Shade twelve was no fluke with a chunky yet glistening electro funk reimagination. Our personal favourite though is the spooked out Giallo disco take from Late Night Audio's Das Volt, although the digi-only Brennan Green remix is a bit special too!

Review: Last year's compilation to celebrate three years of International Feel felt like label boss Mark Barrott was drawing a line under some memorable 36 releases from Harvey, Gatto Fritto, Gonno and more which in his own words achieved what he set out to do. It's pleasing then, to see that Barrott has elected to let International Feel grow further introducing yet another of his own musical projects in the shape of The Sonic Aesthetic. Now based in Ibiza, its clear the Mediterranean sun is having beneficial effects on Barrott with the three tracks here operating on a murky' lo BPM subterranean house flex. Face up track "Mendicant Adventures" is the clear stand out here, feeling like the hazy memories of a warehouse party slowly setting in concrete.