Review: We were rather impressed by Natalia Shapovalova's most recent single-track missive as Amonita, the "delicious deep house bliss" of the Peace Symphonies released 'Milky Way'. The Russian producer is in arguably even more impressive for on the Aura EP, which marks her first multi-track missive for All Day I Dream since 2019. She begins via the picturesque and fittingly dreamy title track, where marimba style motifs, hazy female vocal snippets and gentle electronic melodies ride a hypnotic, shaker-heavy deep-tech groove, before delivering a warmer and sunnier chunk of deep house/tech-house fusion ('D?j? vu'). 'Amfora' smartly adds sharp, trance-style motifs to another dancefloor soundscape full of smooth drums and lilting chords, while 'See The Light' sees Shapovalova smother a crunchier house beat in poignant piano sounds and melancholic pads.
Review: Under the Amonita alias, Natalia Shapovalova has so far impressed via melodious, atmospheric and genuinely summery releases on Shanti Radio Moscow and All Day I Dream. Here she makes her bow on another Russian label, Peace Symphonies, via a single-track trip into sonic space. Built around a groove laden with rolling hand percussion, tech-house style shakers and minimal techno bass, 'Milky Way' springs into life when the Moscow-based producer introduces drifting deep space chords, twinkling, soft-touch melodies, sustained piano motifs, cascading strings and operatic style female vocal snippets. It's not quite Orbital's 'Belfast', but it shares a similarly sunrise-ready attitude and attention to mood-enhancing sonic detail. Delicious deep house bliss.
Review: Deep house comes in a variety of flavours these days and Russian producer brings us several of 'em on this four-tracker for Lee Burridge's highly respected All Day I Dream imprint. Opener 'Fairy' is a gentle, rolling affair that'll slip nicely into Balearic sets. 'Azure' operates in similar territory, but 'Secret Of Happiness' itself has more of a dancefloor-friendly edge and marked progressive/melodic tendencies. But arguably the standout here is 'Dream Together', a dubbier excursion aimed at 4am floors and post-club chillin' which stands out from the crowd thanks to an unusual vocal that's reminiscent of chanting monks.
Newman (I Love) - "Menina Que Passa" - (8:36) 120 BPM
Essay - "Archangel" - (9:23) 126 BPM
Modd - "Evening Fog" - (9:11) 122 BPM
Review: A sampler collection here from All Day I Dream, the label set up in 2011 by Lee Burridge and Matthew Dekay to explore "beautiful, emotional and melancholic shades of house and techno". What you get are 13 tracks coming from that part of the spectrum where deep house and ambient collide, with just a hint of prog and the very deepest trance in the mix too - tracks that will be equally at home in the warm-up, on weary 6am floors or chillin' on the sofa. Standouts include Fulltone's 'A Whole Lot Of Winters', one of collection's more overtly floor-friendly cuts, and Hermanez's deceptively funky 'Ensina'.