Eagles & Butterflies & John Digweed & Nick Muir - "Crazy Diamond" - (9:28) 118 BPM
Review: John Digweed looks back on a terrific year that was 2018 - not to mention the 20th anniversary of his Bedrock label. This last year saw him serve up the Bedrock XX box set, team up with good mate Nick Muir on the terrific "Crazy Diamond" in addition to his awesome Live In Tokyo mix CD - so there's plenty to celebrate. Featured here are some of the year's highlights and exclusives alike by heroes of deep tech house such as: Booka Shade with their moody cruiser "Rosebud", Belgian veteran Jimmy Van M appears several times but is most on-form on "Cobalt", Systematic head honcho Marc Romboy with his impressive sci-fi epic "Cosmo" and the return of trance legend Oliver Lieb on the riveting "Epoxi".
Review: Lee Burridge's elusive new label Tale + Tone has impressed us with its smooth grooves of late that came courtesy of equally mysterious producers such as Newman, Lost Desert and Cornucopia. However, Berlin legend Daso finally presented as someone a little bit more familiar - even if it had been a while since we last heard from him! Now they have called in Los Angeleno duo Dance Spirit, who combine Reagan's formal music and computer programming training with Chris's burning passion for dance music and DJing to create a duo of true synergy. They've had a strong run of releases recently, on tastemaker labels such as Superfreq, Supernature and Sol Selectas: so go figure! "Wash Me Clean" (original version) has all the hallmarks of parent label All Day I Dream: slow burning syncopated rhythms, ethereal pads, lush orchestral arrangements and in this case - some life affirming female vocals for good measure.
Oceanvs Orientalis - "Lycian Waltz" - (6:37) 114 BPM
Goldcap - "Ghapama" - (8:07) 115 BPM
Dance Spirit & LUM - "Calumet" - (7:14) 115 BPM
Review: Zurich based label Ararat Masis are back after a great inaugural release from Nico Sun last year. For their second release, they have invited five great artists. They bring a new form of warm and cosy melodies from the region of the holy mountain of Ararat to the world. These five dynamic artists are creating a complete new way to experience oriental originated sounds, with their understanding of blending these tunes with energetic electronic elements. Oceanvs Orientalis is a collective formation founded by Safak Oz Kutle, which aims to challenge the aesthetic perception in electronic music. On "Lycian Waltz" we hear the Turkish producer delve deep into the exotic on this hazy and low slung affair. Dance Spirit & LUM deliver some deep and atmospheric tech house on the slinky "Calumet" where the American-Argentine duo really deliver the goods. Finally, Istanbul's Baris K never fails to impress - as anyone who has witnessed one of his mazing DJ sets will attest. His contribution takes you deep into the Middle Eastern after hours scene, on this smoky/dusty exploration in deepness.
Review: Crosstown Rebels boss Damian Lazarus has described Spirits, the label's new annual compilation series, as "a fresh psychedelic journey into the mind". While that might be over-egging the (Christmas) pudding a bit, there's definitely a deep, humid and occasionally hallucinatory feel to many of the showcased tracks, which mostly sit somewhere between lucid deep house and skewed tech-house wonkiness. Wisely, Lazarus has chosen tracks from new and rising stars of his various labels, with highlights coming from the likes of Magit Cacoon (the bass-heavy, Innervisions-esque "Nonsense"), Raw District (the foreboding last night hypnotism of "Another Way", featuring folksy vocalist Alice Rose) and Nico Stajan and David Mayer, whose brilliant "Killing Your Lover" layers an eyes-closed Jan Blomqvist vocal over dense but groovy tribal drums.
Review: Dance Spirit, aka Christopher Mohn and Reagan Denius, are the latest act to feature on a Kindisch compilation. The Get Physical sub-label has chosen to showcase the US duo's work and in so doing puts a spotlight on their range. "Piercing the Veil" is a gorgeous, reflective deep techno workout, while "Moving Shapes", a collaboration with Robbie Akbal, sees them veer towards a more foreboding, broken beat sound. In contrast again is "Anouement (Intro)", a spiky minimal workout, while on their reshape of Nick Galemore's "Redesigned", they deliver a piano-led, ghostly deep house track (albeit with a stepping undercurrent). Clearly, remixing is something that they excel at, with the pair's take on Powel's "Kalophain" conjuring up echoes of Herbert's complex minimalism. Available as separate tracks and in a continuous mix, Kindisch Stories is a great introduction to one of modern house music's most intriguing acts.
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