Review: Draw a line from boogie to Balearica, via Italo disco and deep house, and somewhere along that arc you'll find this latest V/A collection from Manchester's long-running Paper Recordings. Crazy P have been in the Paper camp since the early days so are a fitting choice to open proceedings with the gloriously hazy 'Last Knockers', after which other standouts for yours truly include the slow-building, prog-leaning acid of Anisto Tropics' 'Topaz', Natasha Kitty Katt's typically infectious remix of Diskobeistet's 'Gammal Morro' and the sunny, summery disco-house of Benny Pitcher's 'Transatlantic Motion', until finally MADe's 'You're The One' plays us out on a mellower, more downtempo note.
Review: Sprechen may be based in the North West of England, but their latest missive is all about showcasing rising musical talents from Indonesia, and specifically some of the artists involved in Jakarta's "Coming Together" studio project. There's much to set the pulse racing throughout, from the wide-eyed, morning fresh Balearic chug of Kimo's blissful and melodic "Daydream", to the spaced-out, late night deep house hypnotism of Harvy Abdurcharman's "Gargantuan" and the drowsy shoegaze disco shuffle of Gizpel's "Eyes On The Street". Best of all though is Logic Lost's 12-minute epic "Heliconia", an inspired journey through orchestrated ambient house and The Field style pastoral techno.
Review: In case you haven't noticed, Paper Recordings has been on fire in the 18 months that have passed since Paper Cuts volume three landed. Further proof is provided by volume four of the label's "best of" series, which adds a couple of unheard exclusives - the sparkling, ever-building nu-disco headiness of Bachgenaur's "Steady Drummer" and Vinny Villbass's Metro Area-ish instrumental re-make of Diskobeistet's "Birkelunden" - to a tight list of 2016 and 2017 highlights. These include (but aren't limited to) Chris Massey's rubbery, funk-fuelled tweak of 2 Billion Beats' "Sold My Soul", the glassy-eyed, sunset-friendly warmth of Crazy P's "Last Knockers", the organic haziness of Steve Cobby's "Boule De Suif" and the soulful house/nu-disco fusion of DJ Spinna's ace rework of Soundersons' "Can't Get Enough".
Review: Barely a fortnight has passed since Kimo delivered his second fine E.P for Paper Recordings, and already he's back in action. This time round he's pitched up on Hot Digits, serving up more nu-Balearic treats for DJs who like their music glistening, sun-kissed and atmospheric. Opener "Haven" - where brilliant jazz guitar passages jostle for position with rich bass and new age inspired synths - is undoubtedly one of the Indonesian producer's strongest tracks to date, though the trippy "Sky Burned" and Tangerine Dream influenced "Shades" are not far behind. There are also remixes from Goldboy - bass-heavy nu-disco/deep house fusion - and label boss Fingerman, whose Detroit Beatdown-inspired rework of "Haven" is simply magical.
Review: Kimo's second outing on Paper Recordings is a predictably varied affair, with the Indonesian producer using the opportunity to flit between styles and tempos. So while glistening, heavily electronic opener "Center Room" is a perfectly judged fusion of superior nu-disco, chiming synth-pop melodies and gently undulating acid lines, "Closer", featuring the silky vocals of regular collaborator Kallula, is little less than an overwhelming blast of pure Balearic positivity. In between, you'll find the trippy, analogue-rich, low-slung chug of "Realm Creation", and the fluttering, Italo-disco influenced cheeriness of "Pore". Happily, all four tracks sound just as good on headphones, as they do blasting from club soundsystems.
Review: Indonesian producers are making a big splash at the moment. First Jonathan Kusuma and now Kimo, with the absolutely impressive Kindara EP. "Born Out" is the perfect crossover of nu-disco and deep house with its bumpy and chugging groove supported by a sick acid bassline and uplifting piano melody: perfect for the peak time. "Bow Down" is more of a slow and cosmic trip at 105 BPM, featuring Kal's angelic vocals and perfect for drifting at 6 AM. "Whirl" gets back to surefire dancefloor business, getting it on by throwing an evolving harpsichord melody and emotive analogue strings over a throbbing arpeggio. Finally it's some classic deep house flavour on the soulful and uplifting "First Kick", reminiscent of heyday classics by Frankie Knuckles or Roach Motel.
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