Review: French producer Simbad spent years living in London, immersing himself in the broken beat and soul-soaked house scenes. These days he's based in Cape Town, South Africa, immersing himself in the Rainbow Nation's unique house culture. If this fine EP for Freerange is anything to go by, the move has certainly provided new impetus to his productions. For proof, check the two contrasting versions of 'Nuphoria': the spiralling, stargazing, synth-laden techno original mix (a breathlessly brilliant concoction that also boasts a spell-binding breakdown), and the sub-heavy soundscape house of the 'Pretoria Mix'. Elsewhere, South African singer Sanele guests on the twinkling, off-kilter deep house soul of 'Dream', and mic man Frederick appears on the percussive, loose and lovely 'Wake Up'.
Review: A warm welcome back to the hugely talented Simbad Stanislas, who returns to action with his first solo single since 2019. He begins his third outing on Freerange with title track 'Peaceful Revolution', a deliciously swinging deep house number in which stirring, string-style synth chords, rubbery electronic bass and Lwandile's weary, sadness-tinged vocals rise above rolling, snare-heavy beats. Simbad delivers an even more immersive and percussively interesting 'Shaolin Dub' of the track later in the EP, too, and that's well worth a listen. Elsewhere, let go is a tough but ultra-deep affair featuring sustained organ chords, distant gospel vocal samples and enveloping chords, while 'Soulful Jam' is a jazz-funk-goes-slow-house shuffler smothered in spacey synth solos and gorgeous pads.
Review: Now here is the ultimate playlist for your Ibiza season. Mark Knight and Co. present Poolside Ibiza 2019 mixed by Opolopo. His impressive musical career spans over two decades, with releases on prestigious labels such as Om, Tru Thoughts, Local Talk, Z Records, Especial, and a successful career as a globetrotting DJ. The compilation contains three brand new exclusive productions from the man himself, alongside a hand-selected a range of essential cuts - all in all there's 26 tracks and a beautifully crafted DJ mix. Highlights come from: ascendant Brit Cody Currie on the lo-slung Berlin tribute "Oderberger", Worthy & Option4's "Workin'" (feat Leela D - Kisch remix), UK deep house legend Atjazz on the super soulful "Love Someone" (feat Robert Owens - Atjazz Heads Down mix) and the man Phil Gerus doin' his thing on "Better Think Twice".
Review: Given his long friendship with Freerange co-founder Jimpster, it's perhaps surprising that Simbad Stanislas has not previously released a single on the label. Naturally "Take My Hand" was worth waiting for. In its' original form, the track is a lusciously evocative and musically complex chunk of soulful deep house underpinned by heavyweight sub-bass and drums that swing to the loose-limbing timing of jazz. Simbad provides two alternative "Zulu" versions built around slightly more tribal, Afro-centric percussion, though both the vocal "Remix" and "Dub" still retain the swirling strings and soulful wooziness that makes the original version such a stunner. For more straight-up dancefloors, Jimpster's hybrid tech-soul/deep house revision is probably the pick of the bunch.
Review: Pablo Valentino's Faces label gets 2016 off to a flyer with a rather hefty double LP compilation called Le Sampler Des Copains. Translating simply as The Friends Sampler, this ten track compilation features productions from friends old and new of the label and will appeal to anyone that likes their house deep, soulful and all about the groove. Nestled inbetween are the occasional interlude of a slower tempo that ensures the label's roots in instrumental hip hop are not forgotten. Roman Rauch, Not Danilo (Plessow?), Simbad and Valentino himself contribute tracks along the way, and S3A set the tone with the burning, insistent house business of "Boiler Lyon (The Ravist's Face)". The superbly titled "My Tax Agent Fucked It Up" from Not Danilo is the best cut here for many more reasons than the name. That bassline, pow!
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