Review: Many happy returns to Los Angeles imprint Friends of Friends, which with this expansive compilation notches up a decade of championing "one of a kind artists working to find new ways of connecting the digital and analog worlds". The weighty, 20-track collection naturally offers a great snapshot of the label's distinctive musical headspace, languidly strolling between woozy, semi-acoustic trip-hop beats (Somi & Haris Cole), evocative cinematic soundscapes (Cuddle Formation), drowsy redlined ambience (Deru), jazzy warmth (Sweatson Klank), loose-limbed bluesy dub disco (James Alexander Bright), atmospheric, post-house dancefloor shufflers (Keep Shelly In Athens) and buzzing, percussion-driven mutations of leftfield bass music (Slete Catorce).
Review: Slowly building a devoted following with his unique take on electronic music, Boston's M.O.O.N.'s debut full length traverses a wide range of emotive synthesizer music by forgoing the usual dance music formulas for freer arrangements and lush instrumentation. While the rhythms are rooted in variants of house, boogie, and synth-pop, the album never tips it's hand stylistically in any particular direction. This results in a playful balance of retro sounds and futuristic ideas highlighting a deft melodic sensibility. Highlights include the deep sax driven drifter "Time", the ethereal punk funk of "Jon F" or the Kompakt style techno-pop of "Alicia".
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