Review: Sometimes the summer hits that shine brightest are the ones that arrive latest to the party. We may be deep into August now, but that hasn't stopped Cardiff's Pole Position from rustling up this sizzler, Josefine, the debut release from Sunth. In fact the name 'Sunth', presumably a fusion of 'sun' and 'synth', perfectly captures the sunkissed joy of this tune - all tropical percussion, warm chords, retro house bass lines and laid back synth washes. This is the sound of suncream and cocktails.
Review: Sweet and feel good nu disco vibes by Zadar, Croatia's Darko Kustura who has previously released on Pixel Tree Music and What's In The Box Records, but now appears on the Cardiff based Pole Position. First up is the soulful and emotive "Flashes" featuring a funky bassline, smooth Rhodes chords and emotive strings; it ticks all the right boxes basically! Next "Peninsula" has a knack for rich and chunky synth leads and basslines that would make Todd Terje or Napoleon stand up and notice. It also comes with a remix by Viper Strike which sounds like a more low slung and cosmic revision of previous track "Flashes", more than anything; still awesome!
Review: Stuttgart duo Final DJs hook up with Dim Mak vocalist Patrick Baker for a euphoric summer hit for all the lovers out there called, fittingly, "Summer Nights". Should Bag Raiders' "Shooting Star" have been a favourite you'll be happy to read this single treads a similar path as glittering arpeggios and synths ring out like a classic Cut Copy or Holy Ghost production, and should you want that extra heartfelt dose of warmth, let Baker's wispy croon do the talking.
One Of Us (Claus Casper & Jean Philips remix) - (8:01) 120 BPM
One Of Us (instrumental mix) - (6:40) 120 BPM
Review: Ana Estonian in London, Urmet has been makin' waves since his musical arrival just a few short years ago. Here, on "One Of Us", he's going for the commercial jugular - teaming up with the silken voiced Lady Linn who delivers smooth, emotional vocals over his cast-iron deep electro-house. There are also two remixes if you're after something clubbier - the skippy, cocktail bar prog-house version by Claus Casper & Jean Philips and the superior, gentle and intricate rework by Dana Berquist.
Review: The relationship between Pole Position and Welsh producer Honom is in rude health - with the label commissioning a string of new mixes of his already popular tunes. Speaking of which, "Bedcat" sounds like Les Rhythmes Digitales doing Italo-disco (a very good thing in our book!). Remix-wise Satin Jackets take the track into the immaculate melodic electro-house places occupied by the likes of Billon. Frankie Goes Deep actually goes very Madonna circa Holiday for his remix and Cassara delivers the standout track here sounding like The Killers and Duran Duran jamming in the south of France.
Review: Pole Position Recordings have been steadily pushing their brand of Balearic-influenced house music for several years now, and this latest release from Tony's Wayback Machine is no different, with the gleaming synths and piano stabs of "In The Beginning" hitting the same kind of euphoric heights as Aeroplane's early material. MiDiMAN's remix is no different, taking the idea even further with his string melody, while there's more than a touch of Nile Rodgers-style funk to Elektromekanik's rework.
Review: There's something touchy-feely - not to mention decidedly fluid - about this four-track collection of synth-laden goodness from Pole Position Recordings. Rippling with positive melodies, bespoke nu-disco jams and warm, kaleidoscopic deep house, Prelude is packed with notable cuts. Chief among these is Moustache Machine's "Brooklyn Days", a luxurious tribute to midtempo '80s soul and post-boogie goodness that hits all the right notes. There's more to savour, though, including the cascading melodies and huggable grooves of Elektromekanik's "Don't Stop" and the woozy synth arpeggios and undulating grooves of Olej's "Be My Lover". All in all, there's more than enough goodness to warrant investment.
Review: Cardiff's nu-disco label Pole Position are in good spirits, and with this album marking their golden jubilee of releases, who can blame them? 50 releases is a good time to take stock of all you've achieved, and glancing at this 15 song tracklisting it's clear they've accomplished quite a lot indeed. Highlights include the deep and soothing Balearic soul of "After Rain", the sensual mong-house of DATO's "We Could Be Dancing" and the blissed out electro-funk of "For The Sake Of Love".
Review: Having previously impressed with 2012 debut "Downtown", London-based producer Black Magic Disco returns with a veritable sack full of remixes of "First Avenue", one of the highlights of that first EP. He opens proceedings with his own rework, a shuffling, organ-heavy rework that recalls the US garage-influenced sounds of the Local Talk label. Viper Strike and Patrick Baker deliver a sparkling, piano-heavy nu-disco/disco-house treatment (as summery as the obligatory post-work rush to a local beer garden), while the Final DJs drop a version that sounds like a contemporary dancefloor take on Please-era Pet Shop Boys (this is a good thing, in case you wondered). Meanwhile, Tom Eales goes all Tiger & Woods on his sparkling, thickset boogie-house re-make.
Review: When he decided to call his EP "Endless Love", presumably Martin Virgin (snigger) was thinking of epic tantric sex sessions, rather than the depressing familiarity of an unhappy marriage. Certainly, the cosmic, touchy-feely deep house of the title track suggests his mind was on the former, rather than the latter. With its ruff analogue bassline, spacey noises, big builds and twinkling pianos, it's certainly more loved-up than your average contemporary deep house cut. The decidedly jolly nu-disco jam "To The Stars" treads a similarly wide-eyed path, while vocal cut "Dark" is, ironically, wonderfully upbeat. Smile-inducing piano house jam "Fappy Haces" closes a decidedly serotonin-friendly four-tracker.
Review: Those with a keen eye for detail will note that Midiman is a name of a range of midi controllers and soundcards. It's also the chosen pseudonym of Russian deep house upstarts Lenya Goosey and Sergey Silvertone. Here, they pop up on Pole Position with six tracks of super-smooth deep house. Their style is fluid and melodic, seemingly taking influence from Russian nu-Balearic disco and classic US deep house. The electrofunk-influenced shuffler "Come To Me" is our pick, though the dreamier "For The Sake Of Love" (available in two sparkling versions) and similarly disco-influenced beach house groover "Dreams Come True" run it close.
Review: Although they hail from Germany, this duo's hearts are most definitely rooted in France, or more specifically, the French sound. Once again "Moonshine" mines that familiar territory of sugary, compressed 80s synth-pop in the vein of well, almost anything on labels like Valerie. Auxiliary The Masterfader keeps it 80s, but more electro-funk, Phunktastike goes for a classic Alan Braxe-style workout, while CRAM go for a slightly housier interpretation.
Review: Matt McLarrie has previously proved himself to be a versatile producer, with releases on a wide variety of labels in a myriad of deep, soulful and jackin' house styles. The Glasgow-based studio buff continues this approach with Zookeeper, a diverse six-track EP. There's the Balearic sweetness of "Flamingo", the big chords and dancing synth bass of "Wingspan", and the liquid shuffle of "Enclosure". The old skool organ stabs and bumpin' beats of "Captive" impress, while stand-out cut "Online Safari" wraps delicious deep house pianos around a tough 'Africanism' style groove. There's also some old skool piano house in the shape of "Cetacean".
Review: Dutch duo Authentiek Recept pitches up on Pole Position Recordings with a hustlin' dose of bumpin' jazz-house. While the swinging grooves recall classic US house, the relentlessly snaking sax line and tongue-in-cheek vocal samples take the track in a fresh new direction. Those of a certain vintage will recall similarly minded house tunes from the late '90s, but few have trodden this path of late. L'Atellier provides a suitably sleazy remix, while the largely sax-less dub - all loose jazz drums and deep chords - offers a nicely deep alternative. Deeper bonus cut "High Temperature" - available in two solid mixes - is worth checking, too.
Review: Although sounding like a Manhattan laundry or maybe a pizza delivery service, Sixth Avenue Express are in fact a nu-disco duo from Peckham. They've generated some pretty large interest since forming in 2011 and now finally we have a much-anticipated new release from them. "Can't Stop Feelin" is not just an anthem for everyone out there incapable of keeping their hands to themselves. No, it's a deep and sensuous slice of the kind of mellow electro-house favoured by the likes of DJ T, and to which Pete Herbert adds some extra percussion and ravey stabs. Classy!
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