Review: If you're into atmospheric, melodious deep house/tech-house fusion with plenty of global music influences, Lost Desert's Souksonic label has you covered. The label's latest release features a swathe of versions of 'Do Ultra', a gorgeous, soft-touch house delight from Stan Tone and Dasha Zarya. In its original form, the track cannily combines a locked-in, shaker-heavy groove, poignant piano motifs and warming chords with Arabic vocals and plenty of gorgeous melodic flourishes. Mike Tor steps up next with a darker, weightier and more hypnotic club take, before Madraas gives the track a bouncier house spin and Hermanez takes it to even higher heights. Throw in a shorter edit and a luscious ambient version, and you've got an excellent package.
Review: Souksonic's melodious, musically detailed catalogue has long reflected the atmospheric and sonically positive approach of its founder, Patrick Bruyndonx AKA Lost Desert. He doesn't feature on the latest volume in the label's compilation style Soukmelange EP series, though most of the optimistic and picturesque dancefloor fodder on show would certainly fit into his catalogue. We're particularly enjoying the twittering birdsong, chiming melodies and stirring strings of 'Kaduna' by Ramiro Drisdale, the shuffling, soft-touch beauty of Max Degrassi's emotive 'Agoramas' and the classic All Day I Dream style deep house/tech-house/progressive house fusion of Weird Sounding Dude's 'Water Rings', but to be honest all six tracks are really rather good.
Review: Souksonic is a new label by Patrick Bruyndonx aka Lost Desert, who some of you may know from appearances on labels like All Day I Dream and Shanti Radio Moscow. Presenting more of his 'electronic music with some ethnic spices' on latest offering "Yo Nde" (original mix) which is a serving of sensual and evocative deep house with an undeniable Afro house influence, featuring Junior's captivating vocal delivery and spiritual undertones that will altogether draw you into its mystique. For a more upbeat version, there's the inclusion of the Bona Fide remix retaining the same vibe as the original, but with more glassy-eyed and bittersweet elements that are perfect for Sunday afternoon rooftop parties.
Review: Over the last 12 months, Luke Sambe has become associated with a fusion sound that combines elements of dreamy deep house and sun-kissed Balearic beats with nods towards a variety of indigenous musical styles from around the world. He's at it again - albeit it subtly - on his latest solo missive, opening with a touch of dreamy and musically expensive deep house on ('Michelin', which is full of hypnotic, tech-tinged beats, fluid piano motifs, vintage analogue synth sounds and swooping strings) before heading for warmer waters on the picturesque sunniness of 'De Salis'. His tech-house influences are more apparent on 'On The Hop', where echoing African voices and gentle melodies rise above a thickset electronic groove, while 'Aladdin' boasts plenty of layered percussion, spacey synth sounds and exotic Arabic instrumentation.
Review: After an 18-month period in which he solely contributed tracks to compilations and muti-artist EPs, rising star Hermanez has finally been given the chance to release another solo single. He begins his first Souksonic outing in typically melodious and sun-soaked form, layering blissful, harp style melodies and swelling synthesizer chords atop a chunky, loose-limbed groove on 'Cadell', before adding dreamy vocal snippets, fretless bass and Kalimba style melodies to an extra-percussive tech-house groove on 'Sweet Karma'. 'Heavens of Seven' is a tactile and huggable affair rich in shuffling drums, Spanish guitar motifs and enveloping ambient chords, while closing cut 'Drive Thru India' sees Hermanez sandwich a hazy, Sitar-heavy breakdown between two slabs of chunky tech-house beats.
