Review:
In which no fewer than 24 rock and indie classics get reworked for the dancefloor. Admirably, the mysterious V avoids the temptation to simply whack a 4/4 kickdrum under everything - in fact, many of the cuts could better be described as remixes or reworkings rather than simple re-edits. Inevitably, some of the resulting concoctions work better than others - and which you think that applies to may depend on your views on the original source material - but if you're looking for a way to drag non-house/disco lovers onto the floor, this collection should serve you well.
Review:
It's difficult to make dance music with 'real' instruments, as so many second rate punk funk acts have proved, but Miami proves to be an anomaly. BBF have taken inspiration from jazz influences for this album, which makes for an adventurous, at times breathless work. At one end of the spectrum there's the seductive piano lines and soaring woodwind of the title track and "Miami Titles", while at the other there's the high tempo, syncopated rhythms and deranged brass of "Skiffle It Up" and "Broken Pieces", which features a contribution from Jamie Lidell. Another contributor, Nina Kraviz, helps to turn the air blue on the abrasive "Verwahrlosung", but in the main, Miami is a work inspired by warm sea breezes and ice cold cocktails.
Review:
Fresh from 1986 - and recently re-edited by John Talabot - documents do not get any more Balearic than this.... Spanish trio Ishinohana's debut album is rich in cosmic attitude. At points daydreaming while the sand laps at its toes (the lilting nylon strings and soft padded hand drums of "Lucia", the overlapping guitars and galloping refrains of "La Flor De Piedra"), at others a much darker, more spacious star-gazing affair (the Arabic dreams of "El Beso Negro") and at others a heavier rhythmic, floor-minded approach (the lolloping bass and reggae-wise strums of "Variacion 23") this is a timeless document that befits situations and sceneries that existed long before this record was conjured up... And will remain so for generations after. Stunning.
