Review: Moscow producer Alexander Lay-Far has enjoyed a productive EP, delivering effortlessly soulful deep house releases for City Fly, Lazy Days and Atjazz's eponymous imprint. Here he pops up on Local Talk with four more reasons to be cheerful. "Side To Side (I Just)" sets the tone, impressively fusing attractive electronics and shuffling, US house-influenced beats with warm chords and soulful vocal samples. Fouk remixes the same track, bringing out the bluesy elements in the vocal while offering a smoother, eyes-wide-shut, piano-laden interpretation. Elsewhere, Lay-Far shows his disco side on the baggy, horn heavy loop-jam "Get On It", while "Feel Like Making Dub" is an expansive, sun-kissed trip into boss-house territory complete with sumptuous keys and a rich bassline.
Review: After a recent appearance on Local Talk alongside London's legendary Ashley Beadle, Russian house casual Lay-Far steps back up on the label with a whole album worth of electronic delight, go way beyond the usual deep house equation. We're dropped into an airy, magical world of floating harmonics thanks to the "Intro", a feeling that is somehow transported effortlessly into the romantic house licks of "Like The First Time" and "Lock & Rock". There's also plenty of up-tempo goodness in the form of cuts such as "Slope", "Side 2 Side", or even the Detroitian-sounding "Submerging". This is much more than a deep house album, and its moments of tranquillity amid the beats are what truly make it stand out.
