Review: Brandon Weems and Craig Handfield are a pair of DJ/producers from New York, who've been putting on their Coloring Lessons parties since 2018 and have since launched a label of the same name. Here, though, they come to BBE Music with a cut that, with its fusion of Afro, jazz and soul elements, could perhaps only have come from the city that birthed Body & Soul. If the laidback, rolling beats of the Original aren't quite doing it for you then maybe Shannon Harris' A Love For Joy Journey Mix, with its fat funk bassline, spoken word intro and "party!" chants will, while an Instrumental Mix completes the package.
Review: Kyiv's vinyl label Artreform (now digi!) and the vibrant Odesa electronic music scene is vividly showcased in Rayo's latest release, highlighting the label's ongoing commitment to nurturing Southern Ukrainian talent. Across four distinctive tracks, Rayo goes with seep and meaningful sounds. "I Stay Here" sets a dreamy, futuristic tone with its enveloping pads and wonky rhythm, perfect for hazy seaside days, while "Moot Shmoot" holds down a persistent melody with hints of early progressive house. Notably, Canadian heavyweight Mike Shannon's remix whole-heartidly embraces the rhythm section of the funk-infused dancefloor, allowing "Kohae Svoju Drujinu" to venture into conceptual electronica territory with its bold fusion of broken beats, spoken word, and giegling-esque vibes. Big up Rayo!
Review: Crosstown Rebels head honcho, Damien Lazarus, has taken it upon himself (and his crew) to mark the "cosmically significant" date of December 21 with a 24-hour megaparty in Mexico. For those of us unable to attend in person, this accompanying compilation is the next best thing. Beginning with Pier Bucci's fittingly titled, and deliciously trippy, "Mayans", we get the exotic and trancey "The Prophecy" by Quenum, Matthew Jonson's sinister tech-houser "In Search Of A New Planet With Oxygen", the sublime "Cosmic Dancer" by Francesca Lombardo, the urgent menace of "Greed Insanity" by Fur Coat and the haunting, end-of-the-world vibes of "2012" by Jay Haze.
Review: Reel People Music's annual celebration of all things 'soulful, deep and dope' returns for 2023, with the popular label offering up 20 more slabs of killer, club-ready fare. Musically, the majority of the music is rooted in soulful house, but often draws inspiration from broken beat, boogie, disco, jazz-funk and R&B. Highlights are plentiful, with our picks of an extremely strong bunch including Felipe Gordon's lusciously deep, dreamy and slap-bass-sporting rework of his collaboration with Eli Escobar, 'Seein' You', an exclusive 'Deeper Mix' of Opolopo and Angela Johnson's brilliant 'Good Lover', Turbojazz and Sean McCabe's tasteful tweak of their Lydia Turrell-voiced cover of Sunshine Anderson classic 'Heard It All Before' and the acid jazz/jazz-funk-goes house swell of Incognito and Emmaculate's 'Freedom To Love'. Deliriously delicious!
We use cookies to personalise content and ads, to provide social media features and to analyse our traffic. We also share information about your use of our site with our social media, advertising and analytics partners who may combine it with other information that you've provided to them or that they've collected from your use of their services.