Reviews:19

Coyote feat. Gavin Gordon
‘Minamoto’
Is It Balearic

What a great record. And let me suggest to you why. Not only does this remind me of many great Balearic moments rolled into one but also because this doesn’t neatly fit into any single genre – the point of being Balearic after all. It does however carve its own niche in terms of sassy and tastefully funky rhythms that are all at once joyous and anthemic, with soaring notes and floating guitars capped by Gavin Gordon’s commanding yet breathy vocals.  There are also excellent three remixes to compliment the original from DJ Steef, Hardway Brothers and ShoCKs whose Chillout version goes way beyond psychedelic. Bonus, and it is a bonus, track El Sueño Oscuro serves beautifully tuned flamenco guitar to remind you that variety is the spice of life. 9

release:31 oct 2011

http://www.piccadillyrecords.com/products/CoyoteFeat.GavinGordon-MinamotoInc.DJSteefTheHardwayBrosShocksRemixes-IsItBalearic-79597.html
http://coyote-howl.blogspot.com

Angel Mora
‘Sunshine’
Celestial Recordings

Beauty in simplicity is the maxim as Angel Mora’s subtle though invigorating bass-led groove demands that you hit the repeat button. It’s just about all on here too from imaginative spacey fx and tripped out voices to the sumptuously deep chords and Balearic beats on the Original version. Soulmelt then remix Sunshine with typical flair by tweaking fizzy acid pulses and expansive keys to provide a gorgeous twist, leaving Finn Bell to alter it radically with a creative array of sounds and captivating moods. 8

release: 1 nov 2011
http://soundcloud.com/angel-mora
http://celestialrecordings.net 

Scratch Massive
‘Nuit de rêve’
Pschent Music

Scratch Massive’s latest album will have you reaching for your adjectives in a hurry.  But in the meantime let’s just say that this is like listening to the future backwards. You could spend all night trying to piece together the musical references, which to place you in the right decades can be lazily described as late seventies/ early eighties, but then you would miss out on how good this album is all in its own right. Everything from dark synthesizers to Jimmy Somerville make their appearance on this classic sounding electronic record which sometimes feels like John Carpenter’s imagination getting trapped in an analogue German heaven. Or to put it another way, you’ll love it with the lights off. 9

release: 31 oct 2011

http://scratch-massive.tumblr.com/