Showing posts with label chill-out. Show all posts
Showing posts with label chill-out. Show all posts

Saturday, 22 December 2012

Anton Lanski – Kill Me

Anton Lanski Kill Me Etoka Records
Liverpool's masters of all things deeper than deep serve up a fine remix package here.

Anton Lanski's original version of Kill Me operates in downtempo/chill-out territory, but the rest of the EP is made of more floor-oriented remixes, which are the winners of a remix competition run by the label earlier in the year. Forteba gives us lo-slung, sleazy nu-disco/slo-mo, Insect O takes us into dub techno territory, Jedd's mix comes on like the very sparsest and most minimal of two-step, while What About U's rub is the closest to the sumpuous original, just with slightly beefier kicks.

The Forteba and Insect-O mixes stand out for me but it's an impressive EP all round – given that the remixers involved are competition winners and hence presumably relative newcomers, doubly so.

Out: This week

About: You can find Etoka Records at their website or on Soundcloud.

Thursday, 13 December 2012

Various – Deeper Shades 03

Spring Tube Deeper Shades 03
Can't believe it was way back in May when I wrote about the excellent first volume in this set… feels like last week… nor am I entirely certain why Vol 2 never made in onto the blog, maybe I was washing my hair or something… but anyway, here comes Vol 3 in Spring Tube's series.

And yep, it's another winner. For those that couldn't be bothered clicking on the link above, "lazy, stoner-friendly deep and progressive house" is how I described Vol 1. This time out, there's less of the proggy vibes, and instead a few more trax that veer towards ambient/downtempo territory… but otherwise the song remains much the same, with ten cuts from Shimmer, Anthony Mea, Blood Groove & Kikis, MacLaro, Pavel Densiov and Sergey Sivenenko (all but the latter contributing two apiece) that are tailor-made for those late, late driftaway sofa sessions, with BG&K's funk-fuelled, garage-leaning Aura, Mea's uber-deep, atmospheric and aptly-titled Liquidia and MacLaro's Balearic bliss-out Why Don't You standing out in particular.

Superb, is the word. And everybody knows that the word is the bird.

Out: This week

About: You can find Spring Tube on Facebook, on Soundcloud or at their own website.

Thursday, 22 November 2012

Nikosf – Remembrance Remixes

Nikosf Remembrance Remixes Etoka Records
It's been another hard day so to make up for it, in tonight's reviews we're on a seriously chilled-out tip. First up, this remix EP from Etoka Records.

You know that point where deep house gets SO deep it essentially turns into ambient/chill-out music? Well that's about where we're at with this, particularly if you're talking about the two Alveol rubs of More Than Sad or Lazzich's take on Gray Morning. The Verano mix of Summer Afternoons and Nikosf's own End Of Summer Colours Mix of Sensual Colours, meanwhile, do actually have a 4/4 beat behind them, but we're still at the very, very deepest end of the house spectrum.

Not one for rocking the clubs with then and, to be fair, these are tracks you'd want to find the right time and setting for. Right now, though, they're sounding pretty perfect.

Out: This week

About: Etoka are based in Liverpool and can be found at their own website or on Soundcloud.

Tuesday, 13 November 2012

Giorgio Moroder – From Here To Eternity

Giorgio Moroder Vs MB Disco From Here To Eternity
In which Europe's original disco don gets the remix treatment from a clutch of today's young whippersnappers.

Aeroplane, Antilope, Fusty Delights, Attari, Compuphonic and Daryl are the whippersnappers in question, and while I'm not going into each and every mix individually, suffice to say lovers of nu-disco will be more than satisfied with most of 'em, while the Fusty Delights rub edges towards deep house and Compuphonic's slower, dreamier version could appeal to a wider audience as well. I'm thinking listeners to Rob Da Bank's shows and such.

Oh yeah, and the original came out on Casablanca Records in 1977, BTW, and all the remixers are Belgian. For all you fact-lovers out there!

Out: This week

About: This comes on Martin Brodin's MB Disco label, who can be found hanging around the internet looking shifty (and Swedish) in such places as Facecloud and Soundbook.

Sunday, 30 September 2012

LGG – Behind The Scenes EP

LGG Behind The Scenes EP Out Of Bounds
More very deep, late-night vibes here courtesy of young French producer Bastian Carrara, AKA LGG. BTW. TLAs FTW! LOL.

Ahem, where were we? Oh yeah, this rather fine deep house EP right here. FFS…

Proceedings kick-off with EXT12, a very deep house groove in the classic Chi-town vein (think Ron Trent, Moodymann, Larry Heard etc… and yes I know Moodymann's from Detroit but, y'know). Purple Haze is up next and, given the track title and the fact it opens with the sound of someone taking a big toke and then coughing, you get the idea: this is one for letting the sofa eat you to. And then finally there's Inside, which is more deep house in the classic vein.

Purple Haze is the standout for me but all three tracks are very fine, rest assured.

Out: This week

About: This comes on Brummie label Out Of Bounds… this is only number three from the label, and I think the first I've had through from them. But on this evidence, here's hoping there's lots more to come. You can find out more on Facebook, on Soundcloud or at their own website.

Wednesday, 22 August 2012

Daat – Orange Line

Daat Orange Line Organic Beats
I posted the video for this on the Facebook page earlier, but that was just the A-side. And it's really the AA-side that we need to discuss.

Cos the A-side's fine, in fact it's a rather pleasant slice of downtempo electronica that reminds me a little bit of Yellow Magic Orchestra and a little bit of Tangerine Dream. But it's the AA-side that's of most TIWWD interest, where you'll find lurking a refix from the D&B legend that is Deep Blue. In his hands, Orange Line becomes a sublimely deep, liquid-y, chilled-out affair that'll appeal to D&B fans and non-fans alike.

"A collage of smooth glacial textures with hypnotic driving beats," is how the hype sheet describes it, and yeah, I'll second that.

Out: This week

About: Now, this gets a bit complicated. This comes on UK label Organic Beats, but its catalogue number is OBSORG002 and it's actually a joint EP series conjured up by Organic and US D&B imprint Offshore Recordings.

Sunday, 12 August 2012

Jesus Pablo & Robot Needs Oil ft Novac – No Regrets

Liverpool's Jesus Pablo teams up with Manchester-based Polish producer Greg Kobe, AKA Robot Needs Oil, for this single on veteran US label i! Records.

In its Original form, No Regrets sports a male vocal that sits somewhere between 'indie-ish' and old-time crooners like Charles Aznavour or Maurice Chevalier. Musically, it's a floaty, laidback kind of piece not a million miles from the kind of ethereal soundscapes conjured by (eg) Trentemøller.

The Left Minded Remix is a tad housier while Cesar Coronado's rub fuses influences from progressive house and nu/cosmic disco, but it's the Bubba Remix that's doing it best for me – an unhurried chugger for the afterhours joints, with plenty of fat squelching bass and considerably less of the vocal.

Something of a departure from JP, this, but at least you can't accuse him of getting stuck in a rut…

Out: This week

About: You can find i! Records at their website or on Facebook.

Friday, 10 August 2012

Stefan Kaye – Summer Days EP

Stefan Kaye Summer Days EP Endemic Digital
Sorry to revert to clichés but the clue really is in the title with this one, as Stefan Kaye serves up some mellow, sunshine-infused deep house grooves for your beach-loungin' pleasure.

There are four tracks in total, and while the above description pretty much covers them all, we can't really just leave the review there. So, Summer Days itself is a little bit disco-tinged (but just a little bit), I Can See Your Love is out-and-out floaty n' Balearic, Right Time is more laidback and sultry while the pick for me is The Penthouse, a proper deep n' lazy late-night gem.

And what do you know, the sun's actually shining as I write this and everything! Hurrah.

Out: This week

About: This comes courtesy of our old friends Endemic Digital, who seem to be mostly contactable via Facebook at the mo'

Wednesday, 6 June 2012

Mirza-Zadeh - Heart Of Glass

It's been a long day and I'm about ready to crash and burn (not necessarily in that order!) but before I do, there's this… which is, it has to be said, a very enjoyable way to end the day.

Five tracks, coming (mostly) from that most rewarding of musical places where deep house and deep techno collide. Bar-B-Q ain't nothin' but a lazy, sumptous, bassy late-night groove; Bernado's Sarangi is as fine a piece of sitar-sporting downtempo Indian fusion bizniss as you'll hear all summer;  Reflection is more out-and-out deep techno cut, one of those atmospheric, cinematic numbers that sounds like it's been recorded in a huge underground cavern full of leaking pipes; Tachyon takes that same blueprint, but then overlays it with disco synths to quite devastating effect; and finally Heart Of Glass itself is another slower, more sofa-oriented affair, with whispered vocals, tinkling chimes and abstract synth squiggles among the elements that drift tantalisingly in and out of the mix as the track ambles along to its conclusion 6 and a half very chilled-out minutes later.

Superb stuff for those that like it so laidback it's horizontal!

Out: This week

About: This comes on Lucidflow, also home to Klartraum… more info at their website, Facebook and Soundcloud pages

Wednesday, 9 May 2012

Losing Rays – One Day

We take a trip into pastures considerably more mellow now, with this second release from Russian prog label Incepto's new Incepto Smooth offshoot.

There's just the two mixes to choose from, the Morning Mix and the Seven24 & Soty Mix, and not being any great expert in matters downtempo it's quite hard to describe the subtle differences between them… but suffice to say, if you're looking for some blissed-out electronica for those comedown moments and chill-out, er, 'tapes' then either will do the job nicely.

Don't know what more I can tell you, really, but this is very easy on the ear it has to be said.

Out: This week

About: Here's where to find Incepto Music online.

Monday, 16 April 2012

Pykup – Nature

And if you thought the Demarkus Lewis track was deeper than deep, then wait till you hear this!

If you dig that Greta Cottage Workshop kinda vibe, where the very, very deepest of house meets more experimental, downtempo vibes, then this one's for you. Coming from French producer Pykup, what you have here are two tracks that are about as esoteric as it gets. Nature lives up to its name by putting the sound of birdsong atop the quietest snare roll you ever heard and gently tinkling ivories, while How's Wally on the B rides a rhythm of fingerclicks, brushed snares and the gentlest of hand percussion as jazzy, ambient piano chords throb over and over in time with a single repeating bass note. It's all a little outside the TIWWD comfort zone, almost… but it works.

An understated gem made for come-down sessions and chill-out tapes.

Out: This week

About: This comes on a brand new Welsh/German label, Cambrian Line. Here's their website, and you can also find 'em on Soundcloud where you can get preview of their next, more overtly house-ified release from Darko Kustura.

Friday, 6 April 2012

Evren Furtuna - Circles

The prolific Spring Tube serve up a slab of blissed-out, prog-tinged Balearica here.

With gently bubbling synth sounds, an understated b-line and dreamy, waiflike fem vox, Circles doesn't, admittedly, do anything we haven't really heard before. But what it does do, it does very well – stick this on your iPod after a stressful day at work and feel your worries just slip away. Remixes come from Blood Groove & Kikis, who up the tempo slightly and add some pleasing brass stabs, and Sezer Uysal (AKA Spennu), who takes us on a deeper ride.

The latter's rub is my pick, I think, but it's a close thing and this is just lovely, soul-soothing stuff whichever mix you pick. Shut your eyes and float away.

Out: This week

About: Spring Tube is based in the US but the brainchild of a pair of Russian/Latvian producers, and they must be the most polite record label in the world, sending a 'thank you' review every time you submit feedback on one of their promos! Which is nice. Anyway, here's their website (where there's a ton of podcasts you can download) and Facebook

Friday, 16 March 2012

Jaidene Veda – Healing

It's possible, I guess, that some TIWWD readers are just too young to remember that late 90s Naked sound, that soon became that early 00s Om sound… then again, I'm also guessing that you're a knowledgeable lot, so even if you're unencumbered by years, you should still know exactly the kind of 'mellow deep house with floatily soulful female vocals' that I'm on about.

Well, you don't hear so much of it these days. But that's pretty much what you've got here – Healing was in fact recorded in 2002 but never released – and it has to be said, now we're not being deluged with the stuff, it is sounding rather lovely. Producer Micah Lukasewich wisely avoids slanting the track in the overtly poppy direction that some such material at times headed in, resulting in a cut that, while it certainly wouldn't sound out of place on one of those beach house/Ibiza chill-type comps that rear their blissed-out heads every summer, would cut the mustard equally well on the dancefloor, at least in the soulful house joints. And only in the warm-up. But you get the idea: they've managed the 'accessible but credible' thing here and that's no mean feat.

Just the two mixes to choose from, a self-explanatory Vocal and Dub, and just to be on the safe side I'd probably plump for the Dub myself (which comes with a little extra help from Pete Morris, of The Rurals fame). But yeah, this is nice, without being all 'nicey nice', if you see what I mean. And, the last sentence notwithstanding, Ms Veda's full vocal IS something of a Tracey Thorn-ish delight.

Out: This week

About: Jaidene Veda is no stranger to the deep/soulful house scene, having previously worked with the likes of Glenn Underground, Jimpster, Joe Claussell and Josh 'Blaze' Milan. There's apparently work in the offing with Ralf Gum, too.

Micah Lukasewich I can tell you less about, but I CAN tell you that this comes on Denmark's DeepWit, so you can no doubt find out some more at their website, Facebook and Soundcloud.

Thursday, 2 February 2012

tONKPROJECT feat Marie K - It's Time To Introduce You

A nice varied set of mixes on this latest from Romanian label Behaviors and he of the jammed Caps Lock key, tONKPROJECT.

The Radio Mix I guess is the 'original', a mellow, trippy affair in a laidback, downtempo kinda vein, featuring a breathy spoken female vocal with a touch of the 'birth tapes' about it and lilting, soothing piano notes. The Arthur Abidzhba Remix stays in a downtempo vein, but here things take a notable turn towards the glitchified n' twisted… find the magic space between 'easy' and 'uneasy' listening and file this one there.

But for TIWWD's purposes, it's really the other two mixes that are of most interest. In the hands of Disclosure Project, It's Time… becomes a sumptuous deep disco groove with live-sounding funk bass, soaring-yet-understated strings and crisp, unrushed 4/4s – nice – while finally on the Pion Remix, it's reinvented yet again, this time as a dreamy, late-night deep house chugger that'd also work well in warm-up or bar sets.

Quality stuff, make no mistake.

Out: This week

About: You can find Behaviors on Facebook, Soundcloud and YouTube.

Tuesday, 24 January 2012

Vitamin D - Love May Come

For someone who's not usually a fan of dusty hip-hop and lo-fi sample epics, I seem to be reviewing a few on here lately, mostly courtesy of Cold Busted. And here's another f'rinstance, a two-tracker from the label boss himself.

Love May Come is a scratch n' paste affair, fusing 70s soul and Hawaiian (well, steel guitar and birdsong) flavas into a lazy, sun-drenched loper perfect for Sunday sessions and summer chillage. Over on the B, Work Week Creep is a moodier, breaksier affair. If Norman Jay played the former, then Shadow or Tobin might play the latter – not that I'd presume to second-guess any of those respected turntablists but you get the idea!

Good stuff, basically, and a nice change of tempo for TIWWD. Gotta be done sometimes.

Out: This week

About: As I've mentioned several times lately, Cold Busted are based in Denver, Colorado and can be found on that there Big World-Conquering Book Of Face

Tuesday, 10 January 2012

Diego Metzer - Influencias EP

Yep, it's another one from the Endemic Digital stable… I know, but they do keep on coming up with the goods! In this case, the goods being a two-tracker of uber-deep, drummy house from Argentina's Diego Metzer.

Influencias itself is all insistent, rolling tribal percussion and Papua New Guinea-esque chants and wind instruments, plus some kind of horn – I'm guessing sax but it could feasibly be something else – making the odd back of stage walk-on appearance. One for slowly melding with the sofa to.

On the flip, Raices Devotas, credited to Diego Metzer pres Don Diego, starts out as an even more chilled-out affair, this time opening with mournful piano chords, before a solid 4/4 kick comes along to remind us that this is actually house music we're listening to and you're supposed to dance to it. Which you easily could, with this one… but it'd be just as at home on the aforesaid sofa as well.

Two solid bets for those that like it very, very deep.

Out: This week

About: Here's a link you may have seen before on this blog.

Saturday, 17 December 2011

FREE TRACK from Owen Howells & Stanky

More free goodness for you, this time from Owen Howells & Stanky. Caffeine Persuasion is a forward-thinking slab of experimental/abstract techno with a dub influence, tailormade for late nights, sofas and jazz cigarettes…

It's being put out there to help raise awareness of their recently-formed Shades Of Grey collective/label – not to be confused with Shades Of Gray the artist who we had a freebie from last week! And when I say 'out there', I mean here, obviously… enjoy!

Friday, 9 December 2011

FREE TRACK Shades Of Gray – Illusions

Before we get on with the evening's reviews… here's a little treat for you. Shades Of Gray, AKA Mikel Schwa and Nick West, have an album forthcoming on Beef Records in January called Soul Machine, which is really rather good. But more about that nearer the time… for now, you'll have to content yourself with this taster track, Illusions, which is being released into the cyberwild ahead of times.

Tuesday, 18 October 2011

Various – Late Night Chronicles

A four-track EP from Soiree Records concentrating, as you've probably guessed, on mellower vibes on a post-club kinda tip. As it's from Detroit, I guess we should use the word 'beatdown' as well.

CloudMasterWeed gives us Sunny (remixed by Mattimo-Perine), a very deep and quite slow number with bruk-style percussion, pulsating pads, nicely understated minor-key jazz pianos and what I could swear is a sample of Presuming Ed's chanting from Withnail & I! Blackjack's Triaxial is more firmly in deep house territory but just as dreamy and drifty, while Professor Inc's Quindrant Dub is for those who like it a little techier and more experimental. And more minimal, cos it's barely even there at times!

But the star of the show here for me is Peppermint Kisses by Drivetrain, AKA Derrick Thompson, who I hadn't heard anything from I don't think since the excellent One Wish Wonder album on Little Angel in 2005. It's a simply sumptous slice of sultry, soulful and uber-deep house… with some rather filthlicious spoken vox if you listen carefully.

All told, a highly recommended purchase for sofa surfers and lounge lizards everywhere.

Out: This week

About: This comes on Soiree International. Based in the Motor City as I said, the label is run by Derrick Thomson himself and was also home to Drivetrain's OTHER 2005 album, which I've only just found out about, The Deepest Harmony Of Drivetrain. Hey, every day's a school day...

Monday, 12 September 2011

Ostracon - Unauthorized Modifications

Right then, something a tad different today as we venture into the realms of downtempo/chill-out/ambient music. I don't claim to be any expert in such fields but I do quite like this album and I rather rashly promised I'd review it, so I'll try to do it justice!

I guess as good a place to start as any is the fact that all of its six tracks are called things like Particle Agent, Dwarf Plutocracy and Photon Coercion… though that might lead you to expect weirdy techno à la Planet Mu/Warp/Peacefrog etc, which this isn't. Instead, the influence of the likes of The Orb and System 7 is writ large in this album's grooves… but I'd say it owes as much in other places to the space rock of Hawkwind and Gong, the free jazz experiments of Caravan, the avant-garde soundscapes of Harold Budd, Philip Glass etc and the synthtronic soundtrack adventures of John Carpenter. All of whom, it may surprise you to learn, do grace my record collection to some extent or other*.

Or to put it another way… hear this at a festival, and you can pretty much guarantee there'll be a stall selling chai nearby, and probably some sort of 'sonic art installation'. In fact it sounds a bit like a sonic art installation itself at times… just one that for once isn't, y'know, rubbish.

Definitely a good bet for those of you who like to sit up late smoking funny cigarettes, then.

Out: Now

About: This is brought to you by Unearthed Music, a Minneapolis based label dedicated to 'organic electronic music'. Find 'em online
here
(website) or on Facebook.

*especially Hawkwind but we needn't delve too deeply into my cupboard full of dodgy hippy skeletons, need we?