Juno Recommends Balearic / Downtempo: May 2022

Review: The Coyote lads take a moment to chill from their ever-steady output on their Is It Balearic? label to drop this pearler for the Magic Wand edit series. It won't take a private gumshoe to work out the source material for 'Kate's Bush (Nocturnal Edit)', but you won't have heard the original simmering quite like this brooding version before. 'Kool Kats' is dripping in yacht rock delight with Mercurial vocal trysts over the top, while 'Lee Sure (Black Hashish Dub)' takes things far out into pure sundown wind-down territory. 'El Verano' completes the set with a beautiful, dusty lick of 70s funk, complete with sultry trumpet and the lightest of FX touches.

Review: Nine years has passed since Phil Mison's Cantoma project released 'Alive', a typically sun-soaked Balearic outing featuring contributions from Quin Luke under his alternative Bi Ji Ling alias. Mison has now decided to offer up a swathe of new reworks of the track, with his old pal Conrad McDonnell of the Idjut Boys at the controls. In typical Idjuts fashion, McDonnell delivers three wildly different variations on a theme. The A-side 'Conrad's Instrumental' version is a dreamy chunk of Latin-tinged dub disco/Balearic fusion that adds a hallucinatory shimmer to Mison's original production, while the 'Conrad's D&B Mix' is a killer, Idjuts-style drum dub built around bass, percussion and effects aplenty. Arguably best of all though is the 'Vacant Lot' remix, a dreamy, spaced-out, stretched-out chunk of wayward early morning dancefloor psychedelia.

Review: Greek DJ/producer Lex has been part of the scene in his home city of Athens since the dawn of the millennium, though it's only in the last few years that he's focused more on making music. The results of his efforts, which were previously showcased on 12" singles for Leng and Samosa Records, amongst others, have been quietly impressive. His debut album, Waving, continues in the same vein, utilising a pool of musician friends to craft cuts that blur the boundaries between sun-kissed, sofa-friendly Balearic warmth and subtly funk-fuelled, dub disco-framed dancefloor shufflers. The plentiful highlights include the stunning, tropical-tinged opener, 'Punta Allen', the organ-sporting vocal squelch-along 'Window Spells', acid-flecked nu-disco-meets-cosmic disco workout 'Silver Peace' and high-octane number 'Down My Soul'.

Review: Zero 7 were right at the heart of the early downtempo and lounge sounds movement. Yeah Ghost was the bands fourth album back in 2007 and it's a widescreen affair that rolls between pop, acoustic folk and plenty of stuff in between. There are four instrumental tracks that come from the band's more experimental side which are all sampled, overdubbed and rebuilt from scratch. Tracks like 'Swing' are joyous sunny day sounds to get you whistling along, while 'Mr McGee' is a much more idiosyncratic avant pop sound.

Review: As we head into summer we are more than ready to re-load our record bags with this sort of compilation - collections of tunes that even in a grimy back yard in the north of England can bring a bit of sun kissed Balearic sound to a BBQ. The artwork alone gives you a strong impression of what to expect froths one and the music doesn't disappoint. It is a rich and evocative soundscape put together by the fine talents that are Giovanni Santucci and LucaEffeSunset. They take us to Mexican jungle, Brazilian beaches and all over Southern Italy with some sublime sounds.

Review: The days are drawing out, the temperatures are rising, the sounds we all want to hear are getting much more tropical, exotic and sunny. Enter this fantastic new record from Earthly Tapes after a nearly 2 year gap since the second chapter. This third chapter is packed with brain boggling new musical excursions from six new artists to the label. Jean Dasso AKA Yeahman is Orso on the first tune, a rhythmic cut with UK breaks influences and Afro dance vibes. Balam's 'Ensueno' becomes more dubby and deep and on the flip are highlights from DJ Raff with his conga and tom splattered rhythms and Kusht's slow motion pumper, 'Small Town Rebellion.'

Review: Numero have put together a definitive reissue here of Antena's much loved and cult classic Camino Del Sol LP that first label in 1982. It is the work of Isabelle Antena, the former au pair for Rick Wakeman of Yes, and two of her teenage friends, and was a contemporary bossanova record that somehow joined the dots between Kraftwerk and Antonio Carlos Jobim. After first release it was long forgotten as Isabelle moved on to work in the world of jazz in Asia. Now it is revived and we're all reminded of what an essential album it is from this shot lived but important outfit.