Back in stock: Balearic/Downtempo

Review: ***B-STOCK: Sleeve damaged but otherwise in excellent condition***


We're never short of new Ricardo Villalobos material and he's generous with his time as a mixer, but this project offers something different from the Chilean mad scientist of minimal. A Mountain Of One are a duo who deal in Balearic-leaning pop with a subtle charm and an adventurous spirit, and they initially approached Villalobos for a single remix of one of their tracks. As a fan of their sound, Villalobos ran with the project and it wound up as a full remix album of seven different versions. On the earlier tracks Ricardo takes a surprisingly light touch, while the later stages find us knee deep in the mesmerising roll of his minimal house, shot through with dubbed out ingredients from the original songs. It's surprising and satisfying in equal measure, showing Villalobos at his best and quite the scoop for A Mountain Of One.

Review: What can you say about this amazing album that has not been said before?! Originally released in 1996 and quickly becoming one of the most important pieces in the history of sampled music, its legacy continues to grow while Shadow remains the archetypal example of a crate digging producer. Everything from jazz, spoken word, hip-hop and more was sampled into this cornucopia of sound - in many ways the zenith of the impressive output of James Lavelle's revered Mo''Wax label - and you wouldn't be surprised if it ended up in the Smithsonian for what it has accomplished and meant to the scene.

Review: There are not too many house and techno labels in the United States that can boast quite the discography and international success that the Brooklyn based Scissor & Thread label can. For over a decade now, the busy label has kept the quality up to the high standards the label set when starting. A big part of that quality is having Frank & Tony on board through the label's history. Ethos is their new full-length album that, spread across a double pack of wax, with tracks mostly kept under close guard, except the opener 'Olympia'. Make no mistake though, from the rumours and whispers we've heard already, it looks like being a big hit.

Review: For the very first time on vinyl comes Presents The Light Programme, Jah Wobble's extraordinary 1997 descent into downtempo and beat science. Released on his now-defunct 30 Hertz label, The Light Programme showcased an excellent cast of musicians, including Can drummer Jaki Liebezeit, Wire's Clive Bell, conga player Neville Murray, guitarist and synthesist Mark Ferda and the harpist Zi-lan Liao. The Light Programme is an intensely effulgent but at times vitreous record, with Wobble seemingly embracing the worldbeat vogue of the time with a keen, albeit naive fervour. When the tracks aren't so clear cut or obviously mixed, things get more interesting; 'One In 7' is the oddball of choice here.

Review: ***B-STOCK: Sleeve damaged but otherwise in excellent condition***


If the aim of most albums is to take you on a sonic journey of boundless exploration, then this new record Exploring Together from Saphileaum on Mule Musiq is about as good as it gets. It's a work pop escapist beauty with ethereal synths invoking a sense of wonder and discovery over pulsating rhythms which build layers of intrigue. Ambient textures are melted into hypnotic beats, lush soundscapes invite introspection and movement alike and exotic percussion, sound effects and sun kissed sounds all bring each track to life as you get lost in this most beautiful odyssey into uncharted downtempo and Balearic waters.