MK/The 7th Plain – The MKappella/Lost review

Delsin has been on top of its game for over a decade now. The Dutch label never puts a foot wrong, largely thanks to owner Marsel’s unparalleled A&Ring skills. This latest release is a reissue, but it provides an insight into the music that inspires and informs Delsin’s selections. On one side there’s the timeless deep house of Marc ‘MK’ Kinchen’s “Mkappella”. This twenty-year-old track sees Kinchen bring together sensuous flute-playing that’s not too dissimilar to Bobby Konders and the kind of wide-eyed piano keys that featured on some of Chez Damier’s releases for KMS from this period. Add to this robust dubby beats and the sound of the dawn chorus warbling away in the background and the inspiration for Newworldaquarium’s own textured house or his Ross 154 ambient project is audible.

On the other side, Delsin has licensed a track from UK techno don Luke Slater. “Lost” originally appeared on the UK producer’s seminal album The 4 Cornered Room , which he recorded as 7th Plain. Here too there are bird samples, but they are high-pitched tweets rather than mellow warbles and accompany lithe, fast-paced breakbeats. The real attraction for Delsin fans though are Slater’s synths; ghostly and swirling, they have a truly otherworldly feeling and have clearly had an impact on Aroy Dee, Conforce and Dimension 5. It’s an invaluable insight into why Delsin hits the target with such frequency.

Richard Brophy