Early Sounds Italy Vinyl & CDs

Review: Eary Sounds boss Pellegrino S. Sinchelotto founded the Zodyaco project two years as an umbrella for his ongoing studio collaborations with an ever-changing cast of musicians, vocalists and producers. Morphe, the project's second full-length excursion, continues in a similar vein to its predecessor, offering a similarly attractive mix of tracks that effortlessly blur the boundaries between mid-80s Balearic synth-pop, jazz-funk, zouk, Afro-cosmic, AOR disco and intergalactic boogie. With quality musicianship, colourful melodic motifs and accurately depicted period details to the fore, it's the sort of set that would now be considered a Balearic classic had it been released in 1885 rather than 2020. In other words, Morphe is an album you need in your life right now.

Review: Pellegrino and Zodiac's 'Malia' bills itself as a 7" that serves as "a spell, a journey through the wonder of life, in search of the Mediterranean essence." For our money, it finds that essence and serves it up in musical form here across a brace of gloriously escapist cuts. 'Malia' is a disco cut with sunny synths and loose-limbed rhythms that draw on jazz-funk and Balearic tropes. It has a distinctly Italo twist that cannot fail to get you going. 'Malia Carribean Escapade' is even more exotic with its more cosmic array of synth leads and lively vocals full of Latin passion and flair.