International Feel Uruguay Vinyl & CDs

Review: Having spent the last couple of years producing music for other people, International Feel main man Mark Barrott is keen to showcase some new music of his own. The tracks featured on Travelling Music were recorded in the summer of 2020, though this is the first time he's shared them with the public outside of his decidedly Balearic DJ sets. The title track - and its bubbly, sun-bright and utterly gorgeous 'Reprise' mix sibling - is loved-up and sun-soaked in the extreme, with Barrott layering lapping waves of Tangerine Dream style synth lines, kaleidoscopic counter-melodies and hypnotic, trance-inducing drums. Elsewhere, 'Chillin' 4 Work' is the Gentle People jamming with B12 and Vangelis after a fistful of happy pills, while 'Arcade Scene' is Italo-tinged analogue nu-disco.

Review: International Feel kicks off what is presumably a new series given its title, Mediterranean Dreams - Part 1. For it, they turn to Perugia synth obsessive, underground mainstay and fine producer Feel Fly for four tracks of breezy and sunny disco-house chuggers. 'Onironauta' brings retro Italo chords and nice chunky drums, 'Grace In Space' is a leggy cosmic wonder with far-sighted chords and muted acid magic, then 'Mediterranean Dreams' is pure 80s dream house bliss. 'Becalmed' is the most rough edged and analogue house jack track of the lot.

Review: Italian DJ and producer and Afrotemplum co-founder, Feel Fly, revisits the sunned, balearic mood of his childhood on this early-stage career definer of an EP. As a series, 'Mediterranean Dreams' lets the light in on only the haziest of sonic visions, letting in island stenches and coconut skitters between the palms. Everything from dub, ambient, balearic and kraut is here channelled into a realised smattering of deep trance, tittilating the senses with an echoic foray into navel-gazing reverie.

Review: Dan Whitford, Mirko Vogel and Mike Gamwell make up the ambient electronica trio Hypernatural, who present their debut LP here on limited vinyl. By any interpretation - from 'Spirit Walk' to 'Valley' - this self titled bit is a mini-album of sultry, monsoon-season builders, drawing on two trips the group made to the Scottish coast and highlands respectively - intentionally traversing its wilderness to find inspiration. The stark beauty of Scotland's pines and valleys seems to coalesce with the promise of future tech (the group mention 5G as an inspiration), as a rich pastoral picture, reminiscent of the work of Rival Consoles or Bonobo, is painted with cleanly rounded depth.

Review: Pop on your space suit and lock in for an intergalactic Balearic ride at the hands of Luca, whose new Terra LP is a terrific trip through the cosmos. This is a second full length from the artist born Francesco De Bellis and it follows on swiftly from his well received Venus EP early in 2022. It's a fr-reaching musical journey with retro-future synths glistening in the solar rays, loose and jumbled drums suspending you amongst the stars and pieces like 'Capitolo 2 Coscienza' with its spoken word elements contouring up the feeling of some mystic ritual dance.

Review: Inspired by the sparkling, Balearic-tinged Italo-disco sounds of fellow Mancunians Red Laser, Ruf Dug decided to rustle up his own synth-heavy, sun-kissed workout. The result is 'Manctalo Beach', an arpeggio-driven slab of summery brilliance marked out by pulsating bass, cheery lead lines, wavy chords and glistening melodic flourishes. Throw in some delay-laden percussion breakdowns and you have a pleasingly authentic chunk of kaleidoscopic retro-futurism. Turn to the flip for Ruf Dug's own 'Version' rework, a proto-house style dub full of effects-laden drum machine hits, synthesized cowbell, stripped-back grooves and mind-mangling breakdowns.

Review: Shelter began his production career re-editing quirky cuts of a Balearic persuasion, before dropping a fine collection of original tracks on Uber last autumn. That set of woozy, horizontal gems clearly impressed International Feel boss Mark Barrott, as he's decided to release the French producer's debut album. Zon Zon Zon is arguably a little more varied than some may expect, with Shelter combining his usual new age inspired melodies and tropical flavours with nods to rubbery, post-disco pop, dub, woozy ambient and the kind of fluid, sun-baked electronica that defies easy categorization. However you describe it, Zon Zon Zon is mightily impressive, delivering a near perfect blend of electronic and acoustric instrumentation.

Review: V.S. and Studiogruppe 1 are influenced by '80s bands like Tangerine Dream, Vangelis or Manuel Gottsching, and as Mark Barrot's International Feel best described "manage to capture widescreen emotional flash points without the need for celluloid, or barely any visual aid, for that matter." It's also good for polishing up on your German; whether it's the the neon-lit soundtrack of 'Erinnerungen', the gloomy frozen lake at dusk vibe of 'Wenn Der Tiefe Schlaf Kommt' or the cosmic reductions of 'Spahren Am Strand' - they're just just some of the highlights.