Lovemonk Spain Vinyl & CDs

Review: Madrid-based collective Danzon El Gato channel the city's restless creative energy into a vivid fusion of jazz, funk and roots music. Formed within Madrid's experimental scene, the group revolves around Javier Adan and Santiago Rapallo, longtime collaborators whose past projects range from jazz fusion to avant-garde film scores. This latest release sees them sculpt a kaleidoscopic sound, pulling from North African, Latin American and Mediterranean traditions while staying locked into the groove with a rhythm section indebted to 70s library music and golden-era hip-hop. Across the record, they explore an array of moods and textures. 'Ronda' pairs intricate guitar lines with a propulsive swing, while 'La lucha'ifeaturing Marina y su Melaoileans into percussive Latin jazz. 'Twangy Morocco' lives up to its name, weaving surf-rock guitar into an East-meets-West instrumental, whereas 'Chapoteo' ripples with aquatic, freeform interplay. 'Amambay' and 'Fuimos invencibles' showcase their knack for evocative storytelling through sound, shifting effortlessly between cinematic tension and unbridled release. Danzon El Gato craft music that reflects Madrid itselfidense with influences, rich in movement and ambiguousiin the best way. Their sound captures a city in flux, where past and present collide to create something unmistakably fresh.

Review: Last spotted cavorting with his Nirvana-covering side project Blue Mode and previous operating as Kid Costa, killer flautist and composer Chip Wickham (real name Roger) delivers his debut LP on Lovemonk. Ranging from gentle wave lapping spiritualism of tracks such as "Tokyo Slow Mo" and the cinematic "Pushed Too Far" to much more frenetic, energetic cuts like "Le Leyenda Del Tiempo" by way of funkier, lolloping grooves like "The Detour", it's a beautiful, vibrant snapshot of Wickham's skills that will grow as the months get warmer. Stunning.

Review: There's always been a spiritual bent to some of flautist and saxophonist Chip Wickham's music, but rarely has it been so explicit as it is on "Blue To Red", his third full-length excursion. Surrounded by becalmed harps, spacey electric piano keys, languid double-bass, ear-catching cello and bustling drums, Wickham's breezy flute solos sound like a cosmic call to arms for all those who love the more spiritual side of jazz. It's a smart blueprint that Wickham and his cohorts happily apply to both up-tempo and downbeat moments, in the process delivering a set of inspired instrumentals that remain accessible entertaining and pleasingly alluring.

Review: Chip Wickham, who usually goes by the first name of Roger, returns to Madrid's excellent Lovemonk label with a mini LP to inaugurare the start of summer, which means a start to some pretty killer shades of balearica! In fairness, however, this album and the man's sound are much more in line with the jazzy end of the spectrum, breaking beats and forming new, forward-thinking arrangements. For instance, the opening "Shamal Wind" is a wonderful excursion into dreamier realms of the flute, while "Snake Eyes" picks up the tempo and makes way for an album thy can be plaid on your headphones, out on the car speakers, and most certainly in the dance! A wonderfully composed piece of music from a rising talent of true broken beat.