Nunorthern Soul Vinyl & CDs

Review: With over 50 years of experience dating way back to the early 70s with the progressive outfit Zebra, Joan has left quite a discography that is still being discovered and enjoyed. This EP - Joan Bibloni's second appearance on the label in total - features three versions of 'Badia Onirica', two of them being language versions and then the instrumental. Overall, the song is a track fitting for the Cafe Del Mar sound - a mix of folk, electronica, house with a Latin and folk influence and versions in Spanish and Catalan. An EP for watching the sunsets, dreaming on the beach and remembering life's great time with friends and family. NuNorthernSoul continues to honor the chill out legacy.

Review: This neat slice of mashup-Balearic from BJ Smith is a clever exercise in sample combination. First released in 2013 but reissued again here, we hear two iconic hip-hop tracks - Mos Def's 'Umi Says' and The Pharcyde's 'Runnin' - both laid to serene, lackadaisical Balearic backings. Thus two sunrise classics were born, complementing a very particular kind of rave.

Review: These days, NuNorthern Soul's vinyl output is a bit more selective than it once was, allowing boss man Phil Cooper to release what he thinks are the choicest cuts and EPs. The label's latest, from sometime Soul Clap Records contributor Zeynep Erbay, is another White Isle friendly Balearic treat. For proof, check the gently lolloping grooves, simmering synth strings, enveloping chords and twinkling pianos of 'Heart of a Healer', which Danilo Braca then smartly turns into an acid-flecked Balearic nu-disco chugger. B-side opener 'Whale Healer' features more gorgeous piano meditations over a warming bassline and a more skittish and minimalistic beat. NNS label regular Marshall Watson reworks, first delivering a dubby balearic disco take before unfurling an impeccable ambient 'Reprise' version based around the Turkish producer's luscious piano parts.

Review: Flashbaxx's 'Take Care My Friend', released in 2020, is notable for its blend of jazz-funk instrumentation, audible warmth, and memorable songwriting - centring on the subject of a broken-down relationship refracted through the lens of hybrid nu jazz and slow-motion soul. Its terse seven tracks now hear a remix EP on the same issuing label, Nunorthern Soul, charting electronic remixes by Tambores En Benirras, Moods, and of course, everyone's favourite jazzdance status symbol, Atjazz. The remixes are deeply layered and come tempered with the feel of live playing despite their electronic interpretation; indeed, this is a quality selection and producers' delight.

Review: The Nunorthern Soul label heads into its second decade of operation and does so by welcoming back label regular Benjamin J Smith. He's a multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and producer whose sound tick all of the textbook Balearic boxes but with a little extra magic. He shows that again here with 'Marina Del Rey', a gloriously sunny sound with lavish and lush strings and gently swaying grooves with a mix of 60s and Library vibes. On the flip is the even more horizontal 'Big Sur' with its romantic melodic breeze and intoxicating instrumental leads all backed by rich vocals.

Review: While all of NuNorthern Soul's releases are delightfully warming, sun-baked and mood-enhancing, the label's latest release - a new EP from imprint stalwart and long-serving American producer Marshall Watson - is especially impressive. Musically, it's sun-bright and sonically enveloping, offering a calming and colourful bath for the head, heart and soul. Interestingly, there's a touch more dancefloor focus than you may expect - see the Balearic-acid shuffle of 'Open Sky', the grandiose, enveloping chords and bustling breakbeats of 'The Landscape' and the tactile Balearic nu-disco of 'Sweet Sounds' - but wholeheartedly horizontal moments are never far away. In this category you'll find delightful opener 'High Desert' and Seahawks' accompanying remix of the same track, which is as magical as you'd expect it to be.