Pinchy & Friends Vinyl & CDs

Review: Heart People is a new project from long-time Australian underground operative Ryan Grieve and Rachel Rutt, and on this record for Pinchy & Friends they sail towards Balearic tones aplenty across four dream state cuts for sun-down, sun-up or any hour in between. 'In Your Eyes' breezes along on the smoothest of rhythm sections, draped in the lilt of acoustic guitar and guided by Ruth's heavenly voice. 'Adriatica' is a pitch-perfect cast adrift into cascading synths, flute motifs and reverb-soaked bongos, all the better to float away to. 'Secrets' explores 80s drum machine meditation and sampledelia, while 'Angel' takes on a more mysterious tone with a hint of Cocteau Twins woven in for good measure.

Review: Under the Jaz alter-ego, John Zahl has been serving up laidback, Balaearic-minded edits of musical obscurities since the mid 2000s. Initially, that was for Claremont 56 offshoot Sixty Five, but in the last decade he's also appeared on Passport To Paradise, Rotating Souls and, most recently, Pinchy & Friends. Here he returns to the latter label with four more rubs of atmospheric cuts from the dusty corners of his record collection. He begins with the wonderfully throbbing, solo-heavy dancefloor synth-scape of 'Cloud Worship', before successfully tinkering with a tactile, semi-organic proto-house gem on 'Pick a Toy'. Over on side B, 'Puzzle' is a tidy revision of a cosmic-minded, French language Balearic synth-pop gem, while 'Friday Night' is an eccentric, off-kilter slab of new wave disco oddness.

Review: Berlin-based musician, producer, and DJ Alex Kassian is well known for his solo works but also his work as Opal Sunn. Here he leaves behind the gritty and sweaty dance floor and heads out into the sun. 'Leave Your Life (Lonely Hearts Mix)' pairs live sounding drums and nice Balearic riffs with care-free feels that lift your spirits. The dance mix is more weight and propulsive and then 'Spirit Of Eden' again sets off through a clear blue sky, with twinkling chords and soft, pillowy drums. The Bill Laswell dub layers in the reverb and slows things down to a nice lazy tempo.