Pont Neuf Vinyl & CDs

Review: This beautiful EP, 'Sunset Thoughts', finally makes its way to vinyl after a digital release back in October. Cosmonection is a fast-rising Frenchman who makes an awful lot of music and is sure to blow up fully in 2024, and for this one, he works with fellow French artists and singer Soren Lyann. 'Bulles' establishes a lovely vibe with its organic chords and colourful little samples over a slick groove, then '"Wakin' Up With You' brings acoustic guitar and indie vocals over a hurried house groove. There is plenty more sun and subtle hints of acoustic guitar in 'Solar' and 'Ballad' shuts down another mix of acoustic strings, ad-libbed vocals and fresh beats.

Review: The Cult had their fair share of phases from the inception in the early 80s, with Ian Astbury and Billy Duffy forming the nexus of the band through various line-ups. Their self-titled album (known as Black Sheep to the band's devoted fanbase) from 1994 captures them shortly before breaking up for the first time, when Astbury and Duffy were at odds with each other and recording their parts in separate sessions. You wouldn't know to hear this cohesive, clear-sighted slab of early 90s rock, where detectable grooves sneak in amongst the hooky riffs and Astbury's gutsy delivery. It's also one of the most personal albums for the singer, tackling some deeply personal subject matter and making for a unique point in a perennial band in UK rock history.

Review: Pont Neuf approaches its quarter of a century of releases with Shore serving up a fresh blend of the old and the new on this Life Is A Blur EP. It kick off in laissez-faire fashion with some heavenly ambient, then 'Constant Motion' is a synth-drenched house kicker with jazzy leads. 'So Low' is more progressive and a little darker, while 'Thinking Out Loud' cuts loose and slows down from some sunset downtempo bliss. 'Ascent' rounds out with kaleidoscopic melodies that have you gazing off to the stars.

Review: Pont Neuf returns with an eight excellent volume of its Hexagonal Club series with a load more vital artists offering up their own distinctive take on deep house. The tracks have been sufficiently well sequence so as to play out like a DJ set, too. DJ Psychiatre kicks off with the lazy cosmic depths of 'Subtle Illusion' before a great female soul vocal brings warmth to Mira Lo's nice and vibey 'Don't Look Back.' The highlights keep on coming with the super serene sounds of Berzingue's 'Riviera' and glossy, glowing keys of KX9000's 'Meatloaf.' This is a stylish and European brand of deep house that makes a welcome addition to your racks.

Review: To mark the label's eighth birthday, the crew behind Paris's Pont Neuf Records has put together a fifth Hexagonal Club compilation. The series is rooted in the imprint's desire to showcase the best French dance and electronic music has got to offer, hence a line-up containing a mix of rising stars, scene stalwarts and heavy hitters. There's naturally plenty of high-grade material stretched across the two slabs of wax, including the sun-splashed, piano-sporting Mediterranean house heaviness of Maison Blanche's 'The Best of Times', the heady deep house smoothness of Tour-Maubourg's 'No Purpose Groove', the spacey synths and chunky low-end pressure of 'You Can't Understand' by THEOS, the breakbeat-powered dreaminess of Dylan Dylan's 'On My Mind' and the head-nodding beauty of DJ Psychiatre's 'Mister Rhodes'.