Shanti Radio Vinyl & CDs

Review: Gorje Hewek perfectly taps into the Shanti Radio sound with a new EP that is deep, exotic and dreamy house music of the highest order. First up is 'Never Been' which is a collaboration with Makebo & Amonita that lays up shakers, keys and rolling bass into a tropical sound. With Volen he creates the yawning synth work and light and airy grooves of 'Otoko', then gets more textural with the twinkling tech and fuzzy synths of 'Huracan' with Bakka, and last of all he links with Volen Sentir for the hypnotic charms of 'Ghosts (Blurredub)'.

Review: So far this year, Moscow-based Makebo has contributed tracks to two compilation-style EPs on All Day I Dream and Shanti Radio. Here the publicity shy artist returns to the latter label with a debut single that's well worth a few moments of your time. He first navigates the "Dense Forest", a dense thicket of foliage that wraps nature-fresh melodies, chink-of-light strings and photosynthesis pads around a rubbery tech-house groove, before inviting us to gaze upon the magic and mystery of hybrid deep house/tech-house workout "Wizard". He continues this combination of hazy warmth, melodious musical flourishes and rolling beats on B-side opener "Wanderer", while closing cut "Sentiment" is a richly orchestrated treat for those who like their club cuts to come complete with a sizable dose of emotion-rich musicality.

Review: A strong example of contemporary deep house that blends in a regional and deep sound palette, Makebo's 'Belief' is the next EP to top up the artist's repertoire. Following up releases on the likes of Anjuna and Peace Symphonies, this EP works through four tricky yet melodic and depth-plunging forward-movers, carefully removing and adding elements back in, in direct correlation with our faith in the music. Whatever belief system you ascribe to, 'Belief' zooms out into an amorally blissful zone - the self-titled closer is a particular highlight.

Review: Shanti Radio has released some incredible music of late, much of it towards the more melodic, atmospheric and positive end of the tech-house spectrum. This four-tracker from MOS neatly fits into this narrative, offering up warming, dreamy and picturesque tracks that effortlessly blur the boundaries between deep house, tech-house and progressive flavours. Opener "Gerda Kay" simply swells with sun-kissed beauty and enveloping melodic intent, as bright lead lines and swirling pads tumble down over a tactile groove. The Afro-tinged "Jalebi" offers stirring strings, toasty chords and locked-in grooves, while "Kama" bubbles along on waves of toe-tapping percussion, choral samples and fluid piano motifs. Rounding things off is "Kauri", another immersive chunk of dancefloor hypnotism rich in positive chord progressions and heartwarming bass.