Shanti Radio Vinyl & CDs

Review: Enigmatic producer Lost Desert has built has career on collaborative releases, so it's little surprise to see that his second Shanti Radio outing comprises three quietly impressive studio hook-ups. He first joins forces with Gorje Hewek and Izhevski on A-side cut "Yurta", a delightfully loose and rolling fusion of slipped tech-house grooves, meandering electronic motifs, Middle Eastern percussion and drifting Arabic vocals. Over on side B he reunites with regular studio partner Lee Burridge for some deep tech-house warmth influenced by the music of Turkey, before hooking up with Hermanez to wrap gentle, blissful melodies, dreamy chords and toasty bass around another sumptuous, Middle East influenced dancefloor groove.

Review: Mathew Jonson and Quenum's modern classic 'Cyclops' is the title track from last year's album of the same name. It is elegant, synth-laden techno and the original gets included here - it's a poly-rhythmic affair with ghostly, wordless vocals, rubbery bass and multi-layered synths that never stops moving. Tim Green offers a dream deep house remix, Facundo Mohrr & Valdovinos go for something dubby and cavernous, Volen Sentir & Izhevski lighten up the mood and make it a perfectly dreamy day-time dancer and Makebo brings the Afro vibes. Tibi Dabo reworks things for late-night dance floors but keeps the mystic synth work.

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)'.