Vega US Vinyl & CDs

Review: Vega Records is back with more of its superbly live and joyous sounds from label chief Louie Vega. Elements Of Life Eclipse Part Two is another gorgeously spiritual record packed with life affirming grooves that distill Latin, soul, house and more into talks that brim with charm. Plenty of stellar musicians appear throughout including Axel Tosca on Fender Rhodes, Luisito Quintero & Roberto Vilera on percussion and Gene Perez on bass on the grand opener 'Feelin Liek Rio.' From there the quality level remain high, with Fender Rhodes solos, brilliant spoken word by Ursula Rucker and many more highlights along the way.

Review: Louie Vega's famed Elements of Life project - an ever-changing collective of musicians who create live house, disco, Latin and soul tracks - returns to action, this time with old friend Josh Milan in tow. In its original Louie Vega mix form (track 3),'Let Us Shine' is a deliciously deep soulful house number with tribal-influenced percussion, gospel-influenced vocals and Vega's usual impeccably produced instrumentation. Milan provides two top-notch 'Honeycomb' mixes (vocal and instrumental), which opt for a breezier and more tactile vibe with nods to both early New York garage-house and the earlier 'proto-house' wave spearheaded by Boyd Jarvis, Timmy Regisford and Paul Simpson. Rounding off the EP is live Latin house workout 'Los Tonos Segrados', featuring guest musician Axel Tosca.