CFCF 黑胶唱片和CD

Review: Voraciously prolific, forever far-out, Montreal artist CFCF looks back to look forward on his eighth studio album Memoryland. An album that takes all his influences from early jungle and hardcore to shoegaze indie, chews them up and spits them back with wry, cynical 2020s energy, the album is a mystery tour around CFCF's tastes and inspirations from dreamy sing-along pop punk ('Punksong') to warm and grainy filtered disco house ('Self Service 1999') to bubbly trance-tinged house music ('Slippery Plastic Euphoric') and sugar-sweet two-step ('After The After') Nostalgic but also provocative and very forward-looking, this is arguably CFCF's most comprehensive and ambitious album to date. Thanks for the memories.

Review: Montreal auteur Michael Silver's eighth studio album finally enjoys a vinyl version and it sounds all the better for it. His first drum & bass LP-length exploration, "Liquid Colours" nods back to the D&B's most virulent strains of the mid 90s. Think Good Looking, Moving Shadow, Ascendant Groove, the dreamy, cosmic sheen and loose, splashy drums are the perfect playground for CFCF's jazzy, contemplative and musical signature he's had since his debut album "Continent". Highlights include the twinkling Sao Paulo-destined samba of "Oxygen Lounge", the PFM-style star-gazing odyssey of "Closed Space" and the pure Creative Source flavours of "Aquascape". Dive deep.

Review: Whether offering up dreamy, loved-up synth-pop or languid Balearic beats, Michael Silver's work as CFCF has always tended towards the summery and sun-kissed. Yet even by his high standards, "The Colours Of Life" is extra-special. The album first appeared on Canadian tape/download imprint 1080p back in 2015, becoming something of a cult item amongst ambient and Balearic collectors. The good news is that it's finally made it to wax, and not a moment too soon. The album's mixture of lazy, elongated chords, bubbling synthesizer melodies, soft focus beats, seductive aural textures, gentle new age motifs and occasional heartfelt jazz guitars is a treat for the ears: an aural bubble bath whose sonic smelling salts will tickle and tingle the senses.

Review: International Feel's recently launched mini album series continues, with long-serving downtempo producer CFCF delivering his vision of a lazy Balearic holiday. Sitting somewhere between Jose Padilla, Joan Bibiloni, and Gigi Masin's collaborations with Templehof, the extended player's eight tracks bristle with authentic live instrumentation, most notably jazzy guitars, soft-focus acoustics, reflective pianos and humid accordions. These are effortlessly blended with subtle electronics to create sun-kissed, early morning mood pieces that undoubtedly define the Balearic, after-hours experience. What's most striking about On Vacation, though, is just how beautiful it is. At times, it's breathtakingly stunning.

Review: American label Beyond The Speaker made an impression with their first release "Angels Against Dust" two years ago, a tasty 12" split between Legowelt & Willie Burns. For the latest outing, Canadian mastermind Michael Silver aka CFCF (RVNG, Ghostly, 1080p) celebrates the soul and grooves of house, electro, and techno. Three tracks that balance dancefloor hustle, intricate detail and flourishing melodies. Lead track "Head Up" is a poignant call to the dancefloor, a peak hour house cut with an emergent vocal sample that rallies all for a blissful groove excursion. The B-side is a moodier affair, with "Mossy Wall" submerging the listener with potent rhythms as ominous bass intersects with a waking metropolis of melody. And the classic techno sound of "Sea of Love" deftly lulls us with gentle vocals and a looping guitar phrase.

Review: Michael Silver is back under his CFCF moniker with a whopping fourth album to date, and a debut appearance for the young Driftless Recordings, an imprint specializing in synth pop and nowave of all shapes and sizes. The Paper Bag label regular offers his very own brand of ambient music, a delicious and alluring blend of cosmic downtempo and playful drone. There's even a few bursts of Balearic guitar in the opener "In Praise Of Shadows", subtle flurries of watery beats in and field recordings in "Tethered In Dark", and a surprising addition of wailing vocals amid mild pads on "The Ruined Map". This is an album comprising all flavours of the electronica sphere, and a masterful one at that.

Review: It was back in 2009, with the release of debut album Continent - and, arguably to a greater extent, the decidedly Balearic cover of Fleetwood Mac's "Big Love" - that CFCF announced himself as a serious talent. Since then, the Canadian producer has graced stellar US independents like RVNG Intl and UNO with his singular approach to electronic composition that embraces wide-eyed Balearica, skewed synth-pop, downtempo grooves and touchy-feely disco have constantly impressed. Released jointly by Paberbag Records and Dummy Records, Music For Objects is an impeccably picturesque mini LP that takes inspiration from the hypnotic American minimalism of Steve Reich. Largely beatless, it's packed with stunning moments, from the cascading beauty of "Camera", with its droning synths and sitars, to the Reichian rush of "Glass". The mournful piano piece "Perfume" is also stunning in its cultured simplicity. Recommended.