Psychemagik

Review: ** Reissue of the Psychemagik Wang Chung classic ** If you've been following the rise of Cosmic Forest dwellers Psychemagik for more than a minute, you'll be aware of their extremely chunky revision of Wang Chung's 1984 jam "Dancehall Days" which has been teasing new arrivals at their Soundcloud page for more than a year now. It finally gets a vinyl release here, and an official one to boot as Wang Chung vocalist Jack Hues was so impressed with their illicit take he sent them the stems for the official remix you see here. It's very much in line with their original edit but comes replete with that extra beef and on a neat white twelve inch. Another archival killer from the duo in "Beauty And The Bass" lines the flip too.

Review: The Magic Forest dwelling record collectors better known as Psychemagik return to Claremont56 offshoot Leng with a new compilation Magik Sunrise which is essentially a vinyl shaped sequel to last year's well received Magik Cyrkles. Though equally well presented as that compilation, Psychemagik refreshingly adopt a different sonic direction here, trading in the obscure Balearica and funk in favour of a wonderfully enlightening blend of African reggae, jazz-funk, prog rock, folk and New Age curios. Think David Holmes classic Essential Mix then crank up the weird factor to eleven and you'll have a good idea of what to expect from this fifteen track selection. The sensual twilight boogie of "The Juggler" by Fox is a particular highlight.

Review: Last year's Magic Cyrcles, Psychemagik's willy-waving exercise in psychedelic disco and rock crate digging, was something of a triumph. It's little surprise, then, that this follow-up is every bit as essential. If anything, the selections are even more obscure, while the vibe is slightly more Balearic - whilst, of course, retaining the acid-fried oddness of its predecessor. Highlights are naturally plentiful, from the woozy synths and wide-eyed, feelgood grooves of Fox's "The Juggler", and Steve and Theresa's folksy "Catching A Wave", to the horizontal pop of former porn acrtress Susana Estrada, and Joey Newman's Roxy Music-ish "The One You Love". Recommended.

Review: Magik Cyrkles invites you the listener to bask in the impressive record collections of Psychemagik, for it seems that the prolific edit and DJ duo operate a nice sideline helping to furnish everyone from Soulwax to Q-Tip to Love Fingers with rare and highly sought after vinyl. Anyone whose familiar with their output since their emergence from The Cosmic Forest in 2009 will not be surprised given the off the beaten track source material for much of their edits. This Leng released compilation veers through all manner of psychedelic funk, cosmodisco, Middle Eastern oddities and much more, with four excusive new edits from the Psychemagik duo themselves. Those with dusty fingers and a penchant for the odder forgotten gems will no doubt be entranced as soon as Intrinsic Trance's opener commences and the label have really surpassed themselves in the presentation stakes with some apt cover art from acclaimed designer Luke Insect adorning this double CD release.

Review: Whatever you think of their original productions, there's no denying the continued quality of Psychemagik's compilations. Their latest epic exploration of member Danny McLewin's epic record collection, Ritual Music, is split into three parts. This volume, Love, predictably includes some genuine thrillers, from the new age electronica of Man Parrish's "Water Sports", and the global mysticism of "Amram" by The Rias Orchestra, to the breathy sleaze of Jeanette's "L'Amour Jove Au Viol", and seductive guitar solos of Bobby Lyle's jazz-funk classic "Makin' Love". We could go on. Suffice to say, there's barely a duffer in sight, and more intriguing twists and turns than your average sci-fi murder mystery.

Review: Following Magik Cyrkles and Magik Sunrise, Psychemagik start their concluding mix series trilogy with the first part of Magik Sunset. A sumptuous compendium of painstakingly dug and licenced oddities and rarities, each one sandy-toed and languishing in clear blue cosmic sonic seas, the whole journey guarantees sounds that have previously been the sole preserve of private presses or highly limited runs. Two of the many highlights include the Donovon-esque lollops of Nathan Perkins Band's "Soul Keepers" and the planet-leaping disco abandon of Al Dos Band's "Doing Our Thing With Pride". Truly beautiful.

Review: Following the runaway success of their Magick Cyrcles and Magick Sunrise compilations, Psychemagik return with another selection of wilfully obscure Balearic gems. There's a subtly breezy, occasionally humid feel to much of the material this time round, with the acclaimed crate diggers' selections flitting between stoned blue-eyed soul, baked west coast rock, curious, semi-spoken word pieces, and the kind of material that suggests getting horizontal as a matter of priority. It goes without saying, of course, that the selections are thrillingly deep, with a tracklist that will have even the most committed record collectors scratching their heads.

Review: There are few record collectors and DJs with crates quite as deep as Psychemagik. They've already proved this beyond doubt via a trio of brilliant Magik compilations for Paul Murphy and Simon Purnell's Leng label. Magik Sunset Part 2 continues this run, gathering together another double-album's worth of fantastic obscurities from the worlds of stoner disco, left-of-centre rock, psychedelia and Balearica. As usual, there are some genuine "how did I not know about this record" moments, from the star-kissed Balearic jazz of Fabio Fabor and saucer-eyed white boy reggae-rock of the Trepidants, to the Flamenco-tinged AOR disco shuffle of Jack Adkins' "Sunset Beach".