Downtempo Recommendations October 2013

Review: Swedish producer Axel Willner has always seemed so comfortable with his working method and trademark sound - that "maximal" blend of warm loops, hypnotic rhythms and wide-eyed organic positivity - that it's something of a surprise to find that he initially struggled to find inspiration for this fourth full-length as The Field. Clearly, he found his mojo, because Cupid's Head is as intoxicating and mood enhancing as his three previous albums. His method and formula hasn't changed much, but when he's capable of producing such inspired gems as the organ-drenched "They Don't See Me", the heady title track and fuzzy, near ambient "No, No", why would it?

Review: The Invisible Sunrise remix series from Seahawks reaches its intended conclusion and you could say the duo have saved the best till last! Quiet Village come through with a self styled 'Cosmic Clam Bake' take on "Crystal Beach" that stretches past thirteen minutes of wonderfully tropical jungle chuggery but could easily dip into infinity without any danger of becoming boring. On the flip, Jon Brooks dons The Advisory Circle banner to mould "Calling Always" into an equally memorable arrangement of slo mo atmospherics whilst Seahawks themselves round out the 12" with their own 5AM Eternal version of "Crystal Beach" that's quite accurately described as sounding like "George Benson tripping on a beach in Hawaii at 5am".

Review: Some two years in the making, Glide Time is the brand new studio album from Is It Balearic..? Recordings head boys Coyote. Eight tracks deep, this album sees Ampo and Timm Sure further perfect their approach to modern Balearica, ambling from moments of incandescent calm such as the expansive opening track "California Jam" and "Feel Beautiful" to euphoria inducing cuts like the chuggy "Swimming" and acid tinged "Break On Through". Look out for the guitar playing skills of Is It Balearic...? Stalwart Max Essa too. It is indeed Time to Glide. Switch on and feel the new Balearic beat at its best.

Review: When Will Ozanne first emerged in 2011, there was genuine amazement that someone so effortlessly soulful and melancholic could come from Southampton. While that may be a bit harsh on the south coast city, there's something surprisingly otherworldly about Ozanne's deep and intoxicating blends of blue-eyed soul, melancholic electronics and shuffling psychedelia. This sophomore album shows him at his tear-jerking best, delivering a soft focus set that gloriously joins the dots between low-key pop, leftfield soul, Radiohead-ish electronica, sparse dubstep and dreamy ambience. It's an arresting sound, oozing with heartfelt emotion, and as a result Invisible In Your City rewards repeat listens.