Back catalogue: Balearic/Downtempo

Review: Detroit Stories is, first and foremost, the name of a recent social experiment in Motor City, USA. Largely broadcast on social media like Instagram, it consists of interviews with OG residents and immigrants from way back - the ones who've lived through the city's many ups and downs - we hear got stories of good times, hard work, and opportunities, but also struggles, violence, and social upheavals, all of which helped shaped Detroit's rise and slow fall. Secondly but not least, 'Detroit Stories' is also the name of Daughters And Sons' (Luca Fronza's) latest EP, which plunges the sampleable depths of these interviews to effuse a deep and inexorable sense of the city's cultural significance, not only as the heartland of Fordism (the dominant ideology in whose shadow even humble music reviewers like ourselves live), but also the place, where, without coincidence, techno originated. Coming with a remix by Prins Thomas, star track 'Gipsy' is especially well-suited to the city's obverse mood, combining the glitz of industrial opportunism, a Detroit-endemic Christian religiosity, and a nomadic core theme, all via ploddingly militant beats and a twinging lead synth whistle.

Review: Best dig out a bona fide gem from the early days of Italian house music - a one-shot hit from the masterful minds of Alex Neri and Marco Baroni that originally surfaced in 1992 on Adriatic Club. This sunkissed classic has everything a deep house cut should - smooth piano, a splash of diva vocals, and feel-good vibes oozing from every pore. For our money the "Deep Jungle Mix" is the one - a smouldering swinger that will draw you in and keep you warm at night, but whichever twist on the '90s styles you prefer this record has got you covered.

Review: Hot'N'Spicy's self-titled series of flame hot disco and funk gems returns with a sizzling sixth instalment here and it has some big names on board. Delfonic opens up with the low slung and seductive loopy disco-house fun of 'Everything Is Love' while HOLDTight up the funk and energy with more loose and percussive grooves on 'Disco Power.' Franck Roger brings his classy French house styling to a deep and slinky number in 'Pinguino Blumo' and DJ Steef shuts down with some big camp disco flourishes and dubbed-out vocal echoes on 'Warp Odyssey.'

Review: Digital Imagination first dropped their The Essence of Thought back in the nineties and now the cult favourite gets a nice reissue in time for summer when it will be perfect post-rave comedown tackle. It is a sci-fi inspired mixture of house, transcend trip hop of the era with lots of analogue action and dusty drum breaks, smart little samples that add a cinematic edge and some lovely basslines. It was produced by a young Ted Heinz and originally release by Concept Records. OGs are hard to come by so don't sleep on the one which has been restored from the original DAT tape.

Review: While hardly a "Holy Grail"all bar a few people didn't know it existed until recently, D.J Never Sleep's sole single, the private press gem 'Teorema', can certainly be described as "buried treasure". It was reportedly the work of some experienced Italian producers, though its' sound is all Spanish guitar solos, early house-meets-Latin freestyle beats, joyous Piano riffs and evocative female vocals, it is pure formative Balearic house. This Thank You reissue not only showcases the original EP's two leading mixes (track two here, the more chugging and synth bass-sporting rework, is the pick), but also a never-released, effects-laden 'Never Sleepy Beats' drum took, plus versions in Spanish (B1) and French (B2).

Review: In Waves continue their deep-sea abyssal theme with Draso's latest EP 'The Moment Is Forever', which captures the perceived timelessness of life's most euphoric moments. Harmony and wholesomeness over discordancy is paramount to this music's vision. 'Hygge', the not-completely-translatable Dutch word meaning something adjacent to "homely warmth", opens the EP in shuffly, twinkly, wondrous tech house form. We segue through similarly awestruck moods until we reach the closer 'Harmony Of Colour', the EP's zenith, which is tempered by myriad twinkly sounds, be they piano, arp synth, or glockenspiel.

Review: Italy's foremost investigator of 60s and 70s library music and jazz fusion sounds can do no wrong if you ask us. Everything they put out is sumptuous whether it's an old reissue or a new outing. Here we have the pair of bassist Federico Amorosi and keys, synth and programming wizard Valerio Lombardozzi cooking up some brilliant blends of cosmic funk and Italo disco, all with fresh flavours from soundtracks and synthporn from days gone. The A-side is an instrumental with a lush mid-tempo groove and the flip has a more infectious dance sound.

Review: If you've ever wondered how much Balearic you can get on one 12" then this one might answer the question. Arriving on Cala Tarida Musica, it finds Residentes Balearicos pair up with bonafide Ibizan legend DJ Alfredo for a sizzling summer anthem. 'Sundown' is pure Ibiza house bliss with wavy grooves and majestic jazzy keys that bring the joyful good times. Balearic boss man Chris Coco then steps up with his wavy and elegant Sueno Mediterraneo remix as well as a To The Bone dub that is even deeper and more smooth and last of all is a SIRS mix with a more raw edge and urban atmosphere.

Review: Miss Nixon and Jacqueline Fuijkschot originally got together for some jam sessions in a sweaty attic circa 2015, and wound up with a track called 'Run' which ended up on a 7" for Das Ding's Tear Apart Tapes. Since then, Hivern Discs have picked up on the track and brought it out of limited-run obscurity to give it a full 12" pressing with some expertly selected cover versions. The original is a threadbare slice of melancholic minimal wave, but Cucina Povera thickens the sound into a brooding slice of ethereal dream pop. Celine Gillain's version is poised and raw, in keeping with her own excellent Mind Is Mud LP. Dania completes the picture with a straining, yearning ambient abstraction of the original.

Review: We're not quite sure about the story behind this EP - Bathurst have not made clear whether it's the first in a series, or whether there's a theme - but the music on show is well-worth checking. Zoe Leonard dons the Simmerdown guise on excellent opener 'Legitimacy', a slowly unfurling affair that craftily combines sun-kissed ambient electronics with cut-up, club-ready beats, gargantuan bass and 140 style vocal cut-ups. David Hanke delivers two contrasting cuts: the shuffling, bass-heavy, spacey-but-sleazy excellence of 'Deep Shit Part 3' as Black Soyls, and the cheerier and bouncier 'Mirrorsides' under his given name. Our favourite though is ITO's 'Citylights', a jazzy, slipped instrumental number full of beautiful piano flourishes and languid bass.

Review: In April 2023, Swiss label Subject To Restrictions Discs offered up a fine debut EP from Zurich electronic wave duo Dadalus & Bikarus. This follow-up EP presents the same tracks in freshly remixed form, with a variety of underground heroes and rising stars providing the revisions. Saeko Killy kicks things off with a minimalistic, subtly funky new wave rework of 'Voran', before Cage & Aviary man Jamie Paton drops versions of two tracks: a moody, slap bass-sporting dark-wave re-wire of 'Youri Gagarine', and a chugging, A Love From Out of Space style tweak of 'Gone'. Over on side B, Andrei Rusu re-imagines 'Tous Les Mesonges' as a dense, discordant slab of rolling acid-electro, while Anastasia Zems turns 'Voran' into a brain-melting acid jacker.

Review: Hell Yeah Records sets a super tone for 2024 with a captivating new album from Australian producer Dawn Again. Every Dog's Hotel presents a dreamy, breaks-infused journey into what Dawn Again calls "pubwave." Drawing from his decade-long experience and releases on labels like Houseworx and Enjoyment Division, Melbourne-based Nick Verwey crafts a sunlit, sunset-ready sound perfect for grown-up crowds. Inspired during lockdown by nostalgic downtempo vibes from the 90s and 00s, Verwey aimed to recreate the communal drinking atmosphere of his favorite pubs. The result is a lush, Balearic "pubwave" album, complemented by a charming cover painting by artist Holly Hunt, inviting listeners to immerse themselves in lavish, escapist downtempo sounds.

Review: DDWY appeared on Public Possession label earlier in the year when they put out their Chill Pill compilation and their contribution was the perfectly balearic dance gem 'Orchard'. Now the pair is back with a limited edition album, Sprig Songs. It lays out their distinctive take on dance music which is dubbed out and trippy, often slow paced, doused in proggy melodies and all flavoured with unique Nangis chants. The spell binding selection includes the warped rhythms and FX of 'Green Villa' and otherworldly depths of 'Do Deers Dream?' while 'Hair Spiders' is a more dancefloor ready and dubbed out beatdown.

Review: Although her roots lie in jazz, Melanie De Biasio has not made jazz - or at least purist jazz - for many years. Il Viaggio, a vast double album that marks her first studio set for nearly six years, continues this trend, blending field recordings, sound collage, choral music, ambient, the neo-classical darkness of Dead Can Dance, piano works reminiscent of Harold Budd's more contemplative works, and occasional nods towards trip-hop - all arranged as a kind of sonic journey to (and through) Italy by train as a way of rediscovering her distant Italian roots. With plenty of long, immersive tracks and bags of atmosphere, Il Viaggio is a hugely atmospheric and immersive affair that more than delivers on its conceptual premise.

Review: German-Brazilian artist Gloria de Olivera and David Lynch associate Dean Hugely come together for an album that cerebrates the joy and escapism of dream pop. It is an album on Sacred Bones awash with eerie synth strings that are offset by De Olivera's German vocals. Drums echo the sounds of the early Cocteau Twins and the shimmering synths take you higher. It is a low key work with plenty of lo-fi aesthetics but one that makes a grand emotional impact. 'Hanging Gardens' is a real favourite with its moody backdrop of wooly synths.

Review: The Slow life label branches out into ambient sounds away from their traditional deeper house grooves. It takes the form of an album by France's Deep Nalstrom who has established himself in Bristol with his tripped out and ethereal soundscapes. More of that downtempo magic defines this long player across seven tracks of otherworldly music. It's laden with percussion, steel drums, shimmering melodies and celestial energy that permeates the soul. It makes for one of the most brilliantly atmospheric and cinematic albums of ambient we've heard in a while.

Review: Malmo, Sweden-based Bolero Record store boss Dip Shim comes correct on his debut album with a sublime series of personal and storytelling cuts that find him digging deep into his reserves. The music is said to draw on his childhood in Spain and mixes up elements of downtempo, electro, techno and house. Across the 12 tracks there is plenty to explore with pensive electro opener 'Enter The Maragrillo' twitchy downbeat acid jam 'One For Regen' and deep space ambient soundtrack 'Bases Didacticas' all making an indelible impact.

Review: Leaving Records continues to gift us the most blissful sounds from parts unknown, or more specifically the LA underground, with this album from Fabiano Do Nascimento. The Brazil-born guitarist carries his roots through into his playing, gently folding samba and choro influences and a rich background in Brazilian classical into compositions embellished with the lightest touches of electronics. It's a resolutely soothing listen, as you would expect from Leaving, but it's not a static field of ambience. Rather, there are hidden treasures and intriguing pathways Nascimento leads us down, always finding a sense of resolution even the surroundings shift before our ears.

Review: Metallic Spheres In Colour is a newly reimagined and remixed version of David Gilmour and The Orb's 2010 collaboration Metallic Spheres. It arrives via Sony Music and is a brilliantly trippy work that stems from an idea by The Orb's founder Alex Paterson who always thought that, in the wake of the original version of the album, he could have done more to it. What stopped him was their original concept of "making the music like the Blade Runner soundtrack meets Wish You Were Here." As such, they decided to revisit it, remix it, and make it like an Orb classic that has resulted in a completely different but equally great work.