Bless You Germany 黑胶唱片和CD

Review: Aggelos Baltas aka Anatolian Weapons has been allowed access to the Sound Metaphors label in order to work his magic on some fine source material. The Greek producer flips five of them into magical minimal grooves embellished with plenty of great synth work and mystic melodies. His cherry picking of some of these 90s gems leads him to dub out, slow down, trip out and speed up the likes of High Lonesome Sound System's percussive new age dream 'Waiting For The Lights' (Tribal remix) and the chugging disco churner that is The Factory's 'TIME' (Moving Slowly mix) to make for a truly original collection.

Review: DJ and producer Mark Grusane is a hails from Chicago and is co-owner of Mr. Peabody Records, which specialises in rare and obscure vinyl from around the world. While many prior releases have appeared due to that affiliation, 'Book Me For Your Birthday Party' hears the cream of his music released for German label Bless You. Four raw, sexual, jacking, jukey house music cuts appear, showing off the kind of production antics Grusane gets up to while enjoying his off hours at the record store. While they're at least ten years old, we're sure Grusane still has access to the same inner clown that not only allows him to be such a great party guest, but also lets him make such heaters.

Review: After his first album on Blessyou, Turquoise, Mogwaa aka. Seungyoung Lee, from Seoul, is back with another stellar contribution, this time re-visiting his earlier days of musical appreciation in reggae music. This album is another entirely instrumental work with eight tracks, effortlessly displaying his confidence in the studio when it comes to dreamy dubbed out ambient sounds intertwined with heavy digi, steppers, and even dancehall influences. A refreshing treat to the ear when it comes to contemporary productions as Mogwaa approaches the Jamaican genre with a refined aesthetic of his own. From Korea, with much craft and dedication for the music, it's a pleasure to have him back.

Review: Mad About Records is back with another essential double dose of Latin funk with this limited edition 7" from Los Sonidos De F.M. and Sola. 'Tema De Los Adolesentes' kicks off on the flip with brilliantly lively samba keys and blasts of big horn energy next to more slinky and seductive lines. It's a true steamy dancer full of sex appeal while Sola take a different approach on the flip with 'Tabu.' This one is low slung and mischievous with its prickly rhythms and wet cymbals. The Spanish vocal is delivered with power and flair and backed by brooding harmonies that add extra weight.

Review: Talk about keeping things on a knife edge. The first, and title track on this powerhouse EP is pretty much destined to whip any venue into a storm of expectation, not-so-much building but rather opening with this full-sounding, heavily atmospheric, space-y, proggy, could be techno, could be electro, could be trance arrangement. The kind of thing where there might as well be flairs firing into the sky warning you how much stomping a floor can take.

Similar vibes on 'Medusa', only on a deeper, darker, more menacing tip, a tune that sucks ears into another world entirely, one that's a little unsettling, and certainly difficult to find your way back out of. Elsewhere, things embrace a high-NRG ethic, with both 'Plasma' and 'Onda Sotto' taking things up to almost-gabber tempos, but without actually committing to the pounding fours.

Review: Originally written and produced by Japanese power couple Tatsuro Yamashita and Mariya Takeuchi in 1984, 'Xin Ai' stood out as one of the quintessences of Japanese city pop at the time. Later in 1991, it was covered with new Cantonese lyrics by Anita Mui; and now, over three decades later, yet another cover version surfaces again in Cantonese by Anita Mui, lending the song a completely fresh bedroom pop aura. Still retaining something ineffable of that 80s drum-machinic stuttery steeze and yet also recalling the decade's cusped interest in video game music as trailblazed by YMO, 'Xin Ai' comes in the form of a club mix and a karaoke version, and continues to push a well-documented stylistic yoke.