Esencia 黑胶唱片和CD

Review: The prolific Kieron Ifill continues to gift us with truly expressive, elevated house music drawing from the well of soul music and Black innovation that birthed the genre in the first place. After a recent 7" drop on Sounds Familiar, he's back on his own Esencia label with Rituals, a four-track meditation on sweet, synth-led grooves with melodious expression, harmonic interplay and a certain melancholy magic in its bones. The 12" is bookended by mellow, beatless reveries, with 'Ritual IV' in particular closing the record out in a beautiful flourish of piano and trickling water, but the jams at the heart of the EP have more than enough presence to get a floor moving in unison.

Review: London-based beat smith K15 is a UK answer to the likes of Kyle Hall - his house music is steeped in jazz, soul and funk. His drums are dusty and loose - and louche - and his moods are deeply meaningful. His latest EP is another case in point with three more sublime and seductive sounds. 'Still Devoted' is a downtempo cut with analogue drums and gorgeous female vocals soaring up top with the elegance of a church choir. 'State Of Play' has a fantastically cosmic outlook and a nimble bassline that rides its own ride as the synths soar and 'Time Reveals' then closes down with a more melancholic but no less beautiful vibe.