Fina 黑胶唱片和CD

Review: A sub-label of Ralph Lawson's 20:20 Vision empire, Fina has already dispensed four EPs since they set up shop at the beginning of this year. For their fifth, they invite Dutch duo Morning Factory to the label. Titled "Sultans Of Swing", the EP (thankfully) bears little resemblance to Dire Straits and includes a remix from the UK's very own Cottam. The title track earmarks an instantly soothing edge; its succulent horn-like synths swelling against the percussion and making way for lengthy beds and brass melodies. Cottam's remix however drags "Sultans Of Swing" deeper still as pitches drop and synths slow to a crawl like pace to create a trippy, dream-like remix. "Lady" follows in its predecessor's simmering footsteps, before a looped vocal reminiscent of late nineties R&B lifts the entire track into a melodic heart wrencher.

Review: FINA Records presents Terrence Pearce's 'Last Night Lover EP' featuring the return of Francis Inferno Orchestra on the rework.

Having previously released on a number of prominent labels including Futureboogie, Wolf Music, Petfood, Kolor, Dark Energy and Freshmeat, Cape Town based DJ/Producer Terrence Pearce has emerged as a talented and sought after artist and is the latest quality edition to FINA Records' roster. Here 'Last Night Lover EP' offers up a healthy dose of the forward thinking house productions for which Terrence has become renowned; a 3 tracker that demonstrates his impeccable sonic style and production prowess.

The title track sets the tone from the off. The long and drawn out spacey synths transfix whilst the fading in and out of the subdued strings, offset against the low end warble and the foregrounded off beat percussion, give this classy understated cut a deliciously smooth and timeless quality.

'Come On Yah' meanwhile is a warm and effortless disco edged groove, characterized by its infectious low-end throb and clever concoction of playful rhythms, punchy hats, staccato strings and off kilter chords.

Then, out of nowhere 'Taxi' arrives; a wonderfully leftfield amalgamation of horn beeping, door slamming, taxi hollering madness, aggressive techno stabs and a relentless belter of a bass line which drives the contagious rhythm to an unexpected frenetic funk filled break.

Last up and hot off the back of his widely acclaimed debut album 'A New Way of Living', Melbourne's Francis Inferno Orchestra returns to FINA, this time on 'Taxi' remixing duties. After a masterful dose of his signature drum machine rhythms, early rave like samples and rainforest atmospherics FIO softens the original into near obscurity.

Review: FINA Records presents 'Tyranny of Fun', the debut EP from Slow Learner. The coining of the new alias 'Slow Learner', marks a new chapter and musical direction for an already established artist who is by no means new to the game. Preferring to start afresh and steer clear from associations, the somewhat reclusive figure from the South Coast is now focused instead on allowing his new output to speak solely for itself. And his debut release under his new pseudonym achieves just that. 'Tyranny of Fun' is an accomplished sonic offering that reveals a versatile sound characterized by original combinations of samples, depth and range. The EPs opener, 'The Skin Horse' is surely one for the after afters - a dark and off kilter growler of a track whose prevailing bassline and waltz time beat provide a brooding backdrop and relentless rolling nod to its intricate fusion of dissident chords, dusty synths and jazz stabs. On the flip side, an unpredictable 'Cupboard Love' starts muted and deep but soon surprises, opening out into a warm and progressive feel-good groove. Mixing things up again, Slow Learner impulsively cuts up the flow 4 minutes in with a funk-filled refrain, leaving the track dancing in and around dirtier disco territories. Last up, a made for vinyl 'Honey' goes deeper still; a delectably crafted down tempo offering whose syrupy vocals stir and evocative cross-rhythm synths, coupled with the vintage analogue percussion, ooze an unmistakable old 90's deep house sound.

Review: The original deep house don Rick Wade is back in action with yet more of those soul-rooted tones to tickle your emotions and speak to your inner funk. This time he's been snapped up by 20:20 offshoot Fina who know a thing or two about the genre, and Mr. Wade has responded by pushing his sound further into sumptuous sample-laden territory that wakes up his somnambulant sound into something almost feisty. "Sweet Life" rolls on a heartfelt beatdown with romantic string swells and guitar licks, while "The Chateau" gets into a nasty groove with plenty of live drums and dramatic horn blasts before a more typical Wade style emerges on the steady grooving "Jazz Militia". To cap it all off Mr Beatnick delivers a remix of "Sweet Life' that works some fulsome bass into a sparser construction with dazzling results.