Leng 黑胶唱片和CD

Review: After an absence of a few years, 40 Thieves return to Leng Records with one of their most special releases to date: a hook-up with long-time Patrick Adams collaborator Gary Davis and long serving soulstress Cinammon Jones. What's on offer is a re-make of one of Jones' songs, 'The Gift', whose sweet lyrics celebrate the arrival of a new day. 40 Thieves take, explored first in the A-side 'Disco Mix', sounds like it was designed to be danced to during a San Francisco sunrise - think dub disco delays, hypnotic grooves, bubbly electronics, languid guitar licks and gentle melodies. Over on the flip, they take the track further into 'woozy 6am open air dancing territory' on a superb, stretched out 'Disco Dub' mix, before peppering a killer drum track with spaced-out electronics on the 'Beats' version.

Review: Andy Meecham's forthcoming ninth album as the Emperor Machine, Island Boogie, is a genuine treat - a wonderfully colourful and effects-laden trip into what the former Bizarre Inc and Chicken Lips man calls 'electronic cosmic disco-boogie'. To get us all in the Mood, Leng have served up this EP of dubs and remixes. In the latter category you'll find a superb, piano solo-laden proto-house rework of 'Devoilez-Vous' by fellow Stafford act T Kutt, and a typically warm, languid Balearic disco interpretation of 'Island Boogie' by Leng co-founder Mudd. Meecham delivers two wonderfully skeletal, wayward and trippy instrumental dubs, lightly transforming 'Devoilez-Vous' and 'La Cassette' in turn. In a word: essential.

Review: Andrew Meecham is one of the most widely respected figures in the Births underground music. He is a synth wizard who never repeats himself but has always managed to maintain a wigged out, psychedelic sound coughed in disco but with hints of acid, house and synth. This frankly bloody brilliant new single is another one packed with colour, tooting arps, cosmic rays, chugging bass and lush textures that is so vibrant and vivid you want to bath in it. Both an extended vocal mix and instrumental are included and both are faultless.

Review: Disco lovers Leng enlist enduring disco wizard and studio genius The Emperor Machine for a big new single here that was made alongside Severine Mouletin. It comes as two versions on this new 12", with the extended vocal going fist. It's a steamy and tropical bit of disco with feathery, whispered and seductive French language vocals over squelchy synth bass and hip swinging claps. Cosmic twinges finish it in style and on the flip side it gets a little more wild and tropical. An eco-system of synth daubs and neon colours bring the groove to life in a more interplanetary way.

Review: Andrew 'Emperor Machine' Meecham and French vocalist Severine Moultin enjoyed working on their first collaborative single, 2021's 'Dance Par Amour', so last year reunited in the studio to record a follow-up. 'Your Own Style' follows a similar sonic template, with Mouletin singing in accented English atop a typically analogue-heavy Meecham backing track laden with bubbly bass, delay-laden electric piano motifs, layered percussion and the producer's trademark synth squiggles (a feature of his work since the days he was working with Dean Meredith as Chicken Lips). The song is presented in three variations: the stretched-out and pleasingly loose 'Alternative Mix'; the sparse, effects-laden and mid-80s influenced 'Dub Vocal'; and the warmer, subtly funkier 'Fun Dub'.

Review: When it first landed on Leng in 2018, Fernando Pulichino's 'Search of Indigo' delivered a typically attractive blend of dub disco, nu-disco, Balearica and stylish lead vocals from Luca Gaspirini. Six years on, the track returns in remixed form. The Argentinian producer and multi-instrumentalist kicks things off with his own 'AM Mix', a deliciously low-slung and psychedelic chugger propelled forwards by raw, restless TB-303 acid lines, low-slung bass guitar and the dreamiest of pads. Luca Trevisi AKA LTJ Experience handles the rest of the EP, delivering a trio of hazy, slow motion and pleasingly dubbed-out revisions. His A-side remix, in which echoing vocal snippets and jangly guitars catch the ear, is followed by the superbly squelchy, acid-flecked 'Dirty Mix' and the more immersive and hazy dancefloor 'Dub'.

Review: Former Silver City man Fernando Pulichino seems to be mellowing with age. Having previously explored punk-funk, nu-disco and deep house on his solo releases, he's now switched his focus to dub-influenced, slo-mo Balearic synth-rock. Many of the old trademarks are still present - think rubbery live bass, fluorescent, vintage-sounding synths and unfussy beats - but are here joined by fuzzy guitar solos and an evocative vocal from guest star Fiorucci. It's a potent blend, reminiscent of early '80s cosmic rock with a little more nu-disco nous. The original vocal version is joined by a delicious Extended Dub, which impressively stretches out the infectious, head-nodding groove.

Review: Intrallazzi and Dario Piana have been friends and Milanese scene contemporaries since 1981, when they both fell in love with the distinctive Afro-Cosmic sound of local DJ (and later Piana collaborator) Daniel Baldelli. Since then, they have both made records aplenty under a variety of aliases, but this EP on Leng marks their first joint release. The headline attraction is opener (and lead cut) 'Out of Control', a dubbed-out cosmic disco chugger propelled by echo-laden percussion and a deep, low-slung bassline, smothered in psychedelic synth and guitar sounds. Fellow Italian producer LTJ Experience remixes, offering up a stripped-back and acid-flecked interpretation. Elsewhere, 'Lazise' is a TB-303-sporting cosmic shuffler and 'Saocraffen' is a Baldelli-influenced fusion of Afro-cosmic funk and ethereal Balearic sounds.

Review: Greek DJ/producer Lex has been part of the scene in his home city of Athens since the dawn of the millennium, though it's only in the last few years that he's focused more on making music. The results of his efforts, which were previously showcased on 12" singles for Leng and Samosa Records, amongst others, have been quietly impressive. His debut album, Waving, continues in the same vein, utilising a pool of musician friends to craft cuts that blur the boundaries between sun-kissed, sofa-friendly Balearic warmth and subtly funk-fuelled, dub disco-framed dancefloor shufflers. The plentiful highlights include the stunning, tropical-tinged opener, 'Punta Allen', the organ-sporting vocal squelch-along 'Window Spells', acid-flecked nu-disco-meets-cosmic disco workout 'Silver Peace' and high-octane number 'Down My Soul'.

Review: A fresh collaborative dance effort from the fine folks over at Leng, centring on reworks of the brilliant debut album Waving by producer Lex (Alex Andrikopolous). Released in 2022, we're now two years ahead, and come met with this fine array. Kicking things off with a glorious Faze Action remix of 'Punta Allen', on which guitars, steel pans and clap-slaps abound, we're soon further into the mid-rave movements of 'Libre De Amor', a new one with Locke, followed by the acidic additives of Ruf Dug's version of 'Prezend'. Finally, another original, 'Super Awake', surfaces as the cascading coda to an all-out suite of neo-Balearic delights.

Review: Only by upholding and enforcing a limit can diehard music fans find the will to "keep coming back"; and by the sounds of it, recording artists Liminal know this rule all too well. The Danish duo and new Leng signees are still relative neonates on the scene, having paired up as session musicians in Denmark's flagship indie electronica studio Troest; they too could not avoid keeping coming back to each other, perhaps by sheer force of unavoidable collaborative potency. With a new midnight funk-disco threnody, 'Keep Coming Back To Me' harks back to the best of Scandi post-punk and disco as it swept the Baltic peninsulas in the early noughts; 'The Moon Is Changing' develops said captivating indietronic sound to a post-progressive effect, bringing a next-levelling of fused funk and abstract electronica.

Review: Out Of The Blue, Phil Mison's first compilation for some time, was apparently inspired by his first few trips to the White Isle of Ibiza, and specifically the unlikely set of circumstances that led to him filling in for Jose Padilla at Cafe Del Mar. Musically, it's reflective of the story, joining the dots between impossible-to-find rarities (see the loved-up instrumental jazz-rock of "Jelly" by The Cactus Rose Project and the life-affirming fusion business of Christoph Spendel Group's "Forever", for starters), huggable Balearic synth-pop, flamenco-inspired sunset gems, and a smattering of head-in-the-clouds Italian dream house killers. Given Mison's heritage and status as one of Balearica's top selectors, it's perhaps unsurprising that Out Of The Blue is undeniably brilliant.

Review: Baz Bradley and A Girl Called Kate team up to make Orbs Of Light, cementing their decades-long collaborative synergy with a slice of contemporary Balearic beat. 'Billion Days' hears Kate loll through a resolute vocal line, as its production opens up an ever-expansive beach-bound vista, whether by sequenced steel pans or synths. The 10" also includes remixes by 40 Thieves and Mind Fair, who add their own twists to the original.

Review: There are few record collectors and DJs with crates quite as deep as Psychemagik. They've already proved this beyond doubt via a trio of brilliant Magik compilations for Paul Murphy and Simon Purnell's Leng label. Magik Sunset Part 2 continues this run, gathering together another double-album's worth of fantastic obscurities from the worlds of stoner disco, left-of-centre rock, psychedelia and Balearica. As usual, there are some genuine "how did I not know about this record" moments, from the star-kissed Balearic jazz of Fabio Fabor and saucer-eyed white boy reggae-rock of the Trepidants, to the Flamenco-tinged AOR disco shuffle of Jack Adkins' "Sunset Beach".

Review: Here comes the first sampler, all part of Leng Records' 10th Anniversary celebrations. It marks the cultured label's 50th release and precedes a special compilation of overlooked favourites, classics and unreleased material. This one is well worth your attention though, beforehand. Phenomenal Handclap Band founder Quinn Luke with his longtime pal Alexis Georgopoulos combine as Q&A for the first two tracks, with Lex providing the third and fourth, all proving to be seductive, slow motion Balearic groovers for grown up movers. Q&A's 'Pulse' is a future groove, Lex's 'Max Pen' is a cheery number with lush squelchy bass and skyward chords, while the latter's closing offering 'GP Score' brings a little more energy.

Review: Leng Records' 59th release is something a little different: a very personal collection of largely obscure and hard-to-find gems, mostly created by European pop producers in the late '70s and early '80s, from artist and record collector Paul Beckett. Firmly Balearic and sun-soaked in tone, there's plenty to set the pulse racing throughout. For proof, first check Ray & John's 'Day By Day (Instrumental), which sounds like Please-era Pet Shop Boys reclining at a pool party in Rimini, before admiring the space rock/synth-pop fusion of 'Angelo' by Angel'o. Over on the flip, Beckett offers up three more slices of glassy-eyed goodness, with the loved-up deep synth pop of Angel and the fretless bass-sporting wooziness of Eggs Time standing out.

Review: Sadeira - a trio made up of members based in both Brooklyn and Brazil - previously impressed with a handful of high-grade releases on Let's Play House. Now they've transferred to London-based Leng to showcase their latest colourful, cross-cultural musical fusions. Lead cut 'Luzes Ca Didade' is undeniably brilliant: a swelteringly humid slab of samba-nu disco brilliance rich in fluttering flutes, layered Brazilian percussion, squelchy synth bass, glistening guitars and life-affirming bi-lingual vocals. It's backed with two tidy reworks - a flute-heavy instrumental take, and the band's own sweaty, percussive, and sub0heavy broken house revision, which drags the track further towards peak-time dancefloors. The EP's final track is fab, too: a synth-heavy, early '80s influenced dub reggae rework of previous single 'Deixa Tudo Fluir' that may well be the EP's standout moment.

Review: Takovou stakes his claim to a wider audience with 'Perfect Match', a wonky four-tracker with a sense of depth and slow unfurling that is hardly achievable by most artists (presumably, they'd lose their patience). Dreamy movers like 'Homesickness' and 'Bubbles' are at once light and deep, perhaps reflecting the airy and unburdened headspace of this obscure Russian artist, who now resides in Tbilisi. A curveball also comes in the form of 'Another The Same', which more recalls Four Tet than the prior, less dense ambient works heard before.