Neroli Italy 黑胶唱片和CD

Review: Chicago's Shannon Harris goes in real deep on this latest 12" for the incorrigible Neroli imprint and as per usual, it's nuthin' but shimmering quality throughout. Harris revisits two of his classics; first on his Lucid Dream mix of "Into The Light", a jazzy, deep house number featuring the vocal talents of Brandice Manuel, and then on the Elektrix remix of Kinetic Energy, a hazy lo-fi cut which would make the perfect soundtrack to any sunrise. Bliss.

Review: Italian imprint Neroli grace us with the second in a series of 12 inches prepped to celebrate their 10th anniversary. Volcov's label is known for excelling in many styles and that's aptly demonstrated here. Jus Ed's better half Jenifa Mayanja kicks off with future boogie of "Sunset" which sees her ethereal voice glide over an increasingly off kilter jazz bump. Chicago veteran Anthony Nicholson follows with relentlessly uplifting vocal assisted groove of "Communication". The real gold however is nestled on the B Side, with "So" from Mancunian Be (Prime Numbers/Wolf Music) a heaving mass of Detroit influenced brilliance which locks into a Rhodes heavy and delightfully soul flecked groove midway through. Nutmeg aka UK legend Dego rounds things off on a high with the rusted bruk step danger of "Tangent".

Review: Returning to his fruitful Latin Soul Brothas venture, Ricardo Miranda once again reaches across the Atlantic from Chicago to Italy to collaborate with Neroli on this sturdy and varied four tracker. "808 Signatures" instantly stands out, working around a skippy groove that features more cowbell and rimshot than anything else from the fabled drum machine, while a looping synth creates a cheeky, left of centre feel. "Voices Of The World" is a more summery, piano-led jam with a Larry Heard flavour, and "Faces Revenge" pulls everything back for a slow but sturdy DJ tool. "Mental Samurai" cools everything off with another richly melodic jaunt through floating pads and gossamer beats.

Review: A quick google search of "Blake Hall" results in links to an Essex community hall, a disused tube station and a Pokemon character from Bulbapedia. It's fun to imagine that somehow all three inspired Soul 223 aka Steve Pickton's latest Blake Hall Boogie missive on Italian imprint Neroil (a possible nod to Eno's 1993 hour long instrumental opus?). The title track seats modulating synths next to fluted bass tonks and metallics, replacing wonted Roland hi-hats. "Epiphany" is a quickened and shuffly groove with a fuzzy synth line as its centrepiece, whereas "From The Dirt" enters drowsy balearic territory via slower BPMs and off kilter sonics. The upbeat Nite Life mix to "The City Never Sleeps" caps off an EP perfect for the future boogie tip.