Psychemagik 黑胶唱片和CD

Review: Psychemagik's 2011 mission through space and time, "Valley of Paradise", is treated to re-workings from some of disco and house's leading lights. Rayko begins proceedings with a solid, space climbing disco beat, complete with demanding bass line, creeping guitar loops and shattering synthesisers. The Time & Space Machine mutes the beat and slows the pace, stripping the music and filling the space with glistening sounds. Edits ledge Greg Wilson slows the pace further, creating an almost lethargic remix of the original. The guitar licks drunkenly fall in and out of the music, while emotive strings act as the thread which ties this remix together. Finally, Toby Tobias gives us the infectious elements of disco, but incorporates the warm textures of house.

Review: It goes without saying that Psychemagik's record collection is deeper than your average ocean. Despite the success of their productions, they've largely risen to prominence through their acclaimed compilations, and some stellar re-edits of records so obscure they barely even exist. Diabolical Synthetic Fantasia, a self-released compilation, offers another excuse to show off their crate digging skills. Almost all of the unidentified material featured on this two-disc set (one disc mixed, one unmixed) is unfeasibly brilliant. By and large, it's also rather strange, joining the dots between psyche-funk, weird-out disco, folksy oddness, acid-fried boogie and bizarre rock. It makes for a highly entertaining listen, and a one riotous party. Don't sleep.

Review: Released back in October, Diabolical Synthetic Fantasia was the all new mix CD from the much loved cosmic crate diggers extraordinaire Psychemagik and fully lived up to the standard of previous compilations from the pair, stacked heavy with thick psyche, collector's holy grails and freaked out disco monsters. Fans of Psychemagik and the vinyl format will be pleased to see the lads have pulled six untitled nuggets from the compilation for issue on this impressively green and red splattered 12". A must for those selectors that play the more far out dance establishments!

Review: We'd argue that "Feelin' Love" is one of the most impressive productions in Psychemagik's growing catalogue. First released in the spring of 2019, it returns to stores in 2020 via a fresh white vinyl pressing. The track is impressively drowsy, warm and woozy, with fragile, eyes-closed female R&B vocals rising above a blend of snappy drums, thickset bass, swirling synth sounds and chiming melodies, all seasoned with the kind of trippy effects that hit home hard when you're feeling love (sorry) at four in the morning. Flipside "Wake Up Everybody" is arguably even better, with the production pair peppering a head-nodding, hip-hop influenced groove with impeccably dubbed-out piano sounds and opaque musical flourishes.

Review: There are certain songs so eternal they could be re-edited and repressed into infinity and never grow old. There are also certain remixers and re-editors that can be trusted with even the biggest of anthems, and Psychemagick are surely up there. Taking on Talking Heads' "This Must Be The Place" and Fleetwood Mac's "Everywhere" is no mean feat, when the originals were such pop perfection to begin with. Balancing the scales between a fresh treatment and solemn respect for the sanctity of the original versions, these versions simply add a little oomph in the rhythm section and apply smatterings of blissful, dubbed-out FX where it counts to send these perennial favourites into the stratosphere.

Review: It's been a while since celebrated crate diggers-turned-re-editors Psychemagik treated us to some sublime scalpel works. Predictably, the two edits showcased here - both of little-known tracks discovered during their dusty-fingered digging missions around the world - are both top notch. A-side "The Trip" is a fine chunk of psychedelic-era druid funk - a veritable pagan ritual full of acid-fried, floor-friendly rock grooves, hallucinogenic flourishes and hazy, hug-a-stranger chorus vocals. Flip for "Sisters of the Moon", a drowsy, loved-up and thoroughly eccentric slice of slow bliss smothered in wavy synths, lilting steel guitar and sumptuous orchestration. It's great to have them back.