A VISION OF PANORAMA Vinilo y CD

Review: He may be based in St Petersburg, a city not known for being a sun trap, but Mikhail Khvasko AKA A Vision of Panorama is incredibly good at making warming, summer-ready Balearic beats. Further proof, should it be needed, arrives via his latest EP for Cala Tarida Musica. In its original form, 'Unconditional' is a terrific slab of Balearic nu-disco/Balearic house fusion - all rubbery bass guitar, smooth bits, gorgeous chords and twinkling melodies. It comes backed with a breezier, breakbeat-sporting 'dub vinyl edit' (an even sunnier and more attractive affair) and an 'instrumental' pass of the more house-centric take. Rounding off another fine EP is 'Shall We', a colourful fusion of jangling house pianos, attractive keyboard sounds and squelchy synth-bass underpinned by a box-fresh, post-electro boogie beat.

Review: The diffuse hues and retro-feeling colours of the artwork on this new 45rpm from Star Creature perfectly embody the downtempo and Balearic sounds within. They come from A Vision Of Panorama who seems to ever more have the dance floor in sights over his last few releases. That's not to say these are banging tunes - but they do have lovely grooves. 'Piano Sunset' is a real spine tingler with 80s keys and mid tempo drums that come alive with crisp hits and a fresh bassline. 'Lost In Palms' then has a shuffling and low slung groove with nice wet hits. Add in some more lush chords and you have a real pearler.

Review: Following some great releases for the likes of his own imprint Mellophonia, Omena and Cala Tarida Musica, Mikhail Khvasko aka A Vision Of Panorama returns with a new one this week for Star Creature Universal Vibrations out of The Windy City - Chicago, Illinois. He serves up the late night boogie-down vibes of 'Purple' with its seductive vocal that's the perfect soundtrack for night drive down the coast on a balmy evening, plus there's a handy dub on the flip.

Review: Every once in a while, a release is slung our way that charms us so deeply that we're not sure what angle approach it from. Deliberately retro, but with one foot in the cosmic, Star Creature are a Chicago-based label whose take on space disco is extra janky and electronic. AVOP's new track 'Purple' is rattlesnaking and sultry, delving into a pitch-perfect rumination of a disco sound that 70's producers could only dream of achieving. Coming to purple 7" vinyl, the track makes "Russian violet cyber grapes rain in Chicago", as asserted by the artist.

Review: ***B-STOCK: Record sleeve damaged, product in working order***


A Vision Of Panorama have the kind of quintessentially inviting sound that by rights should find him soundtracking every sojourn from the swanky lounge bar to the sunkissed terrace, no matter the crowd. After the blissful sounds of the Sentimental Coast EP and Follow The Melody last year, Mikhail Khvasko returns with his third full-length, this time on Mellophonia. If you already dig the Panorama sound, you know what to expect. Plush, symphonic synth tapestries dripping with good vibes and accomplished musicality. You might get the odd dash of sultry sax, as on album highlight 'The Light', but primarily this is a place to revel in Khvasko's illustrious, feel-good keys.

Review: Since debuting on the sadly departed Aficionado label six years ago, Mikhail Khvasko's A Vision Of Panorama project has become one of the more reliable sources of sun-kissed Balearic soundscapes. He's in a particularly cheery and positive mood on this first outing of 2020, confidently skipping between jazz-funk influenced Balearic boogie (tasty opener "Atlantic Dawn"), late-80s style deep breakbeat haziness (the swelling chords, toe-tapping beats and Nu Guinea style synthesizer flourishes of "Mediterranean Tribal"), languid sunrise warmth (standout "Sentimental Coast", whose twinkling piano solos are sublime) and bubbly, synth-propelled jazziness (the similarly awesome "Vibechos"). In other words, it's another must-have collection of cuts from a modern Balearic maestro.

Review: Having thus far released EPs for Aficionado and Music For Dreams, A Vision Of Panorama return to their regular haunt Mellophonia to expand on the promise of their shorter works to go deep into a Balearic dream on Aquafusion. It's a perfect meditation on serene funk from start to finish, spanning eight tracks of tender musicianship that sit very easy on the ears. The likes of "Surf Blue" almost do away with drums entirely in a quest for calm, while "Barbados" and others offer up a more sprightly vision of 80s-flavoured groove, but throughout the mysterious hands behind the record maintain a smooth and steady mood that binds the album together.

Review: Fusion Sequence is a new offshoot from the Mellophonia label that kicks off with a heavyweight release both literally - its 180g vinyl - and metaphorically. It features seven different artists offering up one track each on what is a widescreen exploration of fresh deep house. They are A Vision of Panorama, Eternal Love, Pool Boy, Wolfey, Laseech, Larry Quest and Jay Sound and between them everything from cuddly depths to more moody late-night deepness is covered on an EP that brings plenty of new perspectives. A fine inaugural 12", then.

Review: Averaging a release a year since launching 2016, super cool silky disco label Noire & Blanche kick into a new year nice and early with their biggest release to date; a full-bodied six-tracker from some of wryest of artists. Smooth, dusky jams in all directions, highlights include previous Noire & Blanche wiseguys such as Tell, who follows up his last EP with the near P-funk levels of groove on "Endless Love", and Folamour who goes all out orchestral disco on "I Know It Has Been Done Before". Elsewhere A Vision Of Panorama apply full Balearic flavours to the balmy beauty of "Wind, Brass & Bells" and Too Smooth Christ takes us right back down the Trax to 88. All this and plenty more, could this be a sign Noire & Blanche may be releasing a few more records this year. We hope so.

Review: There is a wealth of talent on show on the third EP from the Fusion Sequence label which has put together this six-track deep house sizzler. The Variable Club' 'Biorhythms' is perfectly warm and dynamic for cosy backroom moments and Alpine DJ then brings an old school piano feel to 'Pepe Nony' before A Vision Of Panorama zones you out on lush chords and reverential keys on 'Kissing The Sun.' The flipside offers the more dark and heads-down 'Many Stories' while the blissed-out and feel-good grooves return with Common Mode's 'Bassface.' Body Corp shuts down with the slower, seductive sounds of 'Take It Or Leave It' which rounds out a top-class EP.