CULROSS CLOSE Vinilo y CD

Review: Culross Close is an alias of Wild Oats graduate K15, an artist, DJ, producer and deep thinker who has brought his of sense of style to house, jazz and hip hop over the last seven or so years. He returns to his Esencia label here for a third full length with mesmeric synth work and perfectly loose beat structures. The atmospheric opener 'Pressure!' sets a sensitive tone with background crowd noises and gentle chords then 'To Belong' settles in rickety beats, with gorgeous piano notes lingering up top as the synths sing. From there, the tempos rise and fall, the synth craft remains of the highest quality and the ideas continue to flow. A typically fine work from a fine artist.

Review: Wild Oats graduate K15 appears here under the Culross Close moniker, a title that is perhaps reserved for slower, deeper, and more beautiful things such as this latest six-tracker for Japan's Sound Of Speed. "Home" kicks things off with a mild-paced, sun-kissed groove for the downtempo heads, "Meditations" is a distinctly jazzy moment, "Fatherless Boys" takes us back to Dego-like broken beat years, and "Spark!" heads back to the Blue Note for some more jazz experimentation. Over on the B-side, "Requiem+Reflections" nods to house and salutes funk, whereas "(Faith)" meanders its placid waters through a long, meditative river of harmony. Beautifully executed music, end of.

Review: Many years after the first instalment we are now treated to a second volume of the Culross Close project from K15, a one time Wild Oats graduate, artist, DJ, producer and deep thinker who mixes up house, hip hop and jazz. He assumes his usual alias for the opener 'Pulse' which dances on dusty drums with nagging melodies in the middle and plenty of swing. On the flip he becomes Culross Close for 'Dawn' which his less club ready and more expressive, with heart melting pianos and a real jumble of drums and perc that is brilliantly loose.

Review: K15 has been a man on a mission since he first emerged. The London based musician and beat maker has a truly cosmic sound that leans heavily on jazz for inspiration. He's worked on vital labels like Wild Oates and Eglo and now pops up on Mother Tongue to care of one side of this hot 12". His "elemental" is a far sighted track with cosmic keys and spiritual pads layered up over tumbling broken beats. On the flip, his other alias Culross Close appears with "Intrinsic Value" which is a lush track at the intersection of house, jazz, broken beat and jazz-funk. It is stuffed with the sort of very real feelings that define all his work.