ZOPELAR Vinilo y CD

Review: The third and final EP from the ten year anniversary series by French label D3 Elements is another one that offers a wide range of excellent grooves. To kick off, Jason Hogans takes us into woozy late night territory with muffled leads and lazy breaks, then Zopelar heads for the cosmos on his radiant synth laced house offering 'Resolution.' Malik Hendricks keeps it low key and slow with his intimate basement sounds on 'Green Mango' then Meftah rebuilds on a dusty Theo Parrish tip with 'Maha Shatki.' Damar Davis offers pure cosmic deep house lushness on closer 'Kiss In The Dark.'

Review: Freaky, playful synthwork from Sao Paolo's Zopelar on the ever-reliable Tartelet imprint. Over eight immensely juiced, irreverent meditations on synth funk, boogie, deep house, Italo disco and acid, Zope showcases a mastery of foregrounding unconventional musical forces, cheeky and envelope-pushing analogue synth programming and genre-mangling at its very best. Highlights include the heart-in-mouth sway of 'Distraction', which at times sounds like a lovechild of Marcellus Pittman and Genesis-era Larry Heard, the eerie, questing squelch of seductive B-side opener 'Safe In The Dark' and the queasy, euphoric alarmism of lost freestyle hit 'Free Your Spirit (Ritmo II). Very addictive.

Review: Brazilian producer Zopelar is back with another crucial full length just over a year after he dazzled with his Universe album on Funkineven's Apron label. This one is another showcase of his analogue machinery and 80s synths styles. It transports you to a hazy Cali sunset with flame red skies and humid temps. Cuts like 'Festa' ride on bumpy beats with glowing chords up top while 'Virgo' explores a more broken up, even garage-tinged beat as those trademark chords light up the skies above. 'Passado' slips into a dazzling rake on piano-laced Chicago house and 'Do You Feel?' slows things down with sultry late night romance.