Downtempo Recommendations Best Of 2013

Review: Some two years in the making, Glide Time is the brand new studio album from Is It Balearic..? Recordings head boys Coyote. Eight tracks deep, this album sees Ampo and Timm Sure further perfect their approach to modern Balearica, ambling from moments of incandescent calm such as the expansive opening track "California Jam" and "Feel Beautiful" to euphoria inducing cuts like the chuggy "Swimming" and acid tinged "Break On Through". Look out for the guitar playing skills of Is It Balearic...? Stalwart Max Essa too. It is indeed Time to Glide. Switch on and feel the new Balearic beat at its best.

Review: Given the hype that surrounded the release of the first Moderat set back in 2009, we can surely expect more of the same for this second outing from Apparat and Modeselektor. Those familiar with the first album's woozy blend of IDM, Thom Yorke indebted vocal dreaminess, porchlight techno and post-dubstep rhythms will immediately feel right at home. Online reviews have focused largely on II's atmospheric warmth, and the way in which the Berlin-based trio seems to have refined their sound. Both are valid critiques; certainly, there's a maturity and musical complexity to the album that betters much of their previous works. It's not much of a dancefloor set, but that's entirely the point; this is locked-in headphone listening for the wide-eyed generation.

Review: Continuing his productive run of form with R&S off-shoot Apollo, Synkro returns with yet another bumper-sized collection of tracks that show off his ever-enriching talents as a producer of silken, dub infused electronica. Acceptance as a mini-album of sorts is a more resolutely downtempo affair than previous releases, staying firmly in the realm of melancholic passages through blue-hued instrumentation and crystalline beats. There is a sense of experimentation present in the likes of "Disappear" with its lingering guitar strums, while at times he moves away from beats altogether, but this is still very recognisable as the work of Synkro.

Review: The Invisible Sunrise remix series from Seahawks reaches its intended conclusion and you could say the duo have saved the best till last! Quiet Village come through with a self styled 'Cosmic Clam Bake' take on "Crystal Beach" that stretches past thirteen minutes of wonderfully tropical jungle chuggery but could easily dip into infinity without any danger of becoming boring. On the flip, Jon Brooks dons The Advisory Circle banner to mould "Calling Always" into an equally memorable arrangement of slo mo atmospherics whilst Seahawks themselves round out the 12" with their own 5AM Eternal version of "Crystal Beach" that's quite accurately described as sounding like "George Benson tripping on a beach in Hawaii at 5am".

Review: The Two Mamarrachos drop a limited edition 2 track 10" on Is It Balearic..? En Calma is a laid-back balearic shuffler with soft drums and dreamy lead guitar. drenched in Mediterranean sunshine. on the flip Trip to the Light is a slightly more uptempo percussive groove layered with folky strummed guitar. Perfect remedy to the winter nights. Play this and drift back to warmer times.

Review: The Aficionado label overseen by Moonboots & Jason Boardman delivers a wonderful sixth release which highlights the richness of musical talent emerging from their hometown Manchester. The focus is local songwriter Nev Cottee with two tracks off Stations; his new CD only album given the vinyl treatment by Aficionado who further demonstrates their curatorial skills with two well chosen remixes. "Oslo" showcases Cottee's song writing craft whilst "The Sun Also Rises" is a lush instrumental interlude channelling Byrdsian jangle and both are perfect Winter Balearic material for the more considered selectors. Mancunian tape enthusiast and recent London transplant Ruf Dug and Wonderfulsound remix the respective tracks with the former's tropical digi-dub effort quite excellent.

Review: When Will Ozanne first emerged in 2011, there was genuine amazement that someone so effortlessly soulful and melancholic could come from Southampton. While that may be a bit harsh on the south coast city, there's something surprisingly otherworldly about Ozanne's deep and intoxicating blends of blue-eyed soul, melancholic electronics and shuffling psychedelia. This sophomore album shows him at his tear-jerking best, delivering a soft focus set that gloriously joins the dots between low-key pop, leftfield soul, Radiohead-ish electronica, sparse dubstep and dreamy ambience. It's an arresting sound, oozing with heartfelt emotion, and as a result Invisible In Your City rewards repeat listens.

Review: When Will Ozanne first emerged in 2011, there was genuine amazement that someone so effortlessly soulful and melancholic could come from Southampton. This is meant as no disrespect to the South Coast city, it's just there's something surprisingly otherworldly about Ozanne's deep and intoxicating blends of blue-eyed soul, melancholic electronics and shuffling psychedelia. This sophomore album shows him at his tear-jerking best, delivering a soft focus set that gloriously joins the dots between low-key pop, leftfield soul, Radiohead-ish electronica, sparse dubstep and dreamy ambience. It's an arresting sound, oozing with heartfelt emotion, and as a result Invisible In Your City rewards repeat listens.

Review: Apparat has been working closely with London's infamous Mute records for a few years, and it's borne some rich fruit. We finally have a new LP from the man which we've been waiting impatiently for and its as excellent as you'd expect. The opener "44" is actually something slightly unexpected from Apparat, where solemn cellos twine graciously to their own rhythm, but things are soon engulfed into a familiar electronic shade one the noise version. "LightOn" is a near perfect amalgamation of shuffling clicks, euphoric pads and one hell of a bassline; but there's other highlights here for sure, such as the irresistibly seductive whale chants on "Blank Page" or the modern classical piano keys and violins merging on "K & F Thema (Pizzicato)" and the closing track "A Violet Sky" - something which surpasses all expectation thanks to its almost synth pop vibes.