Back catalogue: Balearic/Downtempo

Review: New label U - Bend debuted back in September with a tidy Balearic 12" and promised that it would "bridge the gap between acid cougars and the namaste death cult." It is the eponymous production team that takes charge of this 12" again and again the vibe is Balearic. 'Rip It Off' starts off with some syrupy and sugary rhythms that are laid back and funky in their own way. Steamy vocals and acidic liens drive to take things higher and on the flip 'How's Your Father' brings some more laid back cool, this time with acoustic guitar strums and cosmic pads.

Review: The crucial Original Gravity label is busy this month with three red hot new 7"s all dropping in quick succession. The top-notch funk crew has this spilt 7" from Umoza Music Project and The Woodfield Road Allstars up here on limited wax. The a-side is a sunny bit of original rousing 70s reggae direct from the islands. Backing vocalists provide plenty of butter while the lead laments a love lost and the rhythm rolls on. On the back side is a much more stoner-paced and funk drenched laidback instrumental with Balearic guitar licks that look to the stars as organ chords warm you through and the rocksteady rhythm gently sways to and fro. Two gems for sure.

Review: Insense has put together a tidy 7" featuring a rendition of Pharoah Sanders' 'Moon Child' which was first specially crafted for the compilation album Incense Music for Bed Room. It is a lush and spiritual sound led by gorgeous wind instruments and fluttery melodies over gentle and persuasive rhythms. On the flip, Yoshiharu Takeda's 'Bliss Of Landing' is another escapist sound with more of the same. A lovely 45 rpm for those quiet moments.

Review: Freedom To Spend finally make available again the great 1992 debut album by Chaleur Humaine. It has been remastered for the occasion and is the first time it's been available for many years. This limited edition bundles also comes with a bonus 45 featuring the singles 'Maelstrom' and 'Human' which are two more gems form the arsenal of the French duo of musicians and siblings, Danielle and Didier Jean. This album came after two records of pop songs that no one really cared for and so the pair head off to build their own studio un Orsay, Paris, to create this newly liberated sound which is a mix of new age electronics and dreamy vocals.

Review: Unchained is the longstanding solo project of Nathaniel Davis. Gabbeh is his latest offering to the world, a suite of blissfully introspective tracks that envelop the soul in a blanket of soft, delicate moods, their sole purpose to comfort aching heads. Remarkably, dedicated fans will know you can trace the artist's lineage to noise mix tapes on CD-R, although more recent excursions into Bossa nova influenced tones perhaps help bridge the gap between then and now. Recorded at home over a three year period, from 2020 to 2023, Grenoble, Switzerland, played a big part in end results here. "I think certain songs reflect, in ways, Grenoble's natural surroundings. 'Drac' is named after the river that flows from the mountains down to the city - 'Dru' is the name of a well-known peak near Chamonix," Davis has explained. That as may be, nevertheless there's something more transportive than that here - songs feel as though they would be at home anywhere green, slow and thoughtful.

Review: The Mellophonia label offshoot Fusion Sequence won us over with its well-presented and great-sounding first EP, and now a quick follow-up does the same. This one is another various artists affair that starts with some nice futuristic robot disco from Vanity Project. There is more organic and lush Balearic from Bobby Bricks and Pacific Coliseum follows that spine-tingling Ibiza sunset vibe. On the flip side, there is everything from late-night electronic house to lazy disco via Sorcerer's blissed out 'Just For Love' which would entrance any dance floor. There's as much quality as there is variation on this one, which makes it a useful EP indeed.