Claremont 56 Vinilo y CD

Review: Since its release almost a decade ago, Furstattl's debut EP for Claremont 56, the revivalist krautrock brilliance of 'Rheinlust', has become an in-demand item. It's for this reason that the label has decided to reissue it, alongside a wealth of other tracks from the Mountaineer offshoot and create this compilation style album. Record one pairs the kraut-goes-space-rock 'Rheinlust' with its' original B-side, the even more cosmic and epic, Can-go-Balearic style brilliance of 'Links Der Pegnitz'. Record two contains two hard-to-find cuts from C56 compilations, the pleasingly upbeat and breezy 'Leerlauf' and the heavier, fuzzier 'Haru', with previously unheard cosmic rock/kraut-disco number 'Fur Paul' (a track named in tribute to Claremont 56 founder Paul 'Mudd' Murphy).

Review: Hear & Now first released on Claremont 56 back in 2018. Almost immediately they became one fo the label's core acts and have been prolific ever since. The Italian pair made a big mark with their debut album Aurora Baleare, built on it with 2020's Alba Sol and now come through with more stylish and grown up blissed out brilliance on Milvus. All eight tracks are subversive mind music that also enrich the soul with their lazy drums, gently breaking synth waves and pillowy chords. The way each track unfolds, and builds is so perfect seductive that you will be pining for a cocktail before you hit the end of the first tune.

Review: Although the end is now finally in sight, we are still very much spending time at home, gazing off into the distance and dreaming of better times. Enter this sumptuous soundtrack from Hillside, whose Sunday In June album on the ever classy Claremont 56 is a perfect accompaniment to you lazy afternoons. The gorgeous record is utterly doused in sun, with sparkling keys, go-slow beats and lush strings all oozing cool yet bribing with warmth. It's the sound of perfect afternoon in the garden, or on the beach, with tropical grooves and Balearic bliss flowing freely from front to back.

Review: Jean-Paul Altier's debut album as Jpye, 2021's Samba With You, was something of a slept-on gem - a joyously sunny and sonically colourful trip into Balearic pop territory that utilised the vocal and musical talents of a pool of trusted collaborators. The French producer and sometime Twonk member takes a similar approach on this follow up, with even stronger results. Laidback, summery and sunset-ready, Altier's entertaining and accessible tracks variously draw influence from jazz-funk, deep nu-disco, dub disco, downtempo and Latin soul, while also existing in their own sonic space. Highlights include the sumptuous opener 'Freedom Ain't Free', the delightfully sleazy 'Shiver' (a cover of an Italian disco obscurity), the Balearic dub shuffle of 'Tutto OK' and the yearning, emotion-packed brilliance of sunrise soundscape 'Fingers Crossed'.

Review: Multi-instrumentalist and Frenchman Jype serves up a sumptuous debut album here that finds him link with a host of fine collaborators. The tracks are all brain cleansingly clean and melodic, airy and free from clutter. There are elements of pop and jazz, funk and soul from the likes of Sade and Wham! littering the horizontal Balearic grooves and the results are perfect. This is lush poolside music with proper songs and hummable top lines, deep bass and lush vocals. Only two of these slo-mo bliss-outs have been heard before, so dive in .

Review: Downtempo maestro Mudd is back with a new album In The Garden Of Mindfulness on the faultless Claremont 56 label. Coming after years of him working with Benjamin Smith, amongst others, it's his first solo album since 2006. His magical touch has not left him here as he explores dubbed out disco, Balearic, cosmic chill out and layers of alluring instrumentation, some of which is provided by Michele Chiavarini. These are widescreen sounds to get fully immersed in as you gaze on at sun soaked jazz guitars, low-lit synths, gently cascading synths hints of psychedelia, funk and soul. Another timeless and sparkling work from the great producer.

Review: Ferdi Schuster's debut album, 2019's All One, was criminally overlooked when it was first released, despite containing some of the most beautiful and atmospheric music ever released by Claremont 56 (and that's saying something). If there's any justice, this arguably even better follow-up won't be ignored. Schuster, a talented multi-instrumentalist, played, recorded and produced everything on the album - something that makes it even more remarkable given the variety of instrumentation on show. This is deep, dubby, immersive and evocative downtempo music to get lost in, with Schuster subtly doffing his cap to everything from krautrock, dub, trip-hop, ambient house, jazz, Afrobeat, jazz-funk and Latin beats on sumptuously produced and executed sunset and sunrise soundtracks. In a word: sublime.

Review: As he did to celebrate Claremont 56's fifth birthday, Paul "Mudd" Murphy has enlisted the help of the Idjut Boys to mark the passing of the label's first decade. This time round, the long-serving dub disco duo has put together a spellbinding, two-disc mix of specially commissioned material. Of course, they've gone to town, blending the label's 10th birthday tracks with oodles of dub delay, all manner of trippy effects, and a swathe of their own specially prepared dubs, DJ tools and re-edits. These intoxicating, mind altering versions are showcased in unmixed form on disc three, following two discs of horizontal Balearic bliss, slow-dance goodness and the impossible-to-pigeonhole antics of Can founder Holgar Czukay.

Review: After the success of the first two Claremont Editions compilations, Claremont 56 chief Pauk 'Mudd' Murphy decided to take his time over compiling volume three. It's a strategy that appears to have paid off, because this third instalment is every bit as strong as its predecessors. Once again, it features a mix of unreleased exclusives and unheard or previously digital-only remixes. The highlights across the Balearic-minded set are too numerous to mention, but our current faves include Hillside's lusciously orchestrated tribute to classic library jazz-funk, 'Pole Vault', the horizontal downtempo pop of Jpye and Renato, Connie Idjut's slow-motion, dubbed-out take on Paqua's 'The Visitor' and the pastoral-but-percussive wonder that is Ferdi Schuster's brilliant 'The Fuzz Version'.