Hell Yeah Italy Vinilo y CD

Review: While Hell Yeah! Recordings may be best-known these days for exploring the relaxed, sun-kissed world of Balearic beats, the Italian label's early releases were far bolder and more focused on peak-time dancefloors. They're back on that tip on this must-check 12", which comes courtesy of label regular Quiroga (AKA long-serving producer Walter de Vecchio). In its original form (A1), 'Once Again' is a prize chunk of mind-mangling, post acid house sleaze - all rambunctious, brain-melting acid bass, sweat-soaked drums, ultra-psychedelic TB-03 lines and breathless vocal samples. It comes accompanied by two contrasting remixes - the pitched-down, slow acid-with-pianos sunshine of the 'Ambient Mix' and DMX Krew's funky acid-electro pass - and the star-fall electric/nu-disco/acid fusion of the quirky 'Freak The Funk'.

Review: On paper, this may seem an unlikely collaboration - Japanese ambient and deep acid stalwart meets eccentric Finnish lounge, jazz and exotica veteran - but it's a genuinely brilliant EP. 'Big City Takes' genuinely makes the best of both Calm and Jimi Tenor's talents, with the latter's eyes-closed vocals, evocative flutes and shuffling exotica rhythms fitting perfectly with the former's stirring strings and immersive ambient electronics. Tapes remixes, first delivering a jazzy hip-hop informed head-nodder before serving up some ambient dub/digi-dub fusion, before Calm delivers his version of a second Tenor collaboration, 'Time and Space' - an ambient jazz masterpiece. Vendetta Suite's warming, subtly tropical Balearic rework of that track is also brilliant. Tip!

Review: Hell Yeah is a label that is right at the heart of the Balearic sound worldwide. It is studiously run by Italian Marco, who is also a deep-digging DJ himself, a part of the Balearic Gabba Soundsystem and also co-founder of much loved Berlin club night Buena Onda. The night's second compilation is coming soon but before that is this taster which gives you a great cross-section of the sounds to expect: leftfield disco, mature grooves, deep and slow acid workouts and plenty in between. Japanese master Calm really stands out here with his take on Gallo's 'Abysso.'

Review: Both "Corner Song" and "The Flying Man" were first featured on Tempelhof and Gigi Masin's second collaborative album, 2016's arguably overlooked album Tsuki. Both are naturally worthy of a single release, though, as they deserve wider recognition. Both are quietly beautiful, drowsy and hazily picturesque, with gently percussive opener "Corner Song" just edging out the beat-less brilliance of "The Flying Man" - in which Masin delivers a weary and heart-aching vocal - in the "best track" stakes. On the flip you'll find a radical re-interpretation of "Corner Song" by New York producer Jex Opolis, who wraps Tempelhof and Masin's glistening guitars around a wonderfully colourful and tactile Balearic boogie groove.

Review: Don't let the playful, tongue-in-cheek title put you off; this EP does not contain 'Balearic gabba', should such a thing exist, but rather a quartet of largely dancefloor focused remixes of delightful downtempo cuts from the Hell Yeah! Recordings catalogue. SIRS steps up first to deliver a chugging, Italo-disco-goes-Balearic re-make of Carmel 3000's 'Super Rapido', before we're treated to one of Calm's TB-303-laden 'mellow acid' dubs, this time of Sergio Messina & The Four Twenties' gorgeous, soft and sun-soaked 'Sometimes Remember'. Over on side B, Feel Fly delivers a soft-focus Balearic deep house take on Pedro Bertho and Mariana Gehring's 'Tornei', while DJ Spun's revision of My Friend Dario's 'Acid Mosquito in a Summer Night' is a twisted, genuinely psychedelic dub disco excursion.

Review: Talented Italian collective Aura Safari features well known Italian house producer Nicolas amongst other fine musicians. They have released a fine album on UK label Church but now head to their homeland's Hell Yeah for a debut EP full of magic. 'Lagos Connect' fuses afro drumming with house beats, lush synth work and glowing melodies to make for something beautifully grown up and musical as well as danceable. After the reprise and dub comes 'Morning Rivers,' a super slinky and seductive jazz-funk number with glowing, golden chords and subtle cosmic rays of light.

Review: Here is the long awaited debut album from long time musical adventurer Gary Irwin as The Vendetta Suite. Over the years, Irwin has racked up releases of his own on Harthouse, Novamute and Phil Kieran Recordings, while being a frequent studio collaborator with fellow Irishman David Holmes. On The Kempe Stone Portal, released on Italian label Hell Yeah, Irwin explores such disparate genres as krautrock, library and synth music, through to house, downtempo and Balearic across this widescreen 12 track album, which is a testament to his illustrious career in music.