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This go back in 2013. Smoky psychedelic blues are the order of the day for Paqua project on Claremont 56. As with "Dinosaur Zappa", back in 2012, expect nothing but the most delectably deep cosmic fun. If you didn't know any better you'd think it was straight out of a 70s stoner's deepest, dustiest crate. "We Are What We Are" is a more pastoral, hippy affair. Think The Art Of Lovin' but much more dubbed out and textured. Organic, jammy, Paqua sound fresher than ever.
Listen Episode #23 to catch these sounds in a perfect mix together with other superbly Balearic gems.
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This is the analogue-loving, humidity-obsessed Italian trio's third full-length released back in 2017, though their first that wasn't recorded as one continuous live performance. The LP is full of squelchy synth basslines, reverb-laden drum machine hits and hazy new age melodies. This time round, they seem just as obsessed by the idea of pleasing dancefloors as sound-tracking horizontal listening sessions, as the sax-and-guitar-laden shuffle of "Mesmerize", jazz-funk workout "Mass Mirage" and cosmic disco throb of "Wind Phenomena" conclusively prove. Of course, their more downtempo escapades - see the Balearic bliss of "Sun Flares Ascension" and dubbed-out "Forest of Mysteries" - are also superb.
India Street Radio mixes these melodies together with other downtempo balearic gems creating the perfect atmosphere for a nostalgic end-of-summer night, listen Episode #19. ![]()
Launched in 2014 with some exclusive and very limited tape and CDR releases, Periodica Records was initially conceived as the catch-all sister platform of Naples-based mother ship Early Sounds Recordings, but there is no denying that the Italian imprint’s now standing on its own two feet.
Rich of a blazingly summer-flavoured back catalogue that spans from the solar-powered funk vibrations of The Mystic Jungle Tribe to the oddball submarine ambiences of Riccardo Schirò, via Piyojo’s playful drum-heavy jams, the Italian imprint once again drops anchor in luxuriant sonic territories with Pàscal's shimmering debut 7″ offering, "Nero Di Seppia". Set in the lushest of secret cerulean creeks and dreamy shallows, the Geneva via Napoli-based producer – better known for his output as Pascal Viscardi – delivers a soothing two-faced dive into an infinite pool of breezy jazz, low-slung exotica and trans-Neptunian electronics. Listen our Episode #16, the title-track cools down its smouldering slap-bass riffs and prismatic synths in an ornamental lake of organic sounds; melding the balmy, slow-cascading flow of zen garden waterfalls with wind chimes and enthralling bird calls. Give in to the power of Ra and let its warm beams soak up the winter blues smoothly. Funky osmosis. ![]()
Rome-based combo Odeon is an interesting proposition. Basically two sets of musician brothers brought together by mutual friend (and Mondo label boss) Francesco De Bellis, their debut recording is a pleasingly hard-to-pigeonhole affair. Sometimes psychedelic, often dreamy and always atmospheric, the album's 12-tracks variously draw influence from odd Italian library music, eccentric synthesizer soundtracks, Talk Talk, the Cocteau Twins, shoegaze and the heady, E'd-up sound soup of ambient house. In fact, one of the tracks even sounds a little like REM if Michael Stipe and company had necked a bunch of disco biscuits and moved to Ibiza. While the unique sound is clearly theirs, you can hear the guiding hand of De Bellis, who acted as producer throughout. Listen Episode #20 to catch this intoxicating LP!
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Red Light Radio founder Orpheu de Jong stumbled across a cassette, originally self-released in 1984, from an unknown San Francisco musician called Joel Graham. On the strength of the two tracks showcased here, it would be fair to say that Graham was ahead of his time. Hypnotic and minimalist in the extreme, the drum machine and synthesizer workout "Geomancy" - apparently recorded in 1982 on pre-midi analogue equipment - sounds like a template for techno. B-side "Night" is similarly inspired, and bears an uncanny resemblance to pitched-down versions of some of the dreamy new age house and nu-Balearica currently doing the rounds. It's superb, and almost as good as the brilliant A-side. Another superb release from the guys at Music From Memory. Listen Episode #16 to catch this brilliant EP!
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This is the first release from Berlin based La Luna: a label that focuses in on connecting music and art. Belfast based artist Maricopa inaugurates the imprint with this seven track mini LP, featuring guest artist Exit 47. Maricopa had had previous releases on the likes of Tusk Wax, Back To The Balearics and Fools & Fables Recordings. The sublime slo-mo house of "Bubbles" is simply gorgeous and just made for drifting, as is "Impulse" which is probably the most dance floor friendly offering on here while "This Was Years Ago" is bittersweet as much as it is uplifting with its soothing tones and soulful downbeat aesthetic. Berlin based artist Memo created the surreal sleeve.
India Street Radio dedicate to this Album a special live set mixed together with another of ours favorite 'Garrett - Private Live II'. See our Episode #15. ![]()
Perceptions. That is what Garrett deals in. Not the kind that hit you from off a screen, the ones that emerge from the macro. He steps outside of himself during the recording process, so it’s only right for the listener to do the same. This is for wide open spaces, open lanes, pulled off on the viewpoint of your psychological freeway. Some might call it a medication, you may find it better as an application to your everyday. Not a bite sized ready-for-review consumption. Let it drape over you like a cloak.
India Street Radio dedicate to this Album a special live set together with another of ours favorite 'Maricopa - This Was Years Ago'. See our Episode #15. ![]()
True Colours (back in 2015) - the first album outing on 'Is It Balearic' from the Croat producer Ilija Rudman - sees him in fine form, joining the dots between kaleidoscopic synth-funk, rubbery dub-disco, spaced-out boogie and glassy-eyed downtempo jams. Rudman is an expert at capturing the sounds of bygone eras, usually through the use of vintage equipment, while delivering tracks that sound thoroughly fresh and original. It's this that makes True Colours such a fantastic set. Highlights are plentiful, from the close dance smoothness of "Bad Passion" and boogie dub vibes of "All The Time" (check the delay-laden hits and sweeping violins) to the jaunty electro-goes-Balearic brilliance of "Wild Guess".
India Street Radio dedicate to this Album a special live set. See our Episode #14. ![]()
Focus on the Label: Is It Balearic? runs by 'Coyote' aka Timm Sure and Ampo. Both Timm & Ampo met while DJ'ing at the legendary Venus nightclub and have continued to spin for the last 30 years. Between them they set up their own label 'Is It Balearic..? Recordings' in 2007 to release the music they produced, as well as using the best balearic remixers they could find.
Japans 9dw release their first track for Is It Balearic..? Right On is a super chilled loopy slo mo disco gem. Touches of soft acid and boogie bassline make this a certain for the more discerning dancefloor. The Mushrooms Project remix creates an ever growing tribal dubby trip with what sounds like a jews harp thrown in for good measure. Mesmerising. The B side features a track that has been an IIB favourite for a couple of years since it was heard live in Loop Tokyo. This slowave almost out of sync techy chugger is not like anything else. Evolving with analogue synths and stabs to become a heads downs stomper. International man of mystery Man Power adds man power to the track and creates a slightly darker journey into synth land. ![]() Some two years after dropping his debut album, "Broken Knowz", Jay Daniel delivers a follow-up. Interestingly, the fast-rising Detroit producer opted to move away from his usual club sound on "Tala", recently telling Resident Advisor that it was, "an invitation to know me outside of DJing". It's as deep, jazzy and musically rich as you'd expect, with Daniel flitting between jazz-funk/broken beat fusion, spacey ambient soundscapes, head-nodding hip-hop beats, intergalactic R&B instrumentals, super-smooth beatdown fare and the kind of hushed, glassy-eyed grooves that are best enjoyed while lying flat on your back at six in the morning. |
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