Various
Pura Vida Presents: Beach Diggin' Volume 5

Emerging young producer and DJ releases new EP. Louder Than War’s Paul Scott-Bates reviews.After a string remixes for Blancmange it must have been an inevitable question: “Dad, do you fancy collaborating on a single?”“Believe you me Son!”And so, Father and Son, Joe and Neil Arthur (aka Kincaid and Blancmange), recorded Big Fat Head.One hopes that the Single Edit receives airplay. The interest of the connection between one of the UKs emerging producer/DJs and an iconic 80s star currently enjoying an staggering second wind, is enough in itself but, Big Fat Head is a cracking track. One of those tracks that becomes more and more addictive with each listen.Starting with a brief panpipe riff followed by Neil Arthur’s unmistakable vocal and tabla pecusson maybe tipping a hat to Blancmange’s first coming, it is catchy and intriguing to say the least. By all accounts, the track was a long time coming and to be fair, it sounds as though ideas have been many before they were all slotted into place in a complicated but clinical sounding piece.A wonderful driving bass underpins the track as the words “In your big fat head” are constantly re-iterated. The Club Mix introduces hand claps and adds a subtle dance beat as reverbed effects echo gently in the background whilst the Dub Mix contains a few further bits of understated electronic wizardry and innocuous echoes whilst the elongated Instrumental Mix does exactly what it says on the sleeve.The Nucat Remix by Disco Halal head honcho Moscoman collaborating with Portuguese musician Trikk takes the track on a different slant by adding further percussion and experimental effects which lift the track even further. A new bassline is introduced which rises and falls in tone alongside a vocoder vocal and fluttering key changes.An exciting partnership but more importantly, an early sign of a great talent appearing in the shape of Joe Kincaid. You’ll hear (and hear) more of him undoubtedly and, quite rightly so.

Another limited edition cassette tape. This time in metallic gold, with premium gold foil Jcard.BVS presents this essential story with over 60 mins of beats on Nullify (A) & Elevate (B).

Italian producer Azzurro 80 makes his debut on Four Flies with a super limited edition 7 inch (300 copies only) that draws its energy from and is inspired by the Italian library scene of the 80s. More specifically, its retro but innovative sonic landscape combines shiny synthesizers and dynamic jazz-funk with pop and television culture.
As he himself explains, the name “Azzurro 80” is meant to refer to a particular shade of light blue: “a worn-out, faded light blue that feels retro and outmoded”, just like the color adjective “azzurro” feels a bit outmoded these days (most people seem to prefer “celeste”). Through his music, he aims to evoke precisely that color, and the nostalgic but comforting combination of sounds that corresponds to it.Side A features AGIP, titled after Italy’s first national oil company (later absorbed by Italian multinational oil and gas company ENI), whose famous logo is a six-legged dog spitting fire. The track transports you to a night-driving scene seen through the eyes of a kid sitting in the back of a family car (i.e., the composer himself back in the 80s), the asphalt roads dimly lit by yellowish street lights surmounted by the fire-spitting canine. Side B opens with ASTROTENSIONE, a cosmic synth-pop journey through a nebula, almost like the sonic depiction of someone touching a fast traveling asteroid, while TELEFONO GIALLO is a tribute to the late 80s Italian true crime and docudrama TV show of the same name.Just let the tunes spin on your turntable and follow Azzurro 80 into his reimagined version of the Italian Eighties.