Various
DownTownSounds Classics Volume 5

PaesaggiM. Zalla

Dublin duo Long Island Sound present their first ever full-length “Lost Connection LP”, a dreamy and dynamic expedition of breaks, electro, techno and house.Since breaking through in 2019, Dublin DJ/Producer duo Long Island Sound have cemented their roots in the Dublin scene. With an impressive back catalogue spanning the likes of Remmah, Body Fusion and Fabric Presents compilations, they now step up for their first full-length on their Signs Of Space imprint with the genre-bending “Lost Connection LP”. The album is brimming with emotion, seamlessly fluctuating through moments of intense euphoria, solitude and melancholy.‘Ataria’ opens the record with airy synths and rippling, phased percussion. A deep UK twinged sub bass is introduced with a subtle burst, soon followed by gated vocals and crisp highs that transcend listeners into the album’s euphoric space. Truly embodying the theme of SOS productions is the celestial ‘Dusk’. Using stretched out reverbs, a hypnotic riff and washed out percussion, the cut is eerie yet beautifully ethereal. ‘Fragments’ takes the title as the most energetic track on the record - a wild SH101 jam with a brooding bassline and breakbeat elements. Gliding leads glitter above the chaos, creating a deep and textural stomper. Next up is ‘Every Time I See Your Face’. While romantic and dreamy, this is undoubtedly an old-school hip-hop & electro-influenced cut. The kick and bass inject a grooving element, with a vocoder effect on the vocals and atmospheric percussion again inducing that element of space.On the flip is ‘Power’ - a bassline-driven production that ignites a swift change of pace. Dubby stabs combine with scattered percussion to create this 8-minute roller. The record crescendos with the trancey, techno-inspired ‘Turbulence’. Rhythmic chords bounce around driving percussion and distorted samples to create the record’s apex. Rounding off is title track ‘Lost Connection’ - an ambient, modular piece that uses sequences and layers to create the sensation of drifting before culminating in one final moment of relief as the album draws to a close.

Hot and groovy jazzfunk that turns every dancefloor into a simmering witch cauldron on Side A, meeting silky soul pop ballads on Side B. A catchy and memorable affair that will give you goosebumps as long as you are a fan of funk and soul on the threshold from the 1970s to the golden era of pop, the 80s. For fans of Lionel Richie, Stevie Wonder, The Four Tops, The Temptations, Stanley Clarke, Hot Chocolate and the likes. It's the first album of the later Blues legend Mel Waiters. DETAILS: Swirling synthesizers drag your mind into space, the slapped bass guitar throbs like a frantic pulse and there are hissing percussions that back up the slick drum sound. Here we go, straight forward into the 1980 album by the MEL PRODUCTION BAND, a private release that reaches high prices if a copy ever appears for sale somewhere and that comes as a product of it’s time. This is club music made for discos, soul pop that has all the great trademarks, as those tunes that would storm the charts only a few years later, it heads into two different directions with two steaming, yet slick power funk songs successing the intro on side A and three soul pop ballads on the flipside. While these B Side tracks invite you to dive into an ocean of lush melodies and complex arrangements that form accessible and especially memorable tunes with overwhelming vocal performances, the three jazzfunk compositions on the A side make you jump up from your seats and dance your soul out. The slapped bass guitar can be found in all three tracks, the vocals are a mix between singing and shouting in a joyful, euphoric way. Mostly simple phrases get repeated over and over again to create something like a disco mantra for everybody who is in for a wild dance. It is all glitter here and and a never ending party. You still find musical greatness in these dance songs, for the performance is just wild and the musicians are up on par with the greatest of their genre, tight and determined, still passionate in their playing and they truly love their music, their funk. So, this is a beast first and then turns into a beauty for side two. Since the original private press simply never ever turns up these days, this new reissue on EVERLAND MUSIC is more than welcome to rediscover this rare gem. Take your time to listen and take your time to dance for this album is a great occasion for both. The sound on this record is clean and slick, but vibrant. The music has the real feeling, everything is handmade and you can hear it. Even the synthesizer carpet sounds like coming from the gifted hands of a real keyboard wizard. A blast to spin on your turntable.

Great LP from Benin by the second most important orchestra -behind the Poly-Rythmo Record has many hairlines and scuffs producing some constant surface noise ! A1 Noun Ma Do Minsi WéWritten-By – Honoré AvolontoA2 Awé Ho MéWritten-By – Sébastien HouédanouA3 Babadé Né MiWritten-By – Aristide HounwanouA4 Gbé Wé Do Mi LéWritten-By – Léonard GohoungbéA5 MireilleWritten-By – Aristide HounwanouB1 El ManiceroOrchestra – Black SantiagoB2 Bonne GuérisonWritten-By – Sébastien HouédanouB3 Avortement InterditWritten-By – Sébastien HouédanouB4 Dou Dagbé WèWritten-By – Honoré AvolontoB5 Noinvi Ma So Lin Kpon OWritten-By – Léonard Gohoungbé