Having produced top “modern Balearic” tunes for what’s close to a decade now, on the strength of this new collection, it would seem that Zurich’s Phantom Island are far from content to rest on their laurels. Effectively a label sampler, Uncommon Species II, finds these talented Swiss folks, once agan, raising the bar. 

Everything on the 5-track E.P. is phenomenal. While the productions are bang up to date, they also possess a very authentic `80s Mediterranean vibe. Pieces of proper pop and dance, taken together, the selection could have been lifted from a Leo Mas Amnesia set, circa 1986 (nothing here is dark or EBM enough for `87). 

First up, Fuga Ronto makeover L.A.’s marvelous Maraschino, tastefully transforming her Hi Desire with a main melodic hook of oriental chimes. These tones and timbres bouncing on a boisterous bass-line, and beefy beats. The combination conjuring images of KU’s classic Look De Ibiza promo video, open-air discos, blue skies, beaches, and couture bikinis. The summer, and a glamorous jetset life. Maraschino’s coo-ing, but confident delivery reminds me of the female protagonist / femme fatale of L.U.P.O.’s 1990 hit, Keep It Up. The subliminal  Spanish “Arriba”s and sexily rolled Rs might have something to do with that.

Kejeblos borrows the same Public Enemy beat bitten by Madonna and Lenny Kravitz on Justify My Love, for his remix of MoreEats’ Forever Fun. The more spoken than sung tongue-in-cheek lyric from this “young and drunk” “cool swinging cat” moves to a mad mid-tempo mix of funky Prince-like guitar and Italian house pianos. Its bad-ass b-line a riff on Liquid Liquid’s Cavern. 

Florin Büchel, as CCO, makes super soulful use of a Roland TB-303 on Cyanea. Lending a jazz-funk, fusion, feel to what’s basically a bit of quality chilled-out house. Setting its sights, plotting its course, somewhere between Larry Heard and James Mason’s Sweet Power Your Embrace. Sailing on uplifting strings, it’s understated, but glorious. 

Ethimm’s Emotional Men is a mini-epic. In an extended mix it would be guaranteed to take every roof off. At a little under 4 minutes, it has a damn good go anyway. High as a kite, with an arms aloft chorus, it gathers cowbell, swirling gated swells, and more Italian pianos, around a go-go-not-go-go groove. Loved-up Londoners in their 50s will be flashing back to Roger “The Hippie” Beard spinning in the “alternative” room at ground-breaking acid house bash, Land Of Oz / Spectrum. When Ethimm’s fragile blue-eyed falsetto asks, “Do you feel emotional?”, my reply has to be “Hell yeah!”

Lastly Lexx’s lush, jazz guitar-led Gentle Rain is part Pat Metheny, part Haruomi Hosono exotica homage. Romanced by strings, the picking, strumming, and theremin-like synthetic peaks, softly swing to a hushed heartbeat rhythm on this ecstatic easy-listening, desert island paradise-describing disc. 

Uncommon Species II can be ordered directly from Phantom Island.