Attempting to recreate the golden yesterdays of Jose Padilla`s White Isle sunsets with the tunes of today…

Berlin Lama / Beats Vol. 1 / Ish Records

Dynamite drummer, and in-demand session man, Berlin Lama shares Volume 1 of his Beats. Listing Dilla, D’Angelo and Q-Tip as sources of inspiration, the 11 tracks, unsurprisingly mix classic boom bap rhythms with jazzy, smokey, Fender Rhodes runs. The LP is an homage to laidback, horizontal head-nodding, that snaps to sharp, rattling snares, and fat bass. Samuel Brunner delivers virtuoso guitar details, and on Break Boogie indulges in a little wah-wah. Luis Greipi’s carnival congas command Meltraw. Asteroids In is kinda abstract. Urij and Pabilinho both boast a fuller sound, packing a more fleshed out flourish. In doing so recalling something from Tommy Guerrero’s seminal Loose Grooves And Bastard Blues, which itself is about to get a bespoke reissue, care of Be With Records. May Hay is light and summery. The standout for me, though, is Orbital Improv, whose woozy, wonky, glitchy tones, and LFO hum make like Boards Of Canada with added high hat syncopation. There are parallels too with Tortoise’s brand of post-rock. 

David Cane-Hardy / New Beginnings / DSSPR

Guitarist David Cane-Hardy trailers his forthcoming album with the title track, New Beginnings. An ambient atmosphere of pretty Echoplex-ed picking, it’s an elegant exercise in reverb and delay, and direct tribute to John Martyn. Chris Coco contributes what sounds like a live dub mix. Both are short, sweet, and soothing and could easily continue for the whole side of an LP without any complaint from me. 

SONLIFE / Blue Whale’s Theme / DSSPR

While preparing for a series of live dates, SONLIFE have released a couple of remixes of Blue Whale’s Theme, that come care of a reactivated Coco, Steel, & Lovebomb. The original, lifted from their debut long-player, is a mini-epic of introspective fanfares and percussive tides. Treated guitar arcs paying tribute to the titular mammoth sea mammal’s melancholy, elemental song, while traps and congas combine, and collide, like crashing surf. The new versions veer between gently bumping, boompty boomp house, and a contrasting beatless reprise. 

Third Attempt & Steve Cobby / Offshore Sunsets / Paper Recordings 

Still in his 20s, Oslo-born Torje Splide, aka Third Attempt, fresh from triumphs on Tromso’s Beatservice Records, has teamed up with Fila Brazillia’s Steve Cobby. The results of this musical meeting of a young and old master (sorry, Steve) are about to surface, as Offshore Sunsets, on Paper Recordings. We get three tracks, for now, built on filtered and looped breaks. B Human is beefed-up jazz funk / fusion, with a forceful 4 / 4, spacey keys and breezy rhythm guitar. Feeling Seen is smoother, slower, heavier. Language Of The Heart is another downtempo groove. However, significantly more slinky, and hip-shaking, it makes deft use of a sampled soulful diva (who’s “hooked on your love”), and feels like a flashback to classy pre- “trip hop” tag, jazzy breaks, such as former Andrew Weatherall favourite, Jazzadelic’s A Better World. With its cool blue horn, it could have easily have ended up on one of Jose Padilla’s classic Cafe del Mar comps. 

Elaine Vassell / Never Give Up / Heels & Souls

I love this latest reissue from Heels & Souls. Out of North West London, originally in 1993, Elaine Vassell’s Never Give Up swings its TR-808 break somewhere between Accura and Tammy Payne. Its motivational message full of the post-Second Summer Of Love, post-E, positivity that then permeated the music playing in UK clubs, and consequently dominating the pop charts. Its sentiments the same, say, as Sounds Of Blackness’ sublime Optimistic. The Chill Zone Mix puts a bit more focus on a faux flute figure, and reduces the rhythm to just percussion. Both takes, though, are well Balearic in my book, and the sort of thing you’d expect to hear walking into an old Boys Own fanzine-related do early doors. Spinning, shuffling, side by side with Soul II Soul and the Acid Jazz of Rose Windross.