Summer is almost over, and the Ibiza season nearing an end. Fear not though, the month ahead has enough beats and pieces to feast your ears on, ensuring the party should continue regardless of where you are.
Opening the scoring in typically fine form is Luke Solomon, who presents a pack of remixes taken from his recent Cutting Edge LP - a previous Album of the Week right here. The first tracks on the Classic and MFF co-owner’s brand new label, Little Creatures, the bossman gives alternative readings of KINK & Neville Watson, Kris Wadsworth, and Crooked Man - available from September 3rd.
On a similar re-edit tip, and arriving the very same day, UK duo Waifs & Strays deliver their Love On Another EP, boasting a title track and B-side For A While - so think retro handclaps and shuffling, snare-tipped house respectively. Also think Huxley and Matt Tolfrey, as they offer a different version of the latter tune on a collaborative tip. So far so good then, one week later and things only get better.
Scene stalwart DJ Tennis, the man behind the Life and Death imprint, drops a typically emotional-but-wholly-dancefloor focused bombshell with The Outcast, which also features feted San Francisco trio Pillow Talk. AKA Sammy D, Ryan Williams and Michael Tello, expect bizarre hints of boogie, and classic R&B to be audible in the music; strange but effective to say the least.
Just as exciting, out to buy simultaneously, but a little more familiar are the brand new cuts of DJ Linus’ seminal KB’s Groove. Many may remember this from Tyrant’s No Cake, No Shoes mix album (released some years back now), but the tune itself is far older, dating circa 1997. Semi-hallucinogenic, and packed with spine-tingling atmospheres, its soulful, sparse, vocal led techiness in its original form, made modern here via Analogue Cops and Kris Wadsworth, who have darkroom minimalist intentions and, er, analogue hooks on their minds.
Rounding off a particularly busy few days is the latest from Montreal cool kid (and elusive electro producer) Tiga. The Picture is the first flavour he has served in some time, and the double-A sided package also comes with a Subb-an Remix of yesterday anthem Pleasure From the Bass. Brought to you from the mighty Crosstown Rebels, it’s another decidedly interesting combination of faces and labels - apparently the norm for September’s schedule. Then again, Lee Curtiss’ excellent Lunatic Fringe doesn't really fit that model, as it sees the Visionquest chap doing what he does best for his home crew. You can check out the wonderfully odd video celebrating Crosstown's 100th release here.
Our final triptych land on the 24th, beginning with Maceo Plex on very warm notes, via his own Ellum Audio. Here the head honcho teams up with legendary Manchester DJ Jon Dasilva (of Hacienda fame), dusting down the latter’s reworking of Colourblind’s 1979 Jones Girls cover, dubbed Love Somebody. The nostalgia is even more pronounced thanks to early house vocalist Joi Cardwell providing the lyrics to this re-imagined disco gem, whilst an homage to Closer Musik, Future Musik, appears on the flip.
As if that wasn’t enough (really it should be), Canada’s Cesar Caballero has a great percussive, flat-four workout ready and waiting, Funketeao. It’s worth knowing there’s another version from Omid 16B included too, who’s on great form after recently reactivating his world famous imprints, Sex On Wax and Alola.
Meanwhile, also hailing from Mountie Country, or nearby at least, high-flying organisation My Favourite Robot continues to do the business, roping in Mood Music’s Sasse to provide the Chicago-inspired acidic arrangement behind Big Bully’s voice (sometime Adultnapper, Samim and Jay Haze lyricist). Took My Love, as the track is known, also comes with some deeper, near-melancholic tech vibes courtesy of a James What interpretation. Like we said, it’s going to be a busy few weeks.
