Various Artists
Capitulo II

Like a warm breeze drifting in over the sea to a white isle, Mazzo's six-track EP has summer written all over it.Gentle Winds is an apt title for the range of clearly Balearic-influenced tracks here, taking in hands-in-the-air piano house on Baby I Let You A Bath In, 80s-style hot-funk electro on Blue Field, blissed-out ambient on Cosmic Kiss, and sun-kissed conga-led downtempo on Natural Living.Across the EP Berlin-based producer Mazzo keeps the atmosphere sweet, smooth, and oh-so-hot. Perfect for the days we all wish would return: beach-bound, bar-side, and vibe-soaked.

»Infuso Giallo aka Philipp Carbotta originally hails from rural Western Germany, first cut his teeth in the music scene of nearby Cologne and conducts a host of activities in Berlin for a couple of years now – co-running the label Kame House, designing graphics and producing and playing leftfield electronic music. His debut LP Ocular Soda presents an intersection of these activities – self-released, self-designed and of course self-produced. Even before the first synth chords and reverse atmospheres of the two-part opener 'Every Waking Hour' tickle the ear, it is the eye that is drawn to the bright, cut-out style cover art – itself made up of two eyes on the front and what seem to be their rough shapes or discarded counterparts on the back.To stay within that metaphor, Infuso Giallo's music is indeed of a reflective and calm nature, taking cues from Berlin School, library and New Age musics from roughly the 1970s to the 1990s – steadily repeating and slowly evolving ostinatos, lush digital pads, quirky filtered toplines and electronic percussion that mostly eschews four-four monotony in favor of much more subtle syncopations. Balearic bomb 'The Big Rip' with its big drums and acid bass turns the energy level up a notch while retaining the somnambulistic, lingering quality that makes Ocular Soda such a coherent listening experience – music on the sheath of waking and dreaming, both worlds and their inherent logics freely bleeding into each other. There are moments of great expanse, such as in 'Mole Gaze' – I couldn't help but see myself hovering somewhere in mid-air while the music unfolds as if on a great deserted plane below me. Maybe this is what it sounds like once the mole leaves his tunnels and takes in the sound of the world overground. 'Hello World', indeed, in its multitude of information to eye and ear, in its gently overwhelming quality. The title track 'Ocular Soda' closes the proceedings with a whimsical nod to 1970s botany-centered library music, its brooding chord sequence and sweet lead lines gradually fading in the distance. A fitting ending to an impressive LP of highly evocative, at times sombre and at times blissfully naive pieces that leave me yearning for more.«Written, recorded & produced by Infuso Giallo in 2020 & 2021 in Berlin. Mixed by Philipp Janzen & Sebastian Blume at Dumbo Studios, Cologne. Mastered by Sam Irl in Vienna. Design by Infuso Giallo.

Those lockdown silver linings continue to reveal themselves when we least expect it… As proved, once again, by the inimitable Amsterdam techno HQ Deeptrax as they present this stunning analog exploration from scene stalwart Mark Peeters AKA Caim. Inspired, created and sculpted during those strange times when none of us could rave, Caim simply describes the moment by saying the “clubs were closed, but creativity kept on floating”… Now that floatation is bequeathed to us through these warm, rolling and wide-armed frequencies. Tapping into a spirit that goes right back to Detroit and Chicago, there’s an understated groovemanship at play as Calm jams out on the same instruments house and techno forefathers used to sculpt this culture. Music to get lost inside of, music to take away the stresses of the day, music that’s a joy to mix, weave and tell stories with… Caim has created another timeless collection of grooves that could resonate with or relate to any period in the last 35 years of dance music culture. From the warm, opening rumbles of ‘Nepi’ to closing rippling dubwise echoes of ‘Kapura’, very few stones are left unturned as Caim tells a tale of the ages that we can all float to. Here’s to silver linings.

TwoStep2 aka DJ Relay and Jo Public have been known for their superlative but distinctly old skool sounds, but lead track on this three cut 12" is rather a subtle departure. The beat is a little more wonderfully wonky than you might expect and the bassline bigger and more adventurous, with pleasingly original results. 'Starlight' plays off its abrasive backspins with fluttering harps that are more Luke Vibert than Sticky or Noodles, true genius, and a bubbling beat to boot. 'Weapon of Choice' plunders ravier elements but again, it's no museum piece with its off kilter piano and slowed down, drowsy atmospherics. If you're looking for memorable tunes that stick out rather than fit in, make this your destination.