Album Review: II - Lindstrøm & Prins Thomas

When Lindstrøm and Prins Thomas collaborated on their eponymous album for Eskimo two years ago it became the kind of cult hit most producers only dream of. Not only was it released to huge praise but it also helped kick start a Renaissance in italo and cosmic disco that has sent ripples of influence across much electronic music since.

Back with a follow-up, once again on & Eskimo Recordings, II is unsurprisingly more of the same.  Yet if more of the same was ever more welcome, BlackPlastic can't put his finger on when that would be.

And once again, this is a beautiful record. It's slow and slightly ponderous but at the same time does so much across its length that to complain would be churlish. The mood is literally perfect. This is a record to consume with an espresso whilst watching the sun rise and with a beer whilst watching the sun set. With the current bought of good weather we have recently seen in the UK BlackPlastic can't imagine a better soundtrack for being lazy in the sunshine.

Words can't really convey what it is like to listen to - instead of reading just go and check it out.

BP x

Album Review: Cosmic Balearic Beats Vol. 1

We're in a bit of downtime at the moment as the release schedules have dried up a little but BlackPlastic thought, "Why not take a minute to talk about one we missed?"

Yes, it's another cosmic disco / Balearic compilation and yes, this one has an exceptionally dull title which is more befitting a Ministry of Sound show-me-the-dollars compilation. But: this one is from Eskimo and they just do it so much better than everyone else.

Cosmic Balearic Beats has been out since September and BlackPlastic is confident it would have truly shone in the dying weeks of an Indian summer yet even as the rain pisses down, drowning this foresaken island, this sounds great. Blended into a beautiful mix, each subtle shift in sound is glorious and the overall feeling is pure sunset on a beach.

There are highlights - Homerun's 'The Killer Storm', Spektrum's 'Fit Together' and 'Estrella' by Lullabies In The Dark - but it's not about these. Cosmic Balearic Beats Vol. 1 is all about the whole. Bad title, great album.

BP x

Five compilations of the year

Third of four in BlackPlastic's lists of 2008 and the focus for this one is on the best compilations and mixes of the year.

5. Top Ranking: A Diplo Dub

Diplo and Santogold's Top Ranking managed to do them both a disservice as it took Santogold's LP proper (produced by Diplo) and nabbed the best bits then pissed all over what remained. It was a trawl through some of the most exciting tracks of the past couple of years combined with some classics. Panda Bear AND Devo's 'Get Stiff' in the same mix? Yes please.

4. So Cosmic

2008 was all about the free online mix and by far the best of these was Cut Copy's So Cosmic. Okay, so technically this first hit the streets in 07 and we are beginning to sound like a broken record but it didn't appear online until 2008 and it is just. too. good. to. overlook. Beautiful.  And available here.

3. Cosmic Disco?! Cosmic Rock!!!

A big two-fingered salute to the myriad of Italo / Cosmic disco compilations out this year from Eskimo Recordings with Daniele Baldelli and Marco Dionig, Cosmic Rock was the real deal - a mix by someone that was there, unfettered by the desire to recontextual everything through modern eyes. Sure, at times it may have been cheesy but it was never anything other than awesome.

2. Fabric 41 mixed by Luciano

Sure, it may be little more than a Luciano DJ set commuted to CD but when the material an mixing is this good, who cares? The sublime breakdown into M83's 'Church' remains a highpoint of the year.

1. Notwave

Following the two remixes discs and a quiet period Notwace was a breath of fresh air from DFA. the concept itself was good - imagine what New York's experimental No Wave scene would have sounded like if it had never gone away - but the tunes were what made it. Every one not just different to anything else you'll hear on a compilation released in 2008 but sufficiently different from the rest of the album to make listening a joy.

BP x