Album Review: Future Balearica - various mixed by FETE

In which people like you and I can reclaim the Balearica tag and the damned whole White Isle for out own.

This isn't one of those compilations you see advertised on TV with Judge Jules providing the voiceover, although to be fair it isn't strictly in keeping with the kitchen-sink-ism kitsch that originally defined Balearic either. Instead it is, as the subtitle suggests, a collection of 'new chill and warm laid back sounds'.

And that pretty much works for BlackPlastic. Occasionally it feels a little deliberately inclusive - slotting The XX's 'VCR' in at track two will certainly help shift units - but actually within the context of the (excellent) mixing it actually works.

So this is a very laid-back mix for daytime lounging and evening warm-ups that would be in danger of feeling formulaic if it wasn't for the fact that enough of the songs are pretty much fantastic. Of the fantastic the most sublime is unquestionably DJ Kaos' 'Love The Night Away', remixed here by Tie Dye it is just the right mix of hippie vocals, retro disco vibes and sunny melodies. Within the context of the mix it works so damn well that it justifies the mix on its own.

Less successful are the slightly formulaic folky numbers that close the mix and Animal Collective as a closing track almost feels a little too obvious but it does the trick.

Future Balearica isn't going to change anyone's perception of chilled out dance music but it certainly manages to do a lot more than many other similar albums. And you can be sure it would sound pretty sublime on the beaches of Ibiza.

BP x

Comment: That's Cool, But Can You Make It More Sh*t?

The DFA have recently completed a retrospective of all of their designed materials at the Tom Dunne Gallery in Sidney entitled That's Cool, But Can You Make It More Sh*t? Which is aces.

Sadly BlackPlastic didn't get to go, it being on the other side of the world, and it is already over but this video gives a little insight into the awesomeness that was it.

The look of the DFA output has always been pretty much consistently superb and it is perhaps symbolic of the attention to detail that the people behind the label have - something that generally comes through in the music. BlackPlastic would argue that this approach has defined what we would consider some of the very best labels (Factory and Output, for example) - it particularly comes through in the way that the releases on all of these labels generally fit together visually and yet still stand apart on their own.

On the video James Murphy mentions his intentions to release a book - here is hoping that happens at some point.

BP x

Single Review: She's Bad - Gadi Mizrahi & Soul Clap

Gadi Mizrahi & Soul Clap's 'She's Bad' is without doubt the slinkiest little soul jam to have dropped through BlackPlastic's virtual letter box in some time.

Minimal in approach it focuses on doing not a lot but doing it rather well. 'She's Bad' screams for laid back afternoons on beaches, its keys hot enough to make the tarmac go sticky under foot and the snatched vocal performance straining under the weight of a sun-baked libido. This is basically what shithouse funky house would sound like if it wasn't shit an was actually quite good.

'Beautiful Thang' over on the flip is a little less irresistible but still a pleasant way to pass a few minutes, with a thick and slightly rude bassline. It's a more dance-floor focused affair and won't permeate your subconscious in the same way but the campy vocals provide a standout moment.

She's Bad is out on Double Standard Records.

BP x

Single Review: Even Your Friend - The Chap

The Chap continue to baffle and please in equal measure on this, their latest single. The Chap have always sounded a little bit like what Fischerspooner would have sounded like if they hadn't been tosser art students who took themselves too seriously.

The ironic humour in The Chap's records is almost too abundant - to the point where it can be difficult to derive a long-lasting sense of enjoyment from their music. Yet their songs are often just about infectious enough that, try as you might, you just can't help but dig it.

Such is the case with 'Even Your Friend'. BlackPlastic is not exactly sure what 'Even Your Friend' is about - it starts off sounding like an annoyed rant at a friend or lover who doesn't know how to have fun but ends up descending into some sort of Beach Boys-esque summertime love call to arms. Whatever - it moves at 250 miles per hour and frankly leaves us baffled but enamoured enough that we can't help but have another go.

B-side 'Friendo for Life' is a twisted but laid back affair that somehow manages to sound like a chilled out dub take on boss nova. It lacks the instant gratification of 'Even Your Friend' and as such struggles to hold the attention.

Two remixes of 'Even Your Friend' are also included. The Teenage Fantasy mix strips the sing back to a dubby, ambient sequence of chords. BlackPlastic isn't sure how or why the original inspired this but each to their own - it does what it does well enough, it just doesn't feel like it has any of the spirit of the original left. The Ghostape Remix makes more sense, comparatively - again it is dubby and ambient but retains more of the vocal and in looping the "Summertime Love" refrain over a laid back beat it manages to create an enjoyably blissed out feeling.

Pleasing in places and alienating in others - Even Your Friend illustrates just how The Chap's continued efforts to experiment can deliver brilliant and confusing results, sometimes all at once.

BP x

Comment: Moving (Still Going Remix) - Coyote

This shit, right here, is lovely. After weeks and weeks of sun England rests under a rain cloud at the moment - a well earned rest perhaps after what has been the best summer in years but still, with tunes as good as this to listen to it feels like a wasted opportunity.

Still Going continue to paint all kinds of shades of awesome all over our attentive ears and this remix for Coyote is no different. BlackPlastic isn't familiar with Coyote but their track 'Electric Sunburst' opens FETE's new Future Balearica compilation (more on which soon) in spectacular fashion. Still Going's mix here ups the house-ante on the original to make this a baking hot slice of summer passion.

Get on it.

BP x