Ned Doheny of West Coast Rock connections, 1976, produced by Steve Cropperup, a key figure in Southern Soul, and Don Henley and Glenn Frey of Tower of Power and Eagles. Produced by Steve Cropperup, a key figure in Southern Soul, with guest appearances by Don Henley and Glenn Frey of Tower of Power and Eagles, J.D. Souther, Rhonda Rochette and other ...Read more (Original Japanese text by Saito)s. The sweet sound of young blue eyed soul. A great album. The heavy synths and dazzling electric piano of "Get It up For You" is a Balearic rock classic! (Original Japanese text by Saito)

This is the new release from YSE SAINT LAUR'ANT—also known as ANT PLATE—who has released music under the name YSE on house labels such as *ORNATE MUSIC* and, under his own moniker, on edit-focused labels like *WHISKEY DISCO* and *EDITORIAL*. He is currently based in Hong Kong, where he continues to put out a steady stream of solid releases. Startin ...Read more (Original Japanese text by Akie)g with “Space Ride” (sample 1), which blends nostalgic, melancholic cosmic keys with a lively Latin disco vibe, followed by “Saint Tropez” (sample 2)—a soothing boogie jam featuring a supple funk bassline and bohemian percussion— to “Monaco” (sample 3)—a romantic track featuring lavish strings and sweet chord progressions—YSL’s work, which is both quirky and elegant, is once again top-notch! (Original Japanese text by Akie)

The opening title track, “Blue Bird,” features Keren Ilan, a singer originally from Vietnam who is now based in Israel, and traces the emotional journey from heartbreak to healing. From there, the album unfolds as an eight-track collection that fuses an organic, analog-driven sound—achieved through a composition process that eschews computers—with ...Read more (Original Japanese text by Adachi)a Balearic sense of floating, all under a theme the artist describes as “a strange state of mind and dub-oriented emotions.” Starting with a first half swaying to bluesy guitar, the second half casually traverses elements of house, downtempo, reggae, and left-field pop before returning to dub. A unique sonic journey that is quietly intense. (Original Japanese text by Adachi)

Tom Sharkett—who’s also hooked up with DFS and released a 12-inch on Test Pressing Recordings, exploring a dance-oriented approach—delivers a fantastic mix featuring drum-break-driven beats, a soft, psychedelic, ethereal vibe, and guitar work that perfectly complements the groove. The version by Bristol’s Minotaur Shock—beloved for their folk-elect ...Read more (Original Japanese text by Saito)ronica sound—is beatless and features a deeply immersive atmosphere; I highly recommend it alongside the original, which layers beatboxing and slide guitar. (Original Japanese text by Saito)

Set against the backdrop of Berlin and the coast of Tuscany, Italy, this work was born from a deep connection to the sea—a longing for it, and the landscapes encountered while spending time by the water, such as the light, the wind, the vegetation, and the spray of the waves. Combining synthesizers, electronics, and ambient sounds, drummer and perc ...Read more (Original Japanese text by Adachi)ussionist Lorenzo Setti—who collaborated on the project—plays a key role in shaping the rhythm of the entire album. A Balearic-ambient Mediterranean soundtrack where inspiration from jazz fusion and 1970s–1980s Italian library music drifts like a mirage. A world not too far removed from the films of Takeshi Kitano. A seaside vibe. (Original Japanese text by Adachi)

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『Early Support from Macca, Chris Hawkins, Bill Brewster, Colleen "Cosmo" Murphy and many more

For Mondo Love & Betrayal, a duo formed of Neil ‘Nail’ Tolliday and Henry Claude Scott, the spark that lit their musical partnership was a shared love of classy synth-pop and the colourful and creativ ...Read moree end of 1980s dance-pop, it was an urge to scratch that itch, as much as a mutual admiration for each other’s work, that initially brought them together.

It would be fair to say that Tolliday and Scott have trodden different musical paths over the course of their respective careers. Tolliday, under the now familiar Nail alias and many others besides (A.M Vibe, Lucky Lime and Smoke to name just three), has become a respected figure on the UK electronic underground, renowned not only for the quality of his dancefloor-focused deep house productions (he was once a part of the extended DIY family) but also his passion for boundary-blurring experiments and albums of unusual electronica. He was, of course, also a member of renowned downtempo duo Bent alongside long-term collaborator Simon Mills.

Scott, on the other hand, is a guitarist, producer – and now reticent but talented frontman – who cut his teeth playing jazz. He initially rose to prominence via his Torn Sail collaboration with singer-songwriter Huw Costin, with the pair delivering folksy blasts of downtempo and Balearic brilliance for labels including Claremont 56 and NuNorthern Soul. Scott emphasised his musical credentials further alongside another fellow Nottingham resident and Constellations Workshop regular John ‘Ming’ Thompson as Brown Fang. The duo’s two albums to date blur the boundaries between downtempo, ambient, Balearic, krautrock and American minimalism, offering up sublime instrumental soundscapes.

When Tolliday and Scott first joined forces in the studio to record ‘Correspondence’, the song that inspired the wider Mondo Love & Betrayal project, it was obvious that a natural meeting point between their styles and influences was not only possible, but something they were both enthusiastic to pursue. Tolliday was keen to explore his own synth-pop influences while utilising Scott’s emotive and expressive falsetto vocals. As for Scott, it was a chance to showcase his songwriting skills and a more accessible, instinctive sound alongside an electronic music producer whose work he has admired for a long time.

The success of that first session sparked a partnership that looks set to sustain. Over 18 months, the duo recorded their self-titled debut album – a kaleidoscopic, vibrant and catchy collection of songs shot through with heartache, doubt, love and betrayal, wrapped in a veneer of mid-to-late-80s synth-pop, the stylistic ticks of New York club culture, and the wide-eyed, tactile intent of the UK’s ‘second summer of love’.

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COSMO DANCE—well-known for his collaboration with WHODAMANNY as the duo CHOP and for his active role in the synth-disco scene through his own labels, such as *MIRELLA RECORDS* and *SLOW MOTION*—is launching a new solo release! Centered around layered Latin percussion and hypnotic, undulating basslines, the boogie track “Mr. Coconut” (sample 1) unfo ...Read more (Original Japanese text by Akie)lds with a gentle progression and Balearic warmth, featuring a great interplay between comical lead synths and guitar. The synth boogie-funk track “Goodbye” (sample 2), inspired by 1970s Italian library music, is also fantastic, with its unique, coughing-like vocals. From the overall vibe to the album cover, everything is top-notch—it’s enough to make you scratch your head… It’s just so cool. *Please note that the album cover has a slight tear along the spine from the time of arrival. We appreciate your understanding. (Original Japanese text by Akie)

"Low Pressure in Paradise" (sample1) is a boogie house track that evokes the scent of a seaside sunset with its lively Latin percussion, funk bassline, lo-fi beatbox rhythms, and vintage synth string stabs. Other tracks include “Last Minute Staycation” (sample 2), a Balearic-flavored beach bar anthem where a synth flute that seems to have absorbed ...Read more (Original Japanese text by Akie)the sun’s rays blends with romantic keyboards and the light, swaying drumbeat interwoven with cowbells. (Original Japanese text by Akie)

The third release from Namu-based party and label 〈PROTO EXOTICA〉 is the debut release from CERRO, a new project by MATEO TORRES RODRIGUEZ! He produced this track in a makeshift studio set up at the table in the house where he spent his childhood during a trip back to Colombia, using just a few analog devices and a PC. Tracks like the downtempo dub ...Read more (Original Japanese text by Akie) “Unending Journey” (Sample 1)—where a polyphonic synth accompanies an emotional melody against a floating, undulating synth ambience—and “Power Of The Small” (Sample 3)—skillfully capturing the essence of dub and Balearic sounds with limited equipment. ANDRAS FOX—who helped spark the Melbourne movement under the aliases WILSON TANNER and BERKO—delivers a standout house remix (Sample 2) that weaves in a jazzy, lo-fi Rhodes piano solo while preserving the original track’s bouncy groove! (Original Japanese text by Akie)

"Dub," world music, glocal sounds, jazz, Balearic, New Age, ambient, and more—this captivating sound is woven from the rich and beloved musical world I’ve explored over the years, combined with the countless dancefloor sounds, house, disco, soul & funk, dub, breakbeats, various forms of bass music, as well as chillout and downtempo—all woven togeth ...Read more (Original Japanese text by COMPUMA)er into an enchanting sound and groove journey born from this organic fusion. Featuring a Balearic-urban-elegant aesthetic, fusion-inspired mellow keyboards and guitars, vibraphone, dynamic percussion, and more, this collection of 11 tracks of captivating chill-out dance music is permeated throughout with organic sound textures and a mature, wistful atmosphere that is utterly irresistible. The sense of stability and comfort is a true testament to the artist’s craftsmanship. The inclusion of a digital download code is a delightful bonus. I highly recommend this release. (Original Japanese text by COMPUMA)

From 〈A STATE OF FLO〉 — still fresh in our memory for "Green City," the Afro ensemble piece paying respect to the legend FELA KUTI — comes an extended-version EP drawn from "Living Through Collapse," the album by Costa Rica-based singer-songwriter DOE PAORO! "Teach Us Of Endings (Auntie Flo Extended Version)" (sample1) is a Balearic boogie arrangem ...Read more (Original Japanese text by Akie)ent built on laid-back percussion rolls, with DOE PAORO's crystalline vocals and classical guitar emerging from the midsection, and its fattened funk bass is downright dangerous. The flip, "Maya (Auntie Flo Extended Version)" (sample2), is an exotic remix that hooks you instantly with a bass intro not found in the original while amplifying its Middle Eastern essence. (Original Japanese text by Akie)

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『After finding their feet with a couple of remixes for Before I Die, Talking Drums ditch their sea legs and swap the pirate booty of their cult edit series for a five-track EP of original productions, each swimming in LinnDrums, digital chimes and synth-vox sunshine. Summer sounds abound as the crew refract house, disco, ambient ...Read moreand dub through shimmering sea glass, bringing the beach to the bar, club, garden or grotto.

Inspired equally by tropical Sceneries (but Not Songs), Ecco the Dolphin and Echoes of Wally, as well as a few tall tales about trendy whales, this 16-bit caper makes a splash from wave top to bikini bottom. Written and produced as a cohesive EP over three sun-baked weeks in 2025, and stitched together with field recordings and found sounds from Sicily, rural France, Japan and Singapore, Pier Pressure sees each track flow into the next: distinct seas that make up one larger ocean.

Opener ‘Fashionable Whale’ surfaces with mystic motifs and dreamy pads arcing above the spray before a purring low end and drum-box shuffle plunge us into Balearic house depths. A rippling breakdown, bookended by insistent arps, provides respite from the rhythm before the low-tempo pulse returns to take us home. Sticking with Zone 2 cardio, ‘Salmon Hats’ serves wonky disco at Valium pace, its beatific vox and glittering sequences underpinned by a hip-swivelling bassline and topped with a future-primitive melody. After drifting into dream house for a sunset lull, it’s back to the beat and the enduring question of how best to dance on a lilo.

‘Mangrove’ offers an intertidal intermission as tuned percussion finds a place among the cicadas and lapping waves, gently unfolding into an RPGambient ode to humid languor. Refreshed, albeit ailed by a sunstroke haze, we’re back on the dance floor with the optimistic motifs and jolly polyrhythms of ‘Flutti Di Mare’, an uptempo, Afro-adjacent house workout designed to inspire mile-wide smiles. Then the EP sails off into the sunset with the fathoms-deep delight of ‘Squid Dub’, a Cousteau-coded cod-reggae stepper with digi-dub bass, pound-shop marimba and all manner of THCtinged FX. Don’t be deceived by the loose and limber opening: a solid sequencer emerging at the midpoint sees the Squid squeeze every bit of bump out of the finale.

Forget ATOL protection - Talking Drums deliver your summer holiday directly to your stereo.

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Two modern classics in everyone's favorite format... Simple.

His first release on Antinote since his debut LP "You!" A candid, confessional sound journey from Ori Kenneth, aka Alek Lee. Heartbreak and questions about life — did something happen? Kicking off with the pleasantly dubby groove of "Alright" featuring My Lord, "Compensation" and the title track pick up the textures of '90s trip-hop and grunge, whi ...Read more (Original Japanese text by Adachi)le "Change," "Let the Sun Just Shine" and "Hold On" glide smoothly into lustrous, mellow soul reminiscent of Sade. Woven from melodica, live percussion, guitar, backing vocals and '80s-style synths, the strictly No Computer analog sound criss-crosses reggae, Balearic and downtempo while remaining forever gentle, nostalgic and emotional. (Original Japanese text by Adachi)

A1 is a sultry disco track featuring a sexually suggestive, subliminal vocal style reminiscent of Ian Dury and Flash & The Pan. A2 features Bristol’s Spice Route, mysterious reggae, and pop. It features unique drum sounds and a crazy, dub-inspired track. B1 is a track by Neil Diablo, featuring powerful ’80s-style vocals, synths, dubby pop, and Bale ...Read more (Original Japanese text by Saito)aric sounds. The final track is by Melbourne’s trusted label, Hysteric. This is also a quirky pop tune utilizing ’80s-style synthesizers. (Original Japanese text by Saito)

The latest release from 〈MAGIC WAND〉, an offshoot label of 〈IS IT BALEARIC?〉, is a collection of edits and revisions—and this time, the source tracks are absolutely brilliant. From Tim Hardin’s “If I Were a Carpenter”—a hidden gem of introspective ’60s singer-songwriter folk characterized by a ballad-like intimacy—to “Six Blade Knife,” a hidden mas ...Read more (Original Japanese text by Akie)terpiece from Dire Straits’ debut album that showcases their signature early, gritty style. Then there’s the 1970s soft rock track “You Don’t Feel That Way No More” by England’s Dan & John Ford Cole and “Sapelo” by Larry Jon Wilson—though they differ in genre and era, they both lie at the intersection of country and folk, revising 1970s American roots music using dub and loop techniques to transform its melancholy into a soothing experience. (Original Japanese text by Akie)

FINIS AFRICAE, which also featured JAVIER BERGIA—one of the key figures in the Spanish Balearic sound. Their album Amazonia was released in 1990. It features an exotic, imaginative sound that incorporates field recordings! (Original Japanese text by Saito)

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『Inexplicably, yet true, Lexx returns to International Feel with a record that lives exactly where his music feels most at home. In Between State is a gentle navigation between memory and motion, between what has passed and what is still quietly unfolding. It is reflective without nostalgia, uplifting without force. A record that ...Read more trusts the listener to drift.
Another Beach opens as a meditation on time and possibility. It looks back with warmth but keeps its gaze fixed on the horizon. A reminder that nothing is fixed, everything moves, and somewhere ahead there is always another sunset waiting on another shore.
Unison follows as a celebration of togetherness. Open-hearted and weightless, it captures the simple magic of shared moments with friends, music traveling across a room, and the quiet certainty that joy multiplies when experienced collectively.
The title track In Between State settles into that suspended hour where day dissolves into night. Inspired by early 90s electronica yet unmistakably Balearic in spirit, it drifts forward with a subtle psychedelic glow, neither arriving nor
departing, just perfectly hovering in place.
Closing the journey, Durchs Hinterland rolls steadily outward into open space. Born from long rides through backwoods and side roads, it moves with hypnotic momentum and the calm rhythm of forward motion. Endorphins rise, thoughts loosen, and the landscape begins to breathe with you.
Four tracks, quietly luminous. Music for transition, companionship, and the spaces in between. Lexx remains exactly where he should be.

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A re-edit that reimagines the underground aesthetics of 1980s Europe—including EBM, new wave, and post-punk—for today’s dance floor with Tiago’s signature funky flair. This is a very limited-edition release. (Original Japanese text by hamon)