A welcome return

Quantic returns with this delightful remix of the beautiful You Will Return (feat. Alice Russell) from his Magnetica LP.

Ahmed Sirour does the business, adding more percussion wistfully carrying the melody and enhancing the joyful voice of Alice Russell. The beats become almost tribal and builds the track into euphoric highs.

This remix features on the La Plata EP, that takes the two Nidia Góngora vocal tracks from Magnetica, La Plata in it's album form and a Werka Remix of Muévelo Negro. A cracking house remix of You will return by Titeknots finishes of the 4-track set.

Calling you

A nice big dollop of dub here, Ray Mang gives Paqua’s original the echo-chamber treatment, keeping the nice bongo beats and dubbing out the vocals to a minimum, speeded up slightly and adding a heavier bass. There is also a Ray Mang mix at 8 minutes that keeps the full vocal too.

The remixes EP consists of two tracks taken from the critically acclaimed Akaliko album and includes 3 versions of Late Train - Idjut Boy’s Late Brain Version and a vocal and instrumental version by Emperor Machine.

Beach Diggin' again

Guts and Mambo are back with the second insulation of Beach Diggin’ - Vol.2 carries on where Vol.1 left off with an eclectic array of hard-to-find rarities and guilty pleasures. This track kicks off the proceedings with a funky pop loop and Mavis John’s sultry voice. Try stopping your foot tapping to this one!

Dancehall vibes on Hey Mister by Althea Forrest & Togetherness, Folky bossa soul on Amor a Tres by Celeste, funk and disco continues from Lee Alfred and the Hamilton Brothers respectively. Soulful jazz in the shape of Fou De Toi by Bajy & Electrical Haitian Orchestra. Sonya Spence brings it back to a laid back disco vibe before we go off in a reggae tangent with East of Handsworth by Linton Haugton. Moody Leftfield-pop from Letta Mbulu then slides into tropical percussionists The Lain Langley Group on Amazon Trail, this flows nicely into Osmar Milito’s organ led calypso sound, we then mellow right out with Kalalou, a jazz instrumental by Mushi & Lakansyel. Finishing off with Marsha Wilson’s Love Is Gonna Get You.

I’ve not heard any of these tracks before, so it’s a credit to Guts for digging’ deep and unearthing this great collections of gems. See you at the beach.

Buy it on iTunes now, you need it.

Sketches from an Island

Soaking up the sunshine vibe and catching up with all the summer music after spending time out traveling and listening to new music. Mark Barrott’s new LP combines his previous two EP’s and newer tracks to create Sketches From An Island.

Yes the island is of course Ibiza and this is the ultimate Dreamy Balearic delight. A journey of cascading rhythms that evokes the sunshine and long days messing around on the beach. Formentera Headspace Blues (Pt's. 1 & 2) is Barrott’s epic ambient journey into utopia. Deep Water wonders into an eastern vibe while Back to the Sea is a short interlude into Sacred Islands, a piano piece that feels like you’ve been transformed to a forgotten place in paradise.

Bliss.

Check it out here on iTunes

Blanc et noir

Some nostalgic balearic-ness from French Philanthropist, singer, actor and intrapreneur Alain Fabien Maurice Marcel Delon. Original release of Comme au cinéma (Like at the Movies) hit the French charts in 1987, a piano led lounge-groover with Delon’s spoken word delivery and typical 80s saxophones swooning over balearic beats. Certainly adding a touch of Serge Gainsbourg to the mix.

Sunshine Bossa

Right now it's a miserable rainy gloomy day outside, so a lazy Sunday listening to tunes makes perfect sense. Nothing cheers up the mood better than a ray of sunshine bossa nova.

So how about a bit of Buscemi & The Michel Bisceglia Ensemble to brighten up the day. Nao Falo Portugues (Jazz Rework) [feat. Fay Lovsky] is taken from the LP Jazz Works from 2008. The original appears on the 2007 LP Retro Nuevo.

Feel the warmth!

Samba into Summer

Brazilian MPB (Música popular brasileira) singer, songwriter Vanessa da Mata's  new single Segue o Som out this month to get you in the mood for Summer, an easy going samba you can't ignore tapping your feet to.

Vanessa Sigiane da Mata Ferreira, her full name, is a Latin Grammy Award-winning artist with an impressive back catalogue. She has previously worked with Chico César, Bethânia, Caetano Veloso, Black Uhuru, Baden Powell, Seu Jorge, Tom Jobim and Ben Harper.

Caipirinha anyone?!

Love's Crushing Diamond

The twinkling of wind chimes in a breeze on a bright clear sunny day, a cacophony of different instruments meander into the foreground sound, a short pause before awakening Jordan Lee's softly spoken words whisper through the dreamscape - this is the intro to most beautiful LP your likely to hear for sometime.

Mutual Benefit, Brooklyn's multi-instrumentalist Jordan Lee's debut Love's Crushing Diamond is a chilled-out indie-pop masterpiece. Echos of Arcade Fire, Beirut and Grizzly Bear here and there, but the whole record is so easy to listen to it swells with euphoria moments through swooning, thickly textured strings and melodic acoustic strums.

Sometimes my heart and brain conspire / to set everything on fire Lee sings on Golden Wake, the first big tunes certainly sets the mood for this stunning record.

The sheer captivating Advanced Falconry is a natural highlight on first few plays, but the rest of the LP quickly becomes as good with all the delicate intricacies wrapping you up in a warm glow. The rarefied folk and graceful multi-layered instrumentation caresses the senses into a dreamlike state. That Light That's Blinding is just a perfect 4 minutes of lush strings and plunky piano with heavenly female harmonies (Virginia de la Pozas, Julie Byrne and Cory Siegler)and Lee's own evocative voice.

A complete album that finishes with the divine Strong Swimmer as the epic closer, running in at just over 7 minutes it's a fitting end to a breathtaking collection of 7 songs. The plucky banjo drifts along the lazy river of blissful sounds it passes along the way. One major criticism is at 32 minutes it's all over far to quickly but it truly is a stunning debut and absolutely HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

Buy now - iTunes

These are the top 30 LPs that rock our world last year. 

1. Daft Punk - Random Access Memories
2. The Limiñanas - Costa Blanca
3. Kanye West - Yeezus
4. Footprintz - Escape Yourself
5. Matthew E. White - Big Inner
6. Empire Of The Sun - Ice On The Dune
7. Saâda Bonaire - Saâda Bonaire
8. Unknown Mortal Orchestra - II
9. Arcade Fire - Reflektor
10. Bonobo - The North Borders
11. Devendra Banhart - Mala
12. Forest Swords - Engravings
13. Daniel Avery - Drone Logic
14. John Grant - Pale Green Ghosts
15. Bill Callahan - Dream River
16. Vampire Weekend - Modern Vampires of the City
17. Washed Out - Paracosm
18. DJ Koze - Amygdala
19. Blood Orange - Cupid Deluxe
20. Boards of Canada - Tomorrow's Harvest
21. Foxygen - We Are The 21st Century Ambassadors Of Peace & Magic
22. My Bloody Valentine - mbv
23. Taragana Pyjarama - Nothing Hype
24. Jon Hopkins - Immunity
25. Earl Sweatshirt - Doris
26. Darkside - Psychic
27. Deafheaven - Sunbather
28. M.I.A - Matangi
29. Proviant Audio - Drift Days & Disco Nights
30. Classixx - Hanging Garden

Bonjour Monsieur 

Sébastien Tellier returns with LP Confection, it's a mostly an instrument affair, with all the quirky nuances that we've come to expect from the Frenchman. There are links throughout the LP that entwine the songs together, it feels very much like a complete soundtrack to a romance set in a fantasy world.

L'amour Naissant is undoutably the lead track here and the only one that features Sébastien's vocals. The rolling beats are very reminiscent of Tellier's seminal 2004 hit La Ritournelle (a bonafide classic). L'amour Naissant II and III also pop up later in the album in slightly different guises each coining the rolling piano hook throughout. The whole LP picks up somewhere in the vein of his 2006 compilation LP Universe, tracks like La Ballade Du Georges from that LP would sit along nicely in the mix.

So if your after more like 2008's Sexuality or last years My God Is Blue then you may feel disappointed, but if you approach it as a mellow soundtrack to a floating fantasy then you'll enjoy the subtle quirkiness gently weaved through lush orchestration and downbeat grooves. Good to see you again monsieur Tellier!

Right Here Right Now

Stoner lounge guru George Evelyn's Nightmares On Wax return with album number seven, Feelin' Good. All the usual hall marks of the Nightmares On Wax sound are there, funk driven groovers and soulful balearic chill-outs as well as the reggae tinged low-slung jams.

Opening with the lush strings of So Here We Are, a slowly chilled-out tune to ease us into the opulent orchestral sound. Be, I Do bounces along on a catchy skanking baseline evoking the visions of hotter climates. This tune, Now Is The Time is bubbling hot with a piano riff skipping through a looping ska-fused drum and bass. Moses from Zero 7 pops-up on the gospel-pop of Give Thx, the orchestral dynamics continue on the delightful Master Plan. Eye (Can't See) and Tapestry brings the funk with lashings of the feel good factor. It all end with Om Sweet H(Om)e a balearic meditation state that washes over the senses and transcends your mind into utopia, probably the Wax's sweetest chill-out track since Carboot Soul. Recommended.

Escapism Music

As with all their previous LP's Boards of Canada make beautiful music with an uneasy edge to it, like a dramatic soundtrack to an unmade film. This track from their latest LP Tomorrow's Harvest sounds like a lost track from Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Perfect listening for those late late nights in the small hours of the morning. Cyclosa is a spider genus in the family Araneidae, think about that when listening to this and it takes on a new vibe. Tomorrow's Harvest throws up plenty of rewards with persistent plays to take your to another place.

Escapism music for the connoisseur. 

Buy it on iTunes here.

Here Comes The Sun!

Bibio's back to his Ambivalence Avenue best on this track taken from new LP Silver Wilkinson. 

Bibio – aka Stephen Wilkinson – conceived the song in his garden on a gorgeous sunny day. "I limited myself to a few bits of gear and set up in my garden: a 12-string guitar, an MPC sampler, a microphone and a cassette recorder," he explains. He also threw in a plastic watering can beat and the snip of garden shears as percussion. 

"When I listen to the intro of that track now, I still hear the sunshine and the garden in it because for me it's like a photograph of that moment. No doubt the sunny outdoors inspired the lyrics too." 

Bring on the sunshine!

Lost in a delirious dream

Amor de Días, the long-term collaboration between Alasdair MacLean (The Clientele) and Lupe Núñez-Fernández (Pipas), released their sophomore album The House at Sea earlier this year. Today the sun is shining (for a change!) and this is the perfect soundtrack to a lazy day in the sun.

While their debut album Street of the Love of Days took three years to make, The House at Sea was recorded and mixed in only nine days. The fast pace of the sessions resulted in a rawer, more urgent album, featuring a rhythm section of James Hornsey and Howard Monk, both formerly of The Clientele.

The House at Sea is a snapshot of a year’s songs written in London and Madrid. There are pop songs, delirious dream accounts, strange lyrical puzzles, and stories from the city and the suburbs. The theme of the sea threads its way throughout the record along with a gentle sense of drifting and departure, of being lost, of saudade—a sadness at lost things.

Official site: amordedias.com Buy on iTunes now

Weird and wonderful

Arab Strap's Aidan Moffat has just released a new LP under his alter-ego L. Pierre, the album is titled 'The Island Come True' (a chapter from Peter Pan apparently!). This is his fourth album as L.Pierre and is probably the most accomplished of the four, the added atmospheric cracks and pops are Moffat's comfort of making it sound like an old vinyl record and adds a warmth and feeling of a long lost soundtrack to a forgotten movie. Self samples, lush strings and piano loops make Harmonic Avenger quite haunting, I love the smokey organs that slide in and out of this track, just beautiful. Sad Laugh, The Grief That Does Not Speak and The Kingdom all conjure up images of wonder and fantasy. An LP that most recommended for those dark and cold evenings.

Official Website, Buy on iTunes click here.

Big Love for a Big Album

One of the first great albums of the year has to be Matthew E. White's Big Inner. Well, certainly in the UK anyway as it was released in the US back in the summer last year. An LP of string-laden country-soul-gospel that's a pure delight from start to finish. Matthew E. White's ear for a melodic tune renders an album that transcends Big Inner into classic status.

Big Love will undoubtably be the track that will lead a legion of fans to Matthew E. White's live shows, but Big Inner ("beginner") will throw up more favourite tracks than the average debut. White built a studio, Spacebomb, in his attic, he has affiliations with Bon Iver (whose first album about loss Big Inner faintly recalls), Megafaun and the Mountain Goats. He reminds me of the great Kevin Ayers in many ways, specially his voice which is no bad thing at all. Get your copy now, Highly Recommended.

Buy it on iTunes

Official site click here

There will always be Another Tomorrow

Taken from Lusine's forthcoming album - The Waiting Room. AKA Seattle-based producer Jeff McIlwain releases his third LP under the Lusine moniker on Feb 18th following-up 2009's A Certain Distance.

Another Tomorrow is a cool shimmery groove that's just beautiful.

Late Night choice

One of the best Late Night Tales compilations for a while, the compilation series that maintains a quality output have chosen the effervescent Friendly Fires, an inspired choice as it turns out. The selection covers many genres as well as uptempo house, obscure indie, disco-funk, art-pop and ambient chill. This tune is a stand-out, fourth track in, anthemic porn-disco Fly Like An Eagle by Dennis Parker. And it's not just the old stuff that makes for an impressive collection, Melody Echo Chamber's Endless Shore is a welcome addition from a great artist. Friendly Fires’ exclusive cover version of the ’78 electronic classic Why Don't You Answer by Eberhard Schoener and Sting sounds like one of their own.

Surprise choice perhaps is Olivia Newton-John's cover of the Elton John classic Love Song from Tumbleweed Connection, an amazing version that I've never heard before. Also includes choice cuts from Cocteau Twins, SBTRKT, Iron Galaxy, Bibio, Stereolab, Slowdive, Joe Simon and Sonna. 

Definitely one of the best comps of the year and certainly one of the best Late Night Tales comps ever, no mean feat considering it's on it's thirtieth edition. Highly Recommend.

Buy it now on iTunes

No drug can catch the feeling, I get high when I think of you.

This track surfaced back in the summer, it's a great tune from T.Williams with vocals by Tendai. Taken from the The EP Pain & Love release back in September. A moody slow-rolling head-nodder with an infectious groove with a darker undercurrent and a soulful velvety vocal from Tendai that expresses the lyrics with every longing note.

Starting out producing garage and grime under the name Dread D, it was UK funky that acted as a gateway to a life as a house producer and gained him recognition under his new moniker, T.Williams. The West London DJ and producer has now put together a mix for Rinse which includes the likes of Maya Jane Coles, Disclosure, Eats Everything and Julio Bashmore to name a few.

Slow chilled out beats for a cold dark Monday morning. The new Jamie xx remix of Four Tets Lion from the Pink album.

Fly me to the Moon People

Feeling this track from Brooklyn-based DJ/producer Nickodemus' third long player Moon People. Best known for his collaboration with Quantic, the iTunes ad endorsed Mi Swing Es Tropical back in 2006. His 2005 debut album Endangered Species is still a favourite classic LP. This track Mirage features the velvet vocals of Swedish singer Kissey Asplund, a beautiful soulful groove for an easy going evening.

Buy on iTunes click here

Fantasic new tune revealed from Coexist...

Official The xx website states: IT’S AN EXCITING DAY TO BE ABLE TO SHARE A NEW SONG THAT WE WROTE TOWARDS THE END OF RECORDING THE NEW ALBUM. IT’S GOING TO BE THE SECOND TRACK ON COEXIST, IT’S CALLED CHAINED.

X

The eagerly anticipated follow-up to The xx's groundbreaking debut continues to gain momentum following a plethora of remixes of first single to come from Coexist. Angels has received a number of treatments over the last few weeks. This one from Bodhi is the pick of the bunch adding some sweet beats to original and keeping Romy Madley-Croft's delicate vocals in tack. Love this!

Yppah (pronounced ‘yippah’)

Yppah's third album has been a steady grower over the last few months, I first stumbled apron it's eclectic charms back in April and while it's certainly not an instant grabber, persistent listening bears many fruits. Predominately instrumental with the vocals blending in as instruments, often fast rhythm's have an air of tranquility, creating atmospheric sounds with an overwhelming sense of playfulness. Lead track Film Burn is spectacular, Anomie Belle's vocal meanders through delicate synths, broken beats and soaring strings like Endtroducing... era DJ Shadow combining with the Cocteau Twins. Happy to See you shines with chiming guitars and R. Mullen is overwhelming anthemic with a Stone Roses sense of groove. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED, beautifully uplifting music to escape to during rainy days in London.

Love a moody cloud cover too...

Buy it on iTunes

Sexybeats

Los Angeles band Ghost Loft have been causing a few waves with their own brand of R&B and cool lazy beats. Early comparisons with The Weeknd mixed with the XX are not far from the truth and quite the complementary mix. This track - Seconds - possesses a baseline straight out of Jamie XX's bag. Loving all their tunes especially this and another song called Blow. Definitely one to watch! Nice seductive black and white artwork completes the package.

Visit the bands official site here ghostloft.com

Get more tracks on ghostloft.bandcamp.com

A Cool Français Cocktail

Heard this while sitting in a café in Bordeaux, it's a cool laid-back lounge version of an old eighties song by Etienne Daho. This new version of Le Grand Sommeil (The Big Sleep) recorded with Etienne Daho by Ginger Ale for his tribute album Tombés Pour Daho which also features a variety of French artistes - Sébastien Tellier, Benjamin Biolay Feat. Elli Medeiros, Avril and Ready Made FC. 

Etienne's original version featured on his second 1984 LP La Notte La Notte... Ginger Ales lead singer, Angèle David-Guillou's seductive voice is wonderful and the cool baseline transforms the song sounding way better than the original. TRÈS BIEN!

The Summer soundtrack has arrived

Great to hear some new music from Baltimore duo Beach House and even better that they haven't lost the edge. Following the amazing Teen Dream LP in 2010, new album Bloom is full of the bands lush harmonies and dreamy tunes.

First single Myth is grand song that builds in tension till the euphoria washes over the sound to lift you higher into a state of pure bliss. Other People sounds just as beautiful with a song-along chorus, Wishes has this amazing quitar riff solo halfway through. Irene is the slow late-night jam, On The Sea is a hazy folky song that is just delightful and New Year bursts with energy and colour. Lazuli is 5 minutes of graceful melodies and enchanting atmospherics. Victoria Legrand and Alex Scally have done it again just in time for summer, Beach House will surely be everywhere soundtracking sun-drenched escapades this year. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Due for release in the UK on 14th May. Pre-Order now on iTunes.

Stunning Neil Young cover

Kill for Love, Chromatics' first album since 2007's Night Drive and it's an epic masterpiece. Earlier post below Symmetry's Themes for an Imaginary Film was created with Johnny Jewel and fellow Chromatics member Nat Walker, Kill for Love fits nicely along side that soundtrack of neon-noir Italo-disco sensibilities but this album is full of big expansive dreamy pop-noir driven by lush vocals and left-field glacial synths.

The album kicks off with this synth-draped cover of Neil Young's Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black) which is deconstructed and rebuilt to absolute perfection, featuring the beautiful voice of singer Ruth Radelet. Kill for Love is Highly Recommended.

Buy it on iTunes

A world of discovery

Here we have our first big contender for album of the year status. Barcelona's John Talabot releases his first album, ƒIN and it's a stunner! Talabot takes on many different styles on this record and weaves them together seamlessly with confident grace. Bursting with a rainbow of colours, intricate textures and deep atmospherics that delve in and out of deep house, disco, and indie pop with shades of tropical lushness and Balearic beauty.

Quiet and loud, dreamy haze and pulsating beats. There are so many moods on this LP and that's what makes it so interesting, I discover something new with every listen and the more you listen the more it opens up. Destiny a co-production with Madrid's Pional is an outstanding house tune that's sounds as good on headphone as on the dancefloor. Pional turns up again for the album closer So Will Be Now, another house track that leaves you wanting more. Outstanding and Highly Recommended.

Buy it on iTunes, John's place in MySpace

Like this? Try: SBTRKT, Delorean, Caribou, Boards of Canada, Matias Aguayo, Nicolas Jaar

Stunning lost track

SBTRKT posted a previously unreleased tune on Soundcloud, Atomic Peace. He originally played it on a guest mix DJ Mary Anne Hobbs show. The track samples Múm's Flow Not So Fast Old Mountain Radio, from the Icelandic glitch-pop outfit's 2001 compilation Please Smile My Nose Bleed. It's a nice light and airy chilled out electronic tune to ease you into a new day. Perhaps an outtake from his debut, it's a worthy extension.

Apocalypse

Reviewing the albums of the year is a tough task, and it's been a busy year. While considering what will make my top 20 this album crops up. Bill Callahan's Apocalypse has been a slow burner over the year since it's release back in April. Callahan's almost spoken word style of singing has a lot of similarities with Gil Scott-Heron, specially on the track America!. This track Riding For the Feeling is a gorgeously enchanting slow waltz with Callan's strange subversive lyrics and the centre track to one of his best albums to date.

Seven tracks at just 40 minutes - Apocalypse is his third studio album released under his own name, and fourteenth overall when including LPs released as Smog. Already featured in many best of year charts its a recommended late night chill out. That artwork is a painting by the artist Paul Ryan.

Buy it on iTunes

Moustachue également

This is a wicked tune, taken from the French band Deluxe's new EP called Polishing Peanuts. Easy does it, a cool laid-back hip hop beat with some old skool jazz flourishes and lush vocals. Yeah!

OUT NOW on Chineseman Records.

Real Good!

There's a cold fresh breeze, the sky is a lush shade of blue without a cloud to be seen, aeroplane vapour trails draw lines in the expansive space and the sun silhouettes the horizon. 

The start of winter is here and New Jersey's Real Estate have made the perfect soundtrack to lazy Sunday's on a fresh winter morning. Following up their excellent self-titled 2009 debut, Real Estate are back with a clean crisp sound on Days. An effortlessly easy listing carefree LP that floats along with rolling rhythms and gentle shimmering guitars, rich tones and breezy harmonies. 

It's real is an upbeat tune that is about as fast as it gets, a nice feel good tune that in riches the soul. The album finishes with the epic  - All The Same, a perfect finish to a great LP. Days is out now, Highly Recommended.

Buy it on iTunes here, The bands place in MySpace, Domino Records

Like this? Try: Deehunter, Beach House, Sun Airway

It Takes Time to Be a Man

The Rapture return with new LP In The Grace of Your Love. It's another eclectic mix of styles from party rave-ups to indie-dance cross-overs. This is a class tune with looping piano riff that sticks in your head. More on this later...

TOP SECRET

After listing to Zomby's Dedication album, it got me looking up some old film soundtracks. This piece of music, the main theme from John Barry's 1965 soundtrack to The Ipcress File is very influential to Zomby's new vibe. I've not seen this movie but the soundtrack is ace, a British espionage film directed by Sidney J. Furie and starring Michael Caine, Guy Doleman, and Nigel Green. It has won critical acclaim and a BAFTA award for best British film.

Buy it on iTunes

Dark and Moody Zomby

Currently enjoying the latest LP Dedication from Zomby. It's been out a while now, but it definitely suited to dark evenings or early hours. This track a nice moody film score vibe, the tinkling synth sounds are reminiscent of some old seventies film soundtracks by the likes of Francis Lai, Lao Schifrin, John Barry and Nino Rota, but with a Zomby twist. A far departure from his earlier ravey stuff this is a step into Burial territory with exquisite results. Recommended.

Buy it on iTunes

Balearic beauty

Love the cool breezy vibe of this new tune from Swedish Balearic pop outfit Air France, subtle steel drums weave in and out the sunshine beats. Almost sounds like a Jamie xx remix with the steal pans thrown in there, starts with a bit of Kool and the Gang in the background and ramps up to a the perfect Balearic pop. Mixed by Star Slinger.

I thought I was strong feel like my sense has gone

DJ and producer Maya Jane Coles is hot property at the moment and I just love this moody bass chill-out from the 24 year old Londoner. MJC’s sultry vocals draw you into the hypnotic groove. She takes on house, techno and pop all with solid sensibilities of a quality sound, last month she dropped Focus Now, another EP on London’s 2020Vision label, this tune is the stand out track and I just can't get enough of it. MJC has also just remixed Little Dragon, check it out over on her official site.

It's good to hear some new music from Beirut, sounding on good form on this cover of the Tropicália legend Caetano Veloso.

The first track from the Red Hot Organization’s sequel to their 1996 comp Red Hot + Rio, paying homage to Brazilian Tropicália. The album will also feature Dirty Projectors, of Montreal, St. Vincent, Neon Indian, Beck, Devendra Banhart, Madlib, José González, and John Legend. Quite the eclectic mix, Can't wait!

Find out the full lo-down on redhot.org

This mellow little groover oozes sunshine from every note. Swaying melody over a rolling beat with lazy hazy sweet voice of Steffaloo while it chops, clicks and glitchs to a sudden cut. Billy Comfort is a bit of an unknown other than a bandcamp page here.

The vocal talents of Steffaloo feature in her own music on bandcamp to here.

Keep the sunshine coming, here's a delightfully smouldering slice of feel good music from New Yorker Drew Lustman, aka FaltyDL. Taken from the just released LP - You Stand Uncertain. The 2 Step swing of Brazil is just to short at under three and a half minutes. Good job he's made a whole albums worth of sophisticated music then, stepping over from dubstep to deep house to drum and bass with sprinkles of jazz stylings and old school samples. It's Fucking excellent! Recommended!

Buy it on iTunes, FaltyDL MySpace

The happiest song of the year so far goes to Bibio, K Is For Kelson has the brightest groove with bursts of colour and quirky synths. Reminds you of those kitsch 60's tunes that John Barry used to do. Hear it in the morning and your'll be whistling it all day! 

Stephen Wilkinson, aka Bibio releases a new album Mind Bokeh on April 4th in Europe, Bibio explains the background of the name: “Bokeh is the out of focus region of a photograph. It's not a quantifiable thing, but photographers and lens manufacturers are obsessed with it. In Japanese it means “haze”, “blur”, or even “dementia”. I called the album Mind Bokeh because I'm interested in the effect of defocussing your mind, whether through meditation, chemicals or whatever – it's a state of mind quite alien to Westerners.”

The anticipated follow up to his celebrated first album for Warp in 2009, Ambivalence Avenue, One of neoloop's 2009 albums of the year.

Bibio's place in MySpace, get the lowdown on Bibio at Warp

Epic atmospherics from Nicolas Jaar, Too Many Kids Finding Rain In The Dust is from his debut long player - Space Is Only Noise. 14 downtempo concertos make-up an experimental and chilled out composition. The percussion samples organic sounds and voices to make up complex trip-hoppers. Keep it There is reminiscent of Matias Aguayo with it's slowed down looped voices. It's a lot more chilled than his previous house grooves for Wolf+Lamb.

Space Is Only Noise is a tour de force with few modern equals, and a great sign of things to come from one of electronic music’s most exciting producers.

Released by: Circus Company

Buy it on iTunes, MySpace

Nice and easy tune from Toronto's Bedouin Soundclash collaborating with Béatrice Martin best known as Coeur de Pirate. A stand out track from their latest Light The Horizon Album. The mesmerising percussion floats along and pulls you in as Béatrice Martin's voice caresses the strings and it's all quite beautiful.

Official site

The Bends, OK Computer and Kid A, will Radiohead's new album compare with these classic LP's that we've lived with and loved through years of continued listening. Their last album, 2007's In Rainbows, was perhaps the best of Radiohead's later releases, so now we have The King of Limbs. Lead track Lotus Flower (complete with low-budget video of Thom dancing) slowly penetrates the sub-conscious like all classic Radiohead songs, and gets better with every listen. And that's what Radiohead do best, creating tunes that grow and mature over time. The King of Limbs is no exception, it's another captivating record that you have to listen to intently over time to truly appreciate the architecture of the expertly crafted music. With eight tracks spanning 37 minutes, The King of Limbs is surprisingly short – but it's also typically rich with leftfield electronic texture akin to Burial and Flying Lotus mixed with a Pink Floyd trippiness. It has a late night post-dubstep ambient feel thats perfectly chilled and engaging.

I don't think they have pushed any major musical boundaries here, but it still captures the high quality of a band in their prime. After a few listen's this track, Separator (which closes the album) is one that fills you with the satisfaction you've come to expect from Thom Yorke and co. I'm gonna give it a few more listen before I pass final judgement, but I know it will mature like a fine wine to be enjoyed and savoured again and again. All we need now is Jamie xx to do the remixed version!

Like this? Try: James Blake, Flying Lotus, The xx

Nice little summery tune, Malerina comes from Shugo Tokumaru's album - Port Entropy released last year. Shugo Tokumaru (ã�'ˆã‚¯ã�'žã�'«ã‚·ã�'¥ã�'¼ã‚´ Tokumaru ShÅ«go) is a Japanese singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Playing all the music himself, he mixes up a variety of old traditional and new Japanese instruments.

Check-out more on his MySpace, Buy it on iTunes

John Barry RIP

Five time Oscar winner, inductee of the Songwriters Hall of Fame and OBE John Barry died aged 77 on 30th January. The legendary film composer best known for his iconic work on 11 Bond films made an incredible contribution to music. Born in York, England, as John Barry Prendergast, he trained as a pianist and then took up the trumpet. He founded a jazz group, the John Barry Seven, in 1957. "The James Bond movies came because we were successful in the pop music world, with a couple of big instrumental hits. They thought I knew how to write instrumental hit music," Barry said.

All the bond soundtracks are classics of course, but I still love the theme to Midnight Cowboy, composed by Barry in 1969 to accompany the film directed by John Schlesinger, and starred Dustin Hoffman and then-newcomer Jon Voight in the title role.

Get the soundtrack on iTunes

Great track here from the excellent new album Kiss Each Other Clean from Iron & Wine aka Sam Beam. Monkey Uptown is a real feel-good folk-funk tune. The whole album has a certain funky vibe to it compared with Beam's simpler more folky material. It's a gentle record with some excellent, well crafted songs that burst with soaring harmonies and lush melodies. Recommened

Like this? Try: Simon & Garfunkel, Midlake, John Grant, Fleet Foxes

Buy it on itunes

Mesmerising new track, I Mind taken from James Blakes debut album.

2011 is going to be a great year for James Blake, following the success of last years mostly instrumental EP's CMYK and Klavierwerke. His self-titled debut album is released in February. Being touted as the one to watch this year, already receiving rave reviews for his minimal and tense cover (and first single) of Feist's Limit To Your Love with it's heavy gut-pounding bass. His debut is a full-on vocal affair with all the quality instrumentation he showed on previous work. James' vocal has a warm, delicate and fragile quality, reminiscent of Anthony Hegarty. Often singing just one line and repeating it while shifting in pitch. Blake's sound is stark and minimalist with the same haunting qualities of Burial, but make no mistake this is a unique sound all of his own that future releases will be measured against. The intimate nocturnal vibe swells with an intensity that captivates with every piano key and digital effect. It's often the patches of intense silence that leaves you hanging on every note. Definitely one for the late night chill with a big pair of headphones. Recommended.

Buy on iTunes, Official website

Like this? Try: Bon Iver, Anthony and the Johnsons, Fever Ray, Burial

New long player Ventriloquizzing from Fujiya & Miyagi is released this month, follow up from 2008's - Lightbulbs. I don't think they have quite captured the top form of their 2006 defining album, the brilliant Transparent Things. However there are a handful of tracks that match their best work, namely this track - Pills has all the hallmarks of a top F&M tune. There have always been the Hotchip comparisons and this track certainly does have a sprinkling of Hotchip flavourings. What sets them apart is F&G's influence of old 60's soundtrack composers, nuances of Quincy Jones, Serge Gainsbourg, Piero Umiliani and Marc Collin mixing it up with a Krautrock proficiency that takes in Can, Neu!, Kraftwerk and Tortoise. 

Ventriloquizzing is good set of songs from the Brighton band and grows with every listen, well worth checking out.

Buy it on iTunes, bands official website

Perfect Sunday evening chill-out album from Gayngs… a great album from last year.

When Ryan Olson decided to make a record with Solid Gold members Zack Coulter and Adam Hurlburt, it was clear to them what the result would be: a collection of drugged-up keyboards and slick bedroom production almost exclusively inspired by 10cc's "I'm Not In Love." To be fair, they weren't entirely off.

What they didn't know was that it would spiral into a project of epic proportions, enlisting the talents of over 25 musicians from various scenes around the country, relocating the base of operations from Olson's Minneapolis bedroom/studio to the Wisconsin-based studio April Base, and the genesis of a musical family, GAYNGS.

Bands place in MySpace

While driving through the French countryside of the Dordogne region at night with just the light of the sat-nav glowing on the dashboard, you need a suitably dark and mellow soundtrack for such a drive and Arthur H's Pour Madame LP from 2000 fits perfectly. Arthur's husky croon creeps in and out of the subtle beats, sometimes singing or whispering or just the spoken word of a man possessed. Haka Dada has the hypnotic groove of a snake charmer. Great album and a French classic.

Arthur Higelin (born Paris 1966), better known under his stage name Arthur H, a pianist, songwriter and singer. He is the son of the French singer Jacques Higelin. Drawing on such influences as Thelonious Monk and Serge Gainsbourg he's a bit of legend in France.

Official site, Buy it on iTunes

A slice of Reggae and massive dollop of Soul with the beautiful voice of Hindi Zahra. Late night chilled grooves cooked up to perfection. This track is taken off the debut album from Parisian Radio show programmer Blundetto! called Bad Bad Things. 

But it on iTunes

Time of an interlude...

South of the Border is the third album by Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass, originally released in 1964. About a trip to Mexico, this has a bit of a spaghetti western feel about it. Herb's dramatic sound is at it best on tunes like this. South of the Border was originally written by Jimmy Kennedy and Michael Carr and published in 1939 for the film of the same name starring country star Gene Autry. Vocal versions of this song were recorded by Frank Sinatra (on the classic album - Come Fly With Me) and Patsy Cline.

Love the typography on the cover artwork too!

Buy it on iTunes

This week I went to see the great Paolo Conte at The Royal Albert Hall, it was his first concert in the UK to tour his new album Nelson. So naturally Paolo Conte for one night only was sold out. It was a night to remember, even at the grand old age of 73 Conte has still his mojo. Surrounded by the most amazing musicians, it was an incredible performance.

He's been described as Italy's answer to everyone from Jacques Brel to Leonard Cohen and Tom Waits, but he inhabits a world of his own, in which he can switch, often within the same song, from echoes of French chanson to jazz-edged swing, with occasional excursions into stomping R&B or Latin styles, and with his piano work matched by an equally versatile band, which features the remarkable multi-instrumentalist Massimo Pitzianti. This tune, Max is an all time classic Conte song and an all time favourite of mine. Truly Exceptional.

Like this? Try: More Paolo Conte, Serge Gainsbourg, Astor Piazzolla, Tom Waits, Arthur H

Now I've got you in the undertow

An all girl Los Angeles quartet, Warpaint release The Fool, their debut album for Rough Trade. Getting rave reviews everywhere. It was produced by Tom Biller, and features mixing duties by Andrew Weatherall and Adam Samuels. Warpaint bring in lush harmonies and brooding baselines, I can hear flashes of Fleetwood Mac and even the Stone Roses on some tracks. 

Subtle strands of punk, shoegaze, psychedelics, and folk all intersperse at once creating a truly captivating sound with a quality that's rarely heard. It's the perfect soundtrack for cold sunny days doing nothing or late night's chilling out with a nice single malt whiskey. It's breathtakingly good and highly Recommended. 

Also worth checking out their debut EP Exquisite Corpse that was produced by Red Hot Chili Peppers’ John Frusciante, which features the amazing track Billie Holiday.

Matthew Dear's latest LP is still on heavy rotation at neoloop. The single and epic track Little People (Black City) is the main staple of a great album, Black City, released via Ghostly. The single version features two remixes from UK producer Mark E. This is the Mark E remix, there is also a dub version. Although this is quite dubbed out anyway - I like the laid-back groove and cowbell loop of this version, and I'm also loving the abstract cover art for this single, so here's a big image to feast your eyes on...

Buy it on iTunes

New EP my heart beats: remixes and versions is a collection of remixes from Natural Self's My Heart Beats Like A Drum LP. Prince Fatty, puts stand-out track Midnight Sun through his mixing deck, drafting in his crew of veteran players to turn out a brand new piece of music, keeping the sultry vocal talents of French singer Elodie Rama who co-wrote and sings on the original version. Also available in a full dub version which wicked too. Pure hot hip-swaying vibes for a sunny day, just add clear blue skies and a Rum and Coka!

As well as Natural Self, Elodie Rama has also made some great music with Hocus Pocus and Blue Apple Quartet. Prince Fatty does a great version of Snoop Dogs Gin and Juice listen on his MySpace here.

Elodie Rama place in MySpace, Buy this on iTunes

Chill out to some seriously good dub with the second album from Quantic Presenta Flowering Inferno, the tropical dub-reggae side project that Quantic introduced with 2008's highly acclaimed Death Of The Revolution. With the Flowering Inferno, Will 'Quantic' Holland brings dub and reggae flavours to the Latin American and African sounds that he has been chasing round the globe since he first started collecting records. 

He recorded the album in his Sonido Del Valle studio in Cali, Colombia. An album inspired by soundsystem culture but widened out far beyond just reggae and dancehall styles 'Dog With A Rope' is a Tropical soundclash - encompassing a heavy bass and reggae aesthetic alongside the Tropical dance-orientated music from Cuba, Puerto Rico and Colombia.

Like this? Try: Buena Vista Social Club, Ernest Ranglin, Ticklah

A beautiful sound builds on a simple marimba beat and looping handclaps, cascades of synths and soaring strings burst into life on this short but epic little track. Glasser, a one-woman orchestra aka Cameron Mesirow releases her debut LP on 28th September.

If this track is anything to go by it should be good, recorded in Los Angeles and Stockholm she worked closely with producer Ariel Rechtshaid (Foreign Born, We Are Scientists) and Fever Ray’s Van Rivers and Subliminal Kid.

Ambient delight

Cleveland trio Emeralds have released a vast array of music over the last four years or so, but none with such beauty and richness as their latest offering, LP - Does It Look Like I'm Here. A fantasy soundscape that's completely captivating like a soundtrack to the most visually stimulating movie you've never seen. This is a particular beautiful tune led by the waltz of folky guitar. Well worth checking out the full album for a relaxing listen, perfect for long plane journeys, close your eyes and dream of magical places.

Emeralds is the trio of Mark McGuire, Steve Hauschildt, and John Elliott.

Like this? try: Fuck Buttons, Hawkwind, Tangerine Dream, Brian Eno

Buy it on iTunes

CMYK (four track) EP is the third release from the prodigious London producer, still only 21, James Blake crafts intricate music that's both deeply retro and futuristic. Snipets of soul and jazz chords and twisted vocals snag and blip through mid-tempo beats that glide together with synthesised sub-bass with handclaps. This track CMYK (the EP's title track) subtly draws on both Kelis' Caught Out There and Aaliyah's Are You That Somebody. Interesting music.

Like this? Try: Mount Kimbie, Joy Orbison, Floating Points

Bands place in MySpace, Buy it on iTunes

Loving the vibe of this, very chilled summer groove to soundtrack the current heatwave. A little sunshine soaked disco-reggae beat and a choir of soul divas sounds just perfect, just add your own sunshine. Belgium duo Aeroplane's brand new single is out this week on Wall of Sound.

Buy it on iTunes, Bands place in MySpace

David Holmes releases his greatest hits this month, a true pioneer DJ, producer, musician and composer who'se made some outstanding tunes under his own name. This new LP The Dogs are Parading pulls together all the singles and other stella album tracks, remixes and rarities. He's produced many great soundtracks Out Of Sight, Ocean's Eleven and last years The Girlfriend Experience all of which feature on The Dogs are Parading. The track featured here is from his album Let's Get Killed and is Holmes's retake on Serge Gainsbourg's Melody from Histoire De Melody Nelson LP, considered to be one of Gainsbourg's finest works and featured orchestral arrangements of Jean-Claude Vannier. Holmes's classic version is pretty sympathetic to the original, bringing it up to date. All of Holmes's great tunes in one place with a few obscure remixes thrown in can't be bad, HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Like this? Try: Serge Gainsbourg, Massive Attack, Unkle, DJ Shadow

Buy it on iTunes, Official Holmes site here.

Tosca release an album of remixes of their most recent No Hassle LP this month, which stays in tradition with the Tosca modus operandi. There's been at least one remix album for each original Tosca album to date. Such is the quality of Richard Dorfmeister & Rupert Huber's Austrian band output that all the remixed versions of their albums are always a sure fire success. Pony No Hassle Versions LP is no different, this track is transformed by Grant Phabao into dub reggae groove and a tad more upbeat than the original. Perfect chilled out tunes that still get your toe tapping.

Like This? Try: Kruder & Dorfmeister, Thievery Corporation, Peace Orchestra, Boozoo Bajou

But it on iTunes

More chilled out vibes today, this is an absolute classic for me, Dimitri from Paris (born Dimitris Yerasimos 1963) is a French music producer and DJ, best know for his disco compilations. He's produced many runway soundtracks for fashion houses such as Chanel, Jean-Paul Gaultier, Hermès and Yves Saint-Laurent. I think his music suits the fashion scene perfectly, this tune appeared on his excellent debut solo album Sacrebleu released in 1996. Very cool.

Perfect easy listening, light bossa nova for an easy lazy Sunday afternoon, recorded by Ruby & the Romantics, an American R&B group in the 1960s, the band were a bit of a one hit wonder with this in 1963. This tune has since been recorded by so many artists including  Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass, Dionne Warwick, Bobby Darin, Isaac Hayes, Frankie Valli, The Carpenters and Waldeck to name a few. This, the original version has a cracking hammond organ vibe! Sit back, relax, and wait a while, your day will come.

Like This? Try: Waldeck, Dimitri From Paris, Burt Bacharach

Since today is the first day of British summertime I'm digging out some old feel-good summer tunes. What better than some Brazilian vibes, this just oozes the heat of the sun with a chilled out groove. Totally tropical, Bonobo remixes the track for the bottletop project (see more about this at bottletop.org) which raises money for inspiring causes through music sales. Taking original music from all over the world and asks various leading DJ and producers to remix them. For more of this kind of fantastic music, look no further than Mr. Bongos.

Like this? Try: Gilberto Gill, Caetano Veloso, Tom Zé, Os Mutantes, Sergio Mendes

Some late night chilled out reggae for you now, I've been listening to some out mixes and this tune come on, I'd forgotten how good it was. The original White Stripes version is a killer tune to begin with of course, The Dynamics slow the whole thing down and change the arrangement to give it a nice easy reggae drum and bass with melodica that Augustus Pablo would be proud of. Seven Nation Army is from The Dynamics 2008 covers album Version Excursions. The band are from Lyon in France.

Like This? Try: Easy Star All-Stars, Ticklah Vs Axelrod, DubXanne

Buy it on iTunes, Bands place in MySpace

Neon Indian aka Alan Polomo releases a new single this week available free on Green label sound. Sleep Paralysist, a collaboration with Chris Taylor of Grizzly Bear, was recorded in Brooklyn at Taylor’s Terrible Studios.  While it includes all the blips, clicks and bleeps with lush psychedelic, indie synth-pop melodies featured on Neon Indian's critically acclaimed début album Psychic Chasms, it has a clearer production sound about it - The Chris Taylor influence perhaps. If you can't sleep, whack this on and enter into the neon dreamland.

Get Psychic Chasms on iTunes, Excellent free downloads on Green Label Sound, Neon's place in MySpace

Like This? Try: Grizzley Bear, Four Tet, Memory Tapes, Beach House

The new title track from MGMT next album Congratulations is a somewhat laid-back easy going summery freaky folky affair. Their back to basics acoustic approach is in stark contrast to the debut album Oracular Spectacular that launched last summers classic tunes. The band have been quoted saying there are no radio friendly single on this new album. But this is not a bad thing, I'm like this tune, it just sounds like a different band. There are other tracks on the album that feature the wonky organs that make Kids such a great anthem. You can download another track Flash Delirium from the bands website. Congratulations is out on 12th April.

Like This? Try: Devendra Banhart, Marc Bolan, Kings of Convenience

Official Site

Chill out to this hypnotic little tune of dreamy-pop, unsigned and doing it on his own, Yoseph y la Zilla! from Murfreesboro, Tennessee is making some interesting music. This new tune is raising the bar and taking it into a more accomplished sound. The atmospheric xylophonic tinkering captivates you from the start, hushed vocals harmonises hum through the song like monks in a monastery. Check out his MySpace for more tunes, you can download his last album Machine for free here.

Like This? Try: Memoryhouse, Sigur Rós, Four Tet

His Place in MySpace

Groove Armada, the duo that gave me one of my all time favourite tunes with At the River now return with their sixth album Black Light. Tom Findlay and Andy Cato take on some great vocal talents for this album released last month, including Brian Ferry, Nick Littlemore of Empire of the Sun, Will Young and Saint Saviour. But this track has caught my attention which features the velvet vocal tones of Jess Larrabee (She Keeps Bees). Ironically I think this tunes sounds more like Empire of the Sun than the tracks with Nick Littlemore on. The whole album is becoming a frequent listen on the ipod and will sink slowly into summer, the season when Groove Armada sounds best, just add blue sky and baking hot sunshine.

Like This? Try: She Keeps Bees, Empire of the Sun, Zero 7, Röyksopp

Official Site, Buy Black Light on iTunes, She Keeps Bees Website

Some excellent electropop now from Canadian duo Memoryhouse, chilled synths and phased guitars serve up lush textures and kaleidoscopic colours from another time and place. Millionyoung's remix give it a danceable pop beat and speeds it's up with looping bleeps and highnotes but loses nothing from the enchanting original (from The Years EP, which is available here). Totally dreamy.

Bands place in MySpace

Turn up the sun, are you ready to start again?

Primary1 doesn't so much remix this, it's a complete remake - a lot more chilled out than Alex Metric's frantic original. Delicate UFO bleeps and warped synths wash over a warm and relaxing sound to create a gentle background for the lazy sing-a-long, then it starts again, it starts again, finishing with big build up into a flourish of colour and euphoria. Beautiful!

Primary 1's debut album will be released on Atlantic Records later this year, one to look out for!

Primay1's place in MySpace, Alex Metric place in MySpace, Check out Alex Metric's original on iTunes

This has an almost lounge vibe to it, with Japanese ladies singing along to the ainu dub beat rhythms. A chilled out Sunday afternoon, kick back and relax to some Japanese dub. Taken from the album Dub Ainu.

Oki is an Ainu Japanese musician. His real name is Oki Kanō (加納 �") and he is from Kanagawa Prefecture. Oki mixes traditional Ainu music with reggae, dub and other styles of world music.

Official Site, Oki on iTunes, Oki Ainu Dub Band on iTunes

Following on from the Waldeck post below, here he is again under the Saint Privat moniker. Saint Privat is Waldeck and fellow Austrian singer Valérie Sajdik.  Pour yourself a Gin and Tonic and soak up Tous les jours, the connoisseurs’ summer hit of 2004 in Germany, Austria and beyond. They have since released the album Superflu, heralding the revival of the “Chanson psychédélique”. Chill out baby.

Like This Try: Waldeck, Pink Martini, Koop

Valerie Sajdik's place in MySpace, Official Site, Saint Privat on iTunes

Sounds like the Stones Roses playing in a chilled out bar in the seventies while Cool bright coloured lights pierce through a smokey atmosphere. No one's got a care in the world.

My Robot Friend is from NYC, AKA Howard Robot his latest album Soft-core, is full of guests including Alison Moyet, Jay Kauffman and Zombie Nation… this track features the vocals of Dean Wareham of Dean & Britta duo. The album is real melting pot styles, old an new. Great tunes for late night listening.

Official site, Bands place in MySpace, Dean Wareham's site, Buy the album on iTunes

Enter in a dream-like state, the world of Beach House, atmospheric rhythms, floating soulful harmonies and graceful hazy lazy melodies fulfil a lush landscape of shiny dreamy pop. Magnificent! Beach House are the duo of Alex Scally on guitar and keyboards and Victoria Legrand on vocals and organ formed in 2004 in Baltimore, Maryland (Legrand is the niece of French film composer Michel Legrand and singer Christiane Legrand, cool!) New Album Teen dream is released at the end of this month.

Like This Try: Stereolab, Grizzly Bear, Yeasayer

Bibio's Ambivalence Avenue is already one of my album's of 2009. Now before the year is through Bibio releases The Apple and the Tooth, which essentially is a Ambivalence Avenue remix album with a few new tracks. The Lone remix of All the Flowers extends the original tune from an interlude into a whole tune. Always a favourite moment on Ambivalence Avenue it has a back beat and echoing vocals, but never loses that looping riff that makes the tune what it is.

Like this try: Bibio's Ambivalence Avenue

Bibio's place in MySpace

I've no idea what she's singing about, my spanish is a little rusty, but this is a beautiful song. An instant feel good vibe, just add a cuban cigar and a Mojito and your away! My mate Dave has this as his ringtone!

This is a classic tune from the Cuban diva Leyanis López Luque, born in Guantanámo on the 8th of October 1971.

Leyanis place in MySpace

Real Estates album was only released last month, but with tracks like Beach Comber, Let's rock the beach and Pool Swimmers its all about long hot lazy sunny days and having fun, surf guitars and Hawaiian flowers. Although their are a few somber moments in Black Lake and Fake Blues and even a song about Snow days. In the middle of a cold winters day it brings in a ray of sunshine and you can only but dream about next summer. I'm sure this album will have the longevity to soundtrack your summer holidays in 2010 and beyond, a cracking debut from the New Jersey band.

Bands place in MySpace, Buy it on iTunes

Like this try: Grizzly Bear, Biblo, Freelance Whales

The xx incredible remix of Florence + the Machine's version of Candi Staton's classic 'You've Got The Love'. Originally appears on her Mercury nominated Lungs LP. Every now and again a track comes along and blows you away, this is an amazing remix, practically a complete remake, stripping the original down to basics and reconstructing it with subtle xylophone and warped harp to dubstep beat and cutting up The XX's vocals with Florance Welch's chorus. The XX can do no wrong, captivating!

The XX Official site

Florence + the Machine official site

Spooky being lost in space all on your own! Sounding like an early AIR tune, but it was recorded in the early Seventies. In 1975 before the release of the first Black Devil Disco Club album, Bernard Fevre released an album called ‘The Strange World Of Bernard Fevre’ and like the first Black Devil album it was so far ahead of it’s time that even now people struggle to believe it was really recorded over 30 years ago. Love to new cover by Non-Format too!

Buy it from Lo Recordings

Following on from the last post about AIR sounding like Bertrand Burgalat, what better time than to share a bit more bert. You'll find other tunes by bert in previous months. This is his superb collaboration with Robert Wyatt, a little late for summer but a classic bert tune, taken from the album Cheri B.B. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

A superb chilled out remix from Folk-Hippie Devendra Banhart

Devendra said: We LOVE and have LOVED Phoenix since Alphabetical, and have wanted to do more than just ogle at their awesomeness for quite some time. With the release of their luminary Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix we got the chance to un-floccinaucinihilipilificate our dreams and with awesome, oceanic glee, we took Rome for a ride... a mellow, meditative one, let’s bring out the candle-lit side, a side of the song suited for lucubration !

You can download this and more Phoenix remixes here

A delightful little tune from Zero 7's new album Yeah Ghost. Sounding like a quirky french pop tune with a folkie vibe, halfway through the steel drums kick in at takes the song off to the Caribbean. 

Hanging on to last few sunny days of summer with this sizzling groove.

Ralph Myers synths swirling around sweat vocals from fellow Norwegian Caroline Ingeberg. Last feel good hit of the summer! Check out the new album Ralphorama! Appetite 4 Self-destruction - out now!

Caroline Ingeberg place in MySpace, Ralph's place in MySpace.

Turn up your bass bins, if they can handle it!

If your in the mood for some original chilled out reggae, take this for a spin. A reggae re-interpretations of an Eddie Palmieri salsa classic. Cool Cuban cha cha cha backed up with a skanking dub riddim and brass from babylon. Rich vocals from Mayra Vega singing like her life depended on it. Plus a superb piano solo in the middle.

Brooklyn's Ticklah is a founding member of the excellent Easy Star All-Stars, with whom he co-produced Dub Side of the Moon; he played keyboards on that release and contributed to its follow up, Radiodread. This track is taken from his 2007 album Ticklah Vs Axelrod.

Ticklahs place in MySpace, Axelrod's place in MySpace, Easy Star All-Stars Official site.

But it from Easy Star Records

More chilled out Scandinavian grooves.

Subtle acoustic guitars, pan pipes, hand claps, sprinkles of delicate percussion and Victoria's quietly captivating voice.

Taken By Trees is the solo project of Swedish singer songwriter Victoria Bergsman, best known for providing guest vocals for the smash hit Peter Bjorn and John single Young Folks. 

Victoria Bergsman was singer of the indie pop band The Concretes from 1995 up until her 2006 departure. Since announcing her leaving the band in July 2006, she has been recording for her new solo project, Taken by Trees.

Her place in MySpace

Folktronica acoustic melodies from the excellent Norwegian duo of Erlend Øye and Eirik Bøe.

It's been five years since their last album, we've had the brilliant side project of Erlend Øye's The Whitest Boy Alive and his numerous guest appearances to keep us happy. But I'm very excited about their new (3rd) album, Declaration of Dependence, due October 20th. This single sets us up in anticipation of what's to follow. I've been a big fan of their intricate and subtle guitar melodies since their debut album back in 2001. This song doesn't disappoint, an instant foot tapper with sing-a-long chorus which has become the trademark sound of Kings of Convenience.

Kings of Convenience is an indie folk-pop duo from Bergen, Norway.

Official Site

Bands place in MySpace

Laid back scandinavian psychedelic trip.

Surely one of the albums of the year so far, this stunning album is full of epic tunes that carry the listener off to another world in the depth of your mind. If you like Beyond the Wizards Sleeve you'll love this... go lose yourself! go buy the the album - Desire Lines.

Meanderthals are Rune Lindbæk, Dan Tyler, Conrad McDonnell (Idjut Boys)

Bands place in MySpace

Buy it at iTunes

I read the news today oh boy!

I think some Beatles tunes you just can't fuck with, and A Day In The Life is one of them. But my main man Big Twix (@bigtwix) played this and I loved it, something about Reggae that makes you get away with it. As Big Twix sez 'you can hear the love when they made this'. The whole album is a reggae version of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Dub Band by the same lot that done the dub side of the moon and Radiodread, featuring many top draw reggae artists.

Hectic week in London, this chills you right out after a busy day. I'm a big Nick Drake fan so I was keen to hear this cover version of Drake's Cello Song. Drake's original is a sparse acoustic affair, The books add a little electronica that brings the baseline to the fore without losing the haunting hum of the cello. Add a faultless vocal by Jose Gonzales, beautiful.

This tune is from a compilation for the Red Hot Charity. There are some great songs by amazing artists on this double album. Check it out at darkwasthenight.com

Bands place in MySpace

Jose's place in MySpace

Driving along to the rhythm of the sun.

Imagine yourself cruising in an old open top sports car along a winding road high in the mountains on a bright sunny day, the wind in your hair, designer shades and the sound of this floating out the speakers. A new album from KOC is due this September, looking forward to that!

Official site - kingsofconvenience.com

Dream with me, dream machine...

More Summer tunes, twanging banjo's trotting along to a trippy beat in the searing heat. Bob your head to this one around the pool, take it easy there's no rush.

Official site - markfarina.net

Buy it - iTunes

For maximum listening pleasure just add clear blue skies, hot Caribbean sunshine, white sandy beach and a large Rum and coke.

Makes you hungry listening to this tune. With some serious old organ and skanking bass this is vintage reggae but it was made last year. Calypso Rose knows her stuff though, she been singing over 30 years and written over 800 songs.

MMmmmm Shrimp and rice anyone?

Calypso Rose (born April 27, 1940 in Bethel, Tobago) is a Tobagonian calypsonian.

Buy it on iTunes

It's a pity it's raining in July, maybe if we just play a good reggae tune the sun will come out!

Tanya Stephens (born July 2, 1973 in Kingston, Jamaica) is one of the most influential Reggae artists that emerged in the late 1990s. Stephens is most known for her hits "Yuh Nuh Ready Fi Dis Yet" — the single was later featured on the Reggae Gold 1997 compilation album — and "It's a Pity", which achieved Tanya international recognition as a one of a kind artist.

Her place in Myspace - www.myspace.com/tanyastephensmusic

I know a dark secluded place, a place where no one knows your face! The best song ever with castanets!

"Hernando's Hideaway" is a show tune from the musical The Pajama Game. This, the most successful recording of the song is by Archie Bleyer, the record reaching #2 on the US Billboard chart in 1954. Archie Bleyer (June 12, 1909 - March 20, 1989) was an American song arranger and bandleader.

Hernando's Hideaway also became a nickname for the smoking room for British parliamentarians in the House of Commons.

Thundering and lightning big time in London tonight.

Some haunting melodies playing on my ipod as battle through the wind and rain turning my umbrella inside out. This remix isn't too far from the original, Karin Dreijer Andersson's vocals searing through the mix like wolf in a storm.

Fever Ray is a solo album by The Knife's Karin Dreijer Andersson from Sweden.

Official site - feverray.com

Hot, humid and rain with bursts of sunshine... a typical London summer?

Or a Dark night of the soul? 

A new album from Danger Mouse and Sparklehorse, kinda reminds me an old Turtles tune from the sixties this one.

Featuring vocals from The Strokes frontman Julian Casablancas, it's a perfect tune for dodging rain clouds. Chilled out lazy beats with a dark undertone.

Lose yourself!

Official site: www.dnots.com

If you snooze you lose!

Listening to the DJ Vadim's latest album got me digging in the crate for some of his older stuff. I was reminded of this track when I watched Vadim support Ghostface Killa at the Scalla back in May this year.

One Self is an alias of DJ Vadim with MC Blu Rum 13 and the supurb Yarah Bravo (Vadim's Misses)

I hope Yarah releases an album of her own sometime soon.

Buy it on iTunes

This tune sounds like a funeral march through bombay in blistering heat, led by a mad clown on a squeeze box with a chains on his ankles. Joined along the way by some mexican pan pipers before ending up in a Bollywood movie.

DJ Vadim's album 'U Can't Lurn Imaginashun' has been out for a while now, a melting pot of hip hop beats, soulful vocals, sharp raps, reggae knowhow, wonky samples and skanking party grooves. Top draw!

Vadim is a prolific DJ and producer, born in Leningrad, USSR (now Saint Petersburg, Russia), raised in London and currently residing in both New York and Port-au-Prince, Haiti whose music combines hip hop, soul, reggae and electronica.

Official site - djvadim.com

Buy it on iTunes

Pure celestial bliss to take you far away, lost in ethereal beauty.

This is like church music without the religion, a beautiful piece of music that sweeps through your head picks you up and takes you to a state of pure bliss.

Riceboy Sleeps is the upcoming ambient album from Sigur Rós frontman Jónsi Birgisson and his boyfriend, Alex Somers. The record isn't out until July 20

Official site - jonsiandalex.com

Sunshine and Psychedelic pop

Every summer I always dig out some old Serge Gainsbourg to drop in to mix compilations. This is from a soundtrack to a movie called La Horse.

Composed by Gainsbourg and Vannier in 1970, a true pearl of Psychedelic pop stunningly modern and powerful.

When the sun is shining you need some happy tunes for the summer vibe, so for the soundtrack to your next BBQ look to further than this album Veckatimest from NYC, Brooklyn band Grizzly Bear. Everyones raving about this band all over the internet, lazy grooves with some beach boys harmonies going on. The first single from the album 'two weeks' has been getting quite a lot of airplay of late. 

Official site - www.grizzly-bear.net

Buy it - Itunes

The sun is shining in little old London town, everybody's got a bit of the feel good factor! Now all you need is a soundtrack to document the summer of 2009.

I've been filling my head with this lush soundscape from Kleerup for some time now. Pure beauty on a summers day, lying under a clear blue sky with the warmth of the sun caressing your face.

The rest of the album, out this week... is an eclectic array of polished grooves, from club to beach and back again via lip smacking Scandinavian disco pop!

Kleerup is Swedish producer Andreas Kleerup. He went to number one in the UK co-writing and producing Robyn’s 'With Every Heartbeat'.

Fellow Swede Lykke Li lends her babydoll vocal to 'Until we bleed' with dreamy results, spellbinding!

More info on kleerup.net

More Lykke Li - lykkeli.com