As NuNorthern Soul gets ready to celebrate its tenth birthday, it seems fitting that the label’s next album release comes from Coyote, whose impact on the 21st century Balearic scene has arguably been even more significant than that of Phil Cooper’s Ibiza-based imprint.
Timm Sure and Ampo barely stray away from the label they founded in 2006, Is It Balearic?, and their decision to hand over their seventh album to NuNorthern Soul is testament to the high regard in which they hold the imprint. The feeling is mutual, with Cooper being a long-time supporter of the Nottingham-based duo’s work and their label’s carefully curated releases.
Everything Moves, Nothing Rests is classic Coyote. Musically varied but tied together by a distinctively warm, dreamy and tactile trademark sound, it contains numerous subtle references to musical and cultural themes that have long been an under-reported feature of their work (the title, for example, is a reference to the 7 Hermetic Principles outlined in ancient Greek text The Kybalion, a work that has long fascinated the duo).
Those familiar with the pair’s output will feel right at home. A rich, loved-up musical tapestry rich in drifting chords, dubby basslines, echoing vocal snippets, languid instrumentation, colourful synthesizer motifs and relaxed beats, the album’s multitude of sonic highlights come together to create a coherent musical voyage that seems to reveal new audio details with each successive listen.
And what highlights. There’s opener ‘Free To Choose’, where aural textures reminiscent of vintage Italian dream house tracks rub shoulders with echoing spoken word vocals, cascading synth solos and flashes of acoustic guitar atop a head-nodding groove, the Flamenco-dub shuffle of ‘Freya’s Song’, and the yearning lament of ‘Nothing Rests’, whose lilting trumpet solos, swirling chords, tumbling Marimba melodies and infectious drums sound like a sunrise soundtrack in waiting.
The quality doesn’t stop there, either. Many will gravitate towards the subtly psychedelic electronics, weighty acid bass and evocative ambient house chords of ‘Vine of the Soul’, and ‘Fullness’, whose atmospheric synth strings, sampled spoken word vocals, slow-motion grooves and deep bass are the aural equivalent of a tender embrace. Then there’s ‘Writing on Water’, a rushing, ever-building dancefloor excursion in which spine-tingling piano motifs, life-affirming strings and waves of kaleidoscopic synthesizer sounds lap around a dubby house groove. It provides a stunning conclusion to a fittingly evocative album from Nottingham’s Balearic masters.
Early DJ Feedback:
Bill Brewster, UK – Excellent stuff everyone. Pat on the back!
Steve KIW, B.A.O.L, 1BTN, Brighton, UK – The DONS. Been looking forward to this for a while. Every year the latest Coyote is right up at the top of the ‘best of’ lists and I’m still playing tracks out from the last couple of albums pretty much every gig. Looking forward to getting this out there asap.
Ken Fan, Cafe Del Mar, Ibiza, Spain – Love all the tracks!
Chris Coco, Melodica, UK – Lovely…
George Solar, Ibiza, Spain – Meanwhile in the desert: the moon howlers roll (out) another hazy bunch of eternal doobies for the balearic masses. Maternal bass like rolling thunder from afar, smoked out beats, mystic mumbles & all. My pick is Freya’s song, perfect for channeling my inner latinizer both on the beach and under the stars. Also really like The Fullness. it IS balearic but luckily also much more. Good!
Dean ‘Sunshine’ Smith, The Great Outdoors, Birmingham, UK – Lovely long player from Tim and Rich. Although one does have to wonder how they drift away to create such blissful music I cant recall the sunsets in Nottingham being too blissful and inspiring. One to stick on for the summer months and also long evenings at home x
Marshall Watson, USA – Fantastic release! Spacious grooves with just the right touch of everything. Full support.
Myclick, Radio 1, Prague OH MY GOD! “Free to Choose” is magic balearic song! So much love production this productive duo and their atmosphere… This is it! Great opening this EP, so much love the lazy time with this beauty. Next Sunday @ our radio show Fluffy Clouds. We must play this song! We must! 🙂 Big Up!
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