Now onto its fourth volume, NuNorthern Soul’s annual Summer Selections EP is fast becoming a must-check for fans of slow-motion sunshine sounds, contemporary Balearic beats and sumptuous downtempo grooves.
Summer Selections Four showcases six hand-picked tracks from EPs and albums to be released by NuNorthern Soul in 2022. A genuine ‘cream of the crop’ or ‘best in class’ feel, with NNS label boss and curator Phil Cooper putting together a varied EP piled high with evocative melodies, atmospheric chords, tactile grooves and ear-catching instrumentation.
First to step up to the plate is experienced producer James Bright, whose cut ‘Amber’ offers a bubbly, colourful and analogue-rich stroll through mid-tempo Balearic house territory. The track is one of the highlights of Bright’s forthcoming Totem EP. It’s quickly followed by ‘Nana a Leon’ from Be.Ianuit’s Entre Dos Islas EP, a gorgeous mixture of deep bass, twinkling pianos, sultry synth-strings, sparkling synthesiser arpeggios, echoing machine drums and spoken word vocals from guest performer Marcos de la Fuente.
San Francisco’s Cole Odin offers a snapshot of his forthcoming Songs For Suns EP via ‘Growing’, a slow-motion sunset soundscape built around ethereal chords, chiming melodies and head-nodding drums, while Gold Suite’s ‘The Cowboy’ – taken from the On My Horizon EP – brilliantly joins the dots between jangling Americana, mid-‘80s Balearic reggae and sun-soaked instrumental synth-pop. While brand-new, it could easily be mistaken for the kind of obscure, hard-to-find gem that gets Balearic record collectors so hot under the collar.
Next up is another new signing to NuNorthern Soul, North of the Island, whose debut EP Feeling Free is undoubtedly a highlight of the label’s 2022 release schedule. ‘I Feel’, the track showcased here, adds attractive, sunset-ready musical flourishes to a chugging, delay-laden rhythm track and the kind if squelchy bass-line most often found in proto-house and early ‘80s electro-funk cuts. It’s a spaced-out, mind-altering delight.
Rounding off another sizzling Summer Selections excursion is ‘Smoke & Fly’ from fast-rising twosome Residentes Balearicos, an Ibiza-based Italian duo who impressed many with their 2021 EPs on Balearic Ensemble. Dusty, bass-heavy, drowsy and picturesque, the track is a simply gorgeous chunk of Balearic dub piled high with organic percussion, undulating acid lines and mazy solos. It provides a fittingly triumphant conclusion to another essential sampler EP from NuNorthern Soul.
Press:
<a href=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IffPoaEFEoM
/>Gazzz696 Premiere – North of the Island
<a href=http://www.dmcworld.net/trainspotting/trainspotting-with-james-bright/
/>DMC Worlds Trainspotting with James Bright
<a href=http://www.dmcworld.net/back-to-mine/back-to-mine-with-be-lanuit/
/>DMC World Back To Mine with Be.Lanuit
DJ Feedback:
Chris Coco – Stacks of downtempo loveliness here.
Macca, One Glove, NTS – Always look forward to these samplers. Bring on the summer!
Conrad, Idjut Boys – Ironing my chaps and polishing my saddle, giddy up for The Cowboy (Gold Suite).
Bill Brewster – Really like James Bright and Gold Suite.
Ken Fan, Cafe Del Mar, Ibiza – wicked selection as always, Be.Lanuits track is delicious!
Barnaby Bruce, Palms & Charms label – What a great selection! North of the Island’s ‘I Feel’ has a wonderful sparseness you don’t hear too often these days, and builds into a rock solid groove. ‘Amber’ is another standout for me – it has a really golden, luminescent feel to it.
Steve Miller, After Life – Amber (James Bright) touching the spot for me??
Manu Archero, Archero Records, Italy – Fresh and super release. Great work, as always. Balearic! ??
Vitor Silva, Balearic Ensamble, Barcelona – Nice vibe to play around this summer !
DJ Pippi, Ibiza – Nice package, full support
Pete Herbert, Music for Swimming Pools – Great Summer selection! All doing the biz, James Bright and Gold Suite my faves here.
Mike Salta, Music For Dreams, Denmark – True vibes for tiptoes in the sand or sunkissed clubfeet. Love the authentic and blessed expression reflecting pure passion the way it should. Music is a feeling.. Residentes Balearicos and The Cowboy being the instant favourites…
Dicky Trisco – Gold Suite for me baby x
Jaye Ward – Just how i like my balearic… varied and crunchy… brill selection from a fab label.
Leo Mas, Italy – Another great Summer Selection
Steve KIW. BAOL, Brighton – Boom! Always one of the highlights of the summer… not long now till it’ll be Pikes o’clock!
Danielle Moore, Crazy P – The James Bright track is lush. Really enjoying its pace and mood … Definitely sunrise over sunset. Great hopeful feeling. LOVE. Great EP thank you x
Red Rack ‘Em – Great stuff on here. Loving it.
Chris Howler, Balearic Breakfast Show, 1BTN – Another great selection of tunes for summer 2022. Will be getting lots of plays from me both on the radio and at gigs. So hard to chose a fave as really digging Amber, Nana A Leon, Growing (very ALFOS) & The Cowboy.
Andy Taylor, WATS, London – really strong release and difficult to pick an outright favourite… Gold Suite’s The Cowboy maybe pipping James Bright & North of the Island. Either way they’ll all get heavy plays this summer at WATS HQ.
Andy Wilson, Ibiza Sonica Radio – Great collection of balearic bangers here, particularly enjoying Amber, The Cowboy & Smoke & Fly – perfect for Ibiza daytime sets.
Bruno from Ibiza – Good stuff for Ibiza sets
S/A/M, Ibiza – Guaranteed this will be getting a lot of play this summer. Superb. Played Be.Lanuit at El Chiringuito last week 🙂 Good energy on the James Bright track
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