NuNorthern boss Phil Cooper and label mate Tambores En Benirras assemble a collection of delicious downtempo bites.
Manifesting itself as “Posta De Sol Season One” which is Catalan for sunset, this compilation is not only a showcase of NuNorthern Soul‘s current crop of Balearic leading lights but a view of the future for the Ibiza-based label. Season One is set to be just the first of this series and we are always expectant of the best when NuNorthern are involved.
Set up in 2012 by ‘Phat’ Phil Cooper, the label has gone from strength to strength. From a weekly podcast to hosting events across Europe including leviathan venue Pikes, NuNorthern Soul is definitely an avant-garde in its field. With a distinguished list of contributors that include Ruf Dugs, Chris Coco, BJ Smith, Flashbaxx and Coyote, these ‘Posta De Sol Seasons’ are certainly mouthwatering for the downtempo/balearic lovers.
This new compilation gets out of the gate with Daniel Stenger’s Flashbaxx alias. ‘Take Care My Friend’ the Flowriginator remix is a relaxing, contended sound that effortlessly shifts from beat to beat with nice sax samples and delicate synth swells. One of the standout tracks ‘Uv’ by George Solar is next, this time sunset guru Chris Coco is on the remix. This is just pure sunset, a straight up piece of Balearic magic. B.J. Smith brings a piece of California to the proceedings next with ‘Big Sur’. The surfing hotspot is represented well by the playful Hammond organ riffs, it sort of sounds like what would have happened if Dennis Wilson ever found his way to Ibiza. One Half Of Bent is next (Simon Mills we are assuming, please don’t make us an ass) with ‘Lament’. This Beatless mix is an ethereal synth soundscape with a French breathy vocal featured. ‘Tired Sunrise’ by North of the Island aka Mancunian DJ/producer Neil Scott is a real 80’s-early 90’s sound, think of early St. Etienne. Zeynep Erbay is a new name to us and it’s one we will look for in the future. Marshall Watson’s beatless remix of ‘Healer Whale’ is a tranquil, incandescence sound with lovely arpeggiated synths that flicker and dance around the aural medium. Tambores En Benirras take another of our favourite spots with ‘Mi Sueño Vive en Reverb’. Reminiscent of the early Cafe Del Mar albums that made us fall in love with the downtempo genre, this track is so emotive in its building. Evoking sentiments of loss and yearning, this is a thing of beauty. Lova’s ‘Art of Kintsugi’ is enchantingly light and airy whilst Joan Bibiloni’s ‘Badia Onírica’ follows with its big epic strings similar to what we’d expect from David Arnold. Our guy Ken Fan is next. The heir to the Café del Mar throne, the sunset top brass, Fan is a musical highbrow. Here he takes Sól’s ‘Rayo de Luz’ on a balearic journey of easy beats, Spanish guitars, hand drums and truncated bass tones.
That’s a lot to read so if you got through it all, well done. But sometimes a release needs time and thought to really make an impression. “Posta De Sol Season One” is a throughly enjoyable experience, of course maybe not for everyone but for music lovers and by that we mean real music lovers, this is a must purchase.
The “Posta De Sol Season One” is out on NuNorthern Soul from the 27th October, 2023. Pre order here.
