Album Review: The Yellow Collection - Eskimo Recordings

BlackPlastic.co.uk regulars Eskimo are back with their latest compilation in their ongoing series, this one labelled The Yellow Collection. Continuing the gentle progression of recent entries, this new suite of songs feels like a step into deeper, more dancefloor tuned sounds.

Opening with Atella's gorgeous Mechanical Sparrow, as premiered on BlackPlastic.co.uk earlier this year, The Yellow Collection doesn't so much as announce itself as it does slip into the room gently shimmering, softly unveiling its presence. Greece's NTEIBINT teams up with ex-Twin Shadow bassist Russ Manning (here as Rush Midnight) on the rhythmic dream pop of By Your Side. Du Tonc's We Can Hold On gets a previously unreleased dub by German label favourites Satin Jackets, continuing a journey that sees each track become a little deeper than the one before.

By track four things have descended into a far more minimal, dubby territory than you would readily expect from the Belgian label these days... MiddleSkyBoom's Slow With The Run is a deep and percussive number, random noises punctuating the bags of reverb-laden space that the track is successfully constructed around. We also get a punk-funk basslines on the acid-flecked psychedelia of Man Power's Fisky, a track that deviates little over it's tightly wound nine-minute length.

There is little let-up on The Yellow Collection until Horixon puncture the atmosphere with Colours, featuring Else Born - a dramatic disco record the offers just a slight reprieve before Vinny Villbass' The Itch dives straight back into tech-house territory, albeit with a Ballearic disco-tinged break that recalls Tangerine Dream. El Wild, from Mexico's Zombies In Miami, is like the paranoid heat of a midday sun in aural form - cyclical synthesisers, distorted bass and lots of reverb.

It is the penultimate track, James Curd & Turbotito's blissfully removed You Could Be Floating, before things let off properly. The vocal almost audibly sighing at the release of tension amidst slowly birthed electronics. And then Go March close things out with the wonky skate-math-funk of Rise, a muted and funny end to things.

The Yellow Collection is a considerably more wild release than we have had from Eskimo for some time with even their regular artists turning in something more experimental and introspective. It may jostle at the seams, but as tends to be the case the individual quality of everything here is consistently high... The Yellow Collection makes a fine soundtrack to getting baked in the hot summer sun.

The Yellow Collection is available through Eskimo Recordings tomorrow. Stream the track Fisky by Man Power in full below:

Out May 20, pre-order here! http://news.lnk.to/TYC Eskimo Recordings is back for its annual inspection of what propels the Belgian imprint’s throttle, exploring the boundaries of their house, disco and pop infusions in ‘The Yellow Collection’. Each artist has their own identity but Eskimo forms a package of seamless musical treats and forges yet new allies in the dreamy landscape of ‘The Yellow Collection’. More info http://maouris.co.uk/music/eskimo-recordings-presents-the-yellow-collection https://soundcloud.com/manpower-1 http://www.eskimorecordings.be/ https://www.facebook.com/eskimorecordings/ https://twitter.com/eskimorecords

EP Review: Feel Good feat. Scavenger Hunt - Satin Jackets

Feel Good opens Satin Jackets' recent debut album, Panorama Pacifico, and is itself a reimagining of the duo's early track You Make Me Feel Good. With vocals from Los Angeles four-piece Scavenger Hunt this retains much of the simple and achingly enthusiastic infatuation of the original but adds a layer of polish that has come with the years of additional experience Satin Jackets have built up.

Scavenger Hunt have attempted to bring more of a voice to the track, in their words the band attempted to capture the feeling of "jumping into a cool pool on a hot summer day - refreshing, exhilarating and sexy". The additional vocals act as a fairly natural extension of You Make Me Feel Good's sentiment, but as such it is a little difficult to argue that they add much... The original already had a somewhat restrained perfection and there is nothing wrong with this reimagining, it just feels a little unnecessary.

In this package come three remixes of the new track. Cavego adds some warm pads and a little more range, but otherwise keeps things very close to the original. The Keljet mix gives the track a slightly more disco feel, calypso rhythms adding some more colour.

Finally the In Limbo remix is blissfully horizontal - Balearic and a pure ode to lounging glistening by the poolside. It is here that those Scavenger Hunt vocals come into their own a bit more, the space opening them up and giving the emotion a little more room.

Feel Good is out is out on Eskimo Recordings on Friday - in the meantime check out the album Panorama Pacifico below.

Available on Vinyl / CD / Download / Stream here : http://news.lnk.to/panoramapacifico Undoubtedly the darlings of electro-pop, Satin Jackets finally unveil their debut artist album. ‘Panorama Pacifico’ features a string of cameos from vocalists familiar and exotic, jetting in from LA, Berlin, London, Belgium and Australia. Scaling the heights of the Hype machine from their first release to the latest, and clocking up over ten million plays on spotify, Satin Jackets' original brand of diva funk and smooth disco has whetted the tastebuds of the likes of Majestic Casual and i-D mag who said the duo’s “super sexy, infectious house music is filled with the vibe of summertime.” German music producer Tim Bernhardt and lead performer Den Ishu are Satin Jackets. Their eponymous live show has relentlessly toured the US, Canada, Mexico and Europe, opening their fluid pop appeal and accessible four-to-the-floor groove up to the world at large. Their album ‘Panorama Pacifico’ is set for release on their home label, Eskimo Recordings. The Belgian imprint has been a purveyor of disco, house and everything in between for over fifteen years. More info http://maouris.co.uk/music/panorama-pacifico Out April 8th on https://soundcloud.com/eskimorecordings http://www.satin-jackets.com/ http://www.eskimorecordings.be/ https://www.facebook.com/satinjackets https://www.facebook.com/eskimorecordings/ https://twitter.com/satinjackets https://twitter.com/eskimorecords

Album Review: Panorama Pacifico - Satin Jackets

Having teased us over the past few years with their contributions to Eskimo's compilation albums and a clutch of gorgeous electronic pop singles, Satin Jackets have finally removed the wrapper from their debut album, Panorama Pacifico.

Things start with a reimagining of the duo's hit track You Make Me Feel Good, simply re-titled Feel Good and with additional vocals from LA four-piece Scavenger Hunt. It retains all of the gloriously bowled over sentiment of the original but with some of the extra polish Satin Jackets have picked up since that track was originally released.

The rest of the album unfurls like a collection of hit singles - each track boasts an instantly accessible hook and the trademark sun-kissed Satin Jackets sound. Recent single We Can Talk maintains its tight percussion and string FX to create a slick piece of disco-influenced pop. Say You features an appearance from Jane Elizabeth Hanley, AKA Kids At Midnight, who described the song as "about being afraid of being happy". It's a cool record wrapped around an insistent desire to give happiness a chance.

Find Out represents one of Panorama Pacifico's more dramatic moments, Marble Sounds' Peter Van Dessel providing a heartfelt pleading vocal to "Shut your eyes and you'll find out..." In comparison to much of the music hear it feels like it draws more on 80s electro-pop more directly. The vocals, enveloped in melancholic synths, reference both the excited moments of receiving a surprise gift and the potential to comprehend more about our situation when we close down some of our senses.

Whilst most tracks feature guest appearances, there are exceptions. Cala Banana is an electro-funk influenced exercise in retrained house music - drums bask in their reverb and guitar riffs glisten in the heat. Similarly, the NTEIBINT featuring track Coast To Coast is full of dramatic strings and stirring baselines, all the better for it's minimalism.

Panorama Pacifico rounds things out with the duo's staples, Girl, Forever and the original version of You Make Me Feel Good... Effectively closing the album where it began, back where we started. It is almost indulgent, but they come as a full-stop to an album full of hits, and in closing the album here it feels like a generous reflection of everything Satin Jackets have given to fans of their style of electro soul, pop and disco. We are just one album in, but there is lots here to enjoy.

Panorama Pacifico is released on Friday on Eskimo. Check out Feel Good below:

Stream: Keep Moving On - Satin Jackets feat. IsaacO

DEBUT ARTIST ALBUM ‘PANORAMA PACIFICO’ RELEASED 8TH APRIL 2016 ON ESKIMO RECORDINGS. Nigerian born and Birmingham based UoB’s Got Talent winner, IsaacO contributes to ‘Keep Moving On’. He explains it’s, “a song about having a nonchalant attitude towards life regardless of what it throws at you. Best listened to on a nighttime drive on the highway.”

Satin Jackets have unveiled another new track, coming off the back of their lovely recent single We Can Talk and in advance of their album Panorama Pacifico (due out on 8 April through Eskimo).

With gently wistful vocals from IsaacO, Keep Moving On is one of the more downbeat and introspective moments on Panorama Pacifico, but the relaxed atmosphere is complemented by the sparkling production. Check out the track and look for a review of the album next week. 

EP Review: We Can Talk - Satin Jackets feat. Emma Brammer

We Can Talk is the latest release on Belgium's brilliant Eskimo from Satin Jackets. Featuring Emma Brammer on vocals, it's a straight-up house-influenced pop record and it comes with the announcement of the duo's debut album. On the release German producer Time Bernhardt and lead performer Den Ishu said:

"We Can Talk sets the pace for the upcoming album … the album itself will be diverse and versatile. Two years of our heart and soul poured into it so it’s going to be the full listening experience."

The track layers looped piano melodies, string effects and tight percussion together with Brammer's gorgeously infectious vocals. The London-based artist explains the lyrics behind the song as dealing with your first love when things go wrong:

"I was hooked on the track [from] the first time. The lyrics are about the exciting and painful first love maybe it's not so good for you but it feels historical. Loved working with Tim just good vibes and good tunes."

The original is classic Eskimo stuff - sunny and melodic. Packaged up with it in this release is a remix from Munich-resident, Portuguese-native Moullinex. He deconstructs much of the original to create a more-cosmic sounding version with lots of space given over to that vocal. It culminates in a deep, acid-soaked crescendo complete with a cool punk-funk bassline. Finally German producer Larse rounds out the release with a darker dub version.