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Picture this – the light in the room has moved into the golden hour, where the sunlight sits so easy on the walls, soaking up the wooden floors, illuminating the plants, and making the crystals in the drink feel that oh-so sweet. The wavelengths that reverberate around the room flow into the sun-drenched evening sky, blue and warm to the touch, easing the mind as smiles abound on those all around the floor. All this and more can be found in the expertly curated vibe that is KX9000’s ‘The Sofa Lamp’ EP, the latest perfected atmosphere from Oath sub-label Last Year in Marienbad.

KX9000 is the primary alias of Kerim Ben Mustapha, who for a good while now has been serving up the kinds of Jazz tinged, softly undulating dance-y cuts that expertly nail the orange hues that frequent the finer moments in life, regardless of whether its the hottest dance floor or a fun-fuelled home exercusion. His previous efforts have all impressed, with a finely stuck balance found between rhythm and melodic features. Mustapha’s framework picks from a wide range of motifs, all of which touch upon a number of cornerstones within the contemporary electronic melting pot. What comes out of the process is a sound that is elegant, effortless and infectious, cutting through pre-conceived contexts and aligning itself with the mood that comes from people being together. His previous efforts cover it all – the peak time, the down times and that middle ground that simply gets things going, its dance music that is both emotionally and rhythmically intuitive, and as you dive deeper there is always more to be elaborated on and enjoyed.

‘The Sofa Lamp’ is the next serving that Mustapha has come to the surface with, and it has all the hallmarks of his established sound, but with plenty of scopes bolted on that make this a throughly well-rounded and delectable audial experience. The EP spends no time messing about, with the opener ‘Sauce Pepe’ throwing itself right into the mix, with its engrossing percussive palette doing much to get the vibrations flowing. The bass line adds weight whilst the melodic outlay that develops up top consists of jazz laden chords, snazzy horns and deep set chordal patterns, and its easy to say this will be doing the rounds come summer. ‘Locha’ arrives next, which features Cosmonection, and this one kicks the tempo up a little bit. The beat swings expertly, providing a basis for a grooving bass line to meander through the bottom ends, all the while sun-kissed chords lap over the top with such feverishness. The layers are collated and managed for maximum effectiveness, with the breaks provided allowing for those bona fide hands-in-the-air moments. ‘April’, which features man of the moment Tour Maubourg, keeps the rhythmic flavours flowing from the previous effort, with the emotive quality of the chords traveling deep into the neurons. The gorgeous lead line adds a ear worm that will last for days, and with that the key ingredients persist for an inspired dip into the dance. Last but not least, ‘Everw*day’ caps off the experience with purpose and emotional presence, with the music operating beautifully been expansive deep house notions and the rhythms of Balaeria – it does much to leave a long-lasting impression on those who encounter this collection of tunes, and we for one feel all the richer for sticking by it for these four excellent cuts.

If enriching environmental dance music is what you are after, then this is the EP for you. This EP sees KX9000 in peerless form, helped along by some inspired features that add density to proceedings and allow for the most well-rounded of experiences to prevail. If there ever was a record to soundtrack the good times, the ones where you feel at ease with your surroundings and melt into the sunlight, then this is the one for you – so go on, give it a spin.

Sicherheits- und Herstellerinformationen / safety and manufacturer info (GPSR)
WAS - Word and Sound Medien GmbH
Liebigstrasse 2-20
DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
Contact: [email protected]More

Special remarks : 12" with printed out deluxe sleeve, Limited Edition 500.
Genre : House
Tracklist
A1. Downtown A2. The Shore B1. Lighthouse B2. Playground

Shortinfo:
With the EP Mental Scapes, ALVA shows a first short format resolutely house. Every track is an evolution, a progress. Downtown - with its rhythmic part supported by the disco and deep atmospheres - is reminiscent of the influence of the 90s French house on the duo's tracks. The Shore is a very deep production with a groovy and a minimal bass, with these incisive hi hats and rides, and this sensual vocal. Lighthouse uses several musical registers between techno, soul and NY house. The outro, Playground, recorded in one shot, is a short downtempo track to enclose in a groovy way this first EP from the Parisian duo.




Sicherheits- und Herstellerinformationen / safety and manufacturer info (GPSR)
WAS - Word and Sound Medien GmbH
Liebigstrasse 2-20
DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
Contact: [email protected]More