Turn on, tune in and drop out - Aficionado are back once again to fully adjust your frequencies. Riding coastal breeze and gulf stream down from the north, Swedish space cadets Farbror Resande Mac made a positive connection with Manchester's Balearic chieftains and beamed aboard the SS NADO for five boundless expeditions into distant sound space. 'Hagringen' makes its way out of the main hanger on a steady bass pulse and mechanical percussion, punches coordinates for the Tannhauser Gate and makes the jump into hyperspace. At once graceful but intense thanks to stately synth washes and insistent acid lines, it isn't long before we're watching c-beams glitter in the dark. From here to an eternity of blissful soma as 'Chemtrails' dopes us up on the observation deck, watching the wonders of the galaxy unfold in 5D. The steady bass pulse rumbles on in the background but we're too far gone in a nebula of swirling synth and expansive guitar to pay much attention. Cosmic winds scatter our thoughts here and there like the gentle rain of percussion which mists the latter stages of the track. Even astronauts get homesick, so head to the holodeck and drink in the sounds and sights of midnight in the city. 'Stockholmsnatt' joins you at the bar in a red dress, listens to your troubles with a seductive rhythm, flatters you with coastal guitars and pulls you close for a slow dance with a full bodied sax right out of your night fantasies. After a moment's R&R the mission continues with 'Pacific Northeast', an atmospheric journey into the Froesean galaxy where kosmische chords and proggy guitars follow the trace of high definition sequences and ancient rhythms. And just like that we're at our destination, cruising through the heart of the love quadrant, strung out on 'Quaaludes' preparing for one last space walk.
Gentle guitar licks flirt with a swaying slow beat as Farbror Resande Mac send us spinning into infinity with a final, heart swelling melody. Officially Aficionado More

Balearic maestro Max Essa joins the dots seamlessly between the ambient imaginings of Sakamoto, the Krautrock rhythms of Neu and the beach pop of Chris Rea , while making them all dance together like waves on the beach. This is some of his very best work to date and demonstrates a producer at home at the controls and a real musician with a vision. Your carnival sounds like this...

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Maricopa returns to Back To The Balearics to complete his stunning opus, Pastel Love. And he continues where he left off building deeply textured songs packed full of simple melodies that really shine. His music opts for subtle feelings and passing vibes over the more obvious structures of 'dance music'. The release of Part One led to a number of comparisons with the early work of Aphex Twin as well as more contemporary producers such as Four Tet. Such comparisons don't come lightly, but Pastel Love demonstrates that a rare musical talent has arrived. The release again has beautiful printed covers and looks as good as it sounds. Viva Maricopa! More

New label Back To The Balearics follow up the superb Maricopa EP with a stunner from Berlin based live music collective Spleen. Part one in their musical odyssey 'Fusionary' consists of live jams and instrumentation over computer-based syncopation, their music has a strange yet organic flow to it, which is both hypnotic and rhythmic. Think Kraut influenced, psychedelic dub funk with a touch of alt pop and you'll be on the right road, but still miles away. Music is better than words...Spleen prove that. LTD edition vinyl with beautiful printed sleeves. More

We're very happy to welcome aboard new imprint Back To The Balearics It's a label on a mission to uncover music with significance, special sounds that can make a moment out of nothing. In an increasingly fast and disposable world the need for such moments is more important than ever. The first release, by Belfast’s MARICOPA, perfectly defines that sound. His electronic tracks blend naïve beauty with emotional depth in a sonic landscape devoid of all the usual musical clichés of dance music. Back To The Balearics is a journey to nowhere in particular with plenty of musical stop overs on the way. We hope you will take the trip... More