説明
Paul ‘Mudd’ MurphyとSimon Purnellの二人が主宰するイギリスの名門Leng Records。レーベルの歩みを祝うこのコンピレーションは、単なる過去の振り返りではない。所属アーティストたちの未発表曲のみで構成された、音楽の未来を指し示す野心的な作品だ。
仕様は限定生産の見開きダブル・ヴァイナルに、ボーナスの10インチ・シングルが付属する豪華なパッケージ。Leng Recordsが提唱し続けてきた、ミッドテンポのSleazy-Disco、Balearica、そして地を這うようなHouseが融合した独自のサウンドが凝縮されている。そこにサイケデリックな電子音や、宇宙空間を想起させるSpace Discoのエッセンスが加わり、聴き手を未知の音響体験へと誘う。
注目すべきは、レーベルの顔とも言えるアーティストたちの競演だ。アナログシンセの魔術師Andrew MeechamによるプロジェクトEmperor Machineは、色彩豊かなコードと弾むような電子メロディが躍動する「Eumig」を提供。さらにMuddとのユニットで、日本の文化にインスパイアされたという「Road To Nikko」を披露。中毒性の高いファンク・サウンドに、エフェクトを効かせたパーカッションと粘り気のあるベースが絡み合う。
他にも、砂漠のブルースとコズミック・ディスコを交差させるFlying Mojito Brosや、北欧スウェーデンのBo Wosticzによる深く幻想的なNu-Jazz、さらにはイタリアのAfro-Cosmicシーンの重鎮Roberto Intrallazzi & Dario Pianaなど、国境を越えた才能が集結。ロンドンのTigerbalm（Rose Robinson）によるオーガニックで呪術的なトラックや、サンフランシスコの伝説的集団40 Thievesによるダブの効いた音響工作も聴きどころだ。
溝に刻まれた緻密な音のレイヤーは、スピーカーから放たれると同時に空間の濃度を変える。洗練された電子音の粒立ちと、身体を揺らす重厚な低域のコンビネーション。このヴァイナルを所有することは、現在進行形のダンスミュージックの真髄を手に入れることに他ならない。
A1. Liminal - Tzatziki Bay
A2. Joe Harvey-Whyte & Bobby Lee - Smoke Signals (Flying Mojito Bros Refrito)
B1. Intrallazzi & Piana - Plutos
B2. Tigerbalm - Mexicana (feat Joi N'Juno - Pete Herbert remix)
B3. Lex (Athens) - Stolen Dance
C1. Payfone - Dime Algo
C2. Emperor Machine - Eumig
D1. 40 Thieves - Such A Great Trip
D2. Bo Wosticz - Bs As
BONUS A1. Tigerbalm - "Mexicana" (feat Joi N'Juno)
BONUS B1. Emperor Machine & Mudd - "Road To Nikko"
When Leng Records founders Paul ‘Mudd’ Murphy and Simon Purnell marked the imprint’s 10th birthday, they did so via a celebratory compilation that mixed classic catalogue cuts, remixes and exclusives. Five years on, and with the label’s 15th birthday upon us, they’ve decided to look to the future via a compilation made up entirely of fresh productions from Leng’s roster of current and new artists.
Presented on limited-edition gatefold double vinyl with a bonus 10” single, the collection offers an updated showcase of Leng’s much-loved trademark sound, a distinctive fusion of mid-tempo sleazy-disco, Balearica and chugging house interspersed with elements of electronic psychedelia and synth-powered space disco.
Fittingly for a compilation that wholeheartedly looks to the future, you’ll find first contributions from a handful of label newcomers. Fast-rising duo Flying Mojito Bros give their spin on ‘Smoke Signals’ by label debutants Joe Harvey-Whyte and Bobby Lee, turning in a heady and inspired revision that sits somewhere between dusk-ready cosmic disco and flash-fried desert blues. There’s also an appearance from Swedish producer Bo Wosticz with the dreamy and ultra-deep nu-jazz of ‘Bs As’.
Naturally, you’ll also find plenty of heat from those who have already proved their mettle through prior releases on Leng. Danish duo Liminal, who made their debut earlier this year with the much-played ‘Keep Coming Back To Me’, open proceedings with the tactile, slow-disco flex of ‘Tzatziki Bay’ where sweet synth melodies and a heady electric piano riff ride a warming groove.
Roberto Intrallazzi and Dario Piana from Italy’s original Afro-cosmic movement return with ‘Plutos’, a typically deep dubbed-out cosmic chugger. Then there’s Rose Robinson AKA Tigerbalm, whose ‘Mexicana’ featuring singer Joi N’Juno is presented across the package in two different forms. Pete Herbert, who contributed to some of the earliest Leng releases, drops a driving dub disco take on the main compilation, while Robinson’s original mix – a more organic, percussive and horn-heavy affair blessed with plenty of hallucinatory intent – opens the bonus 10”.
There’s a welcome return to Leng for the brilliant Payfone, whose ‘Dime Algo’ is a typically classy, analogue-rich affair in which attractive Rhodes riffs, atmospheric female vocals and pitched-down house pianos rise above shuffling drum machine beats and a slow-motion bassline. Long-serving label contributor Lex (Athens) delivers the loose-limbed nu-disco breeze of ‘Stolen Dance’, while the imprint’s San Francisco connection ¬– the ever-brilliant 40 Thieves collective – drop the dubbed-out Bay Area brilliance of ‘Such A Great Trip’.
Then there are the contributions of the label’s most storied artist, Andrew Meecham AKA Emperor Machine with ‘Eumig’, a deliciously slow, synth-rich chugger full of colourful chords, bubbly electronic melodies and jaunty electronic bass. Then, to round off the bonus 10” single, Meecham joins forces with Paul Murphy (as Mudd) on ‘Road To Nikko’, an extended, Japanese musical culture-influenced slab of pitched-down alien-funk packed to the rafters with squelchy synth sounds, effects-laden percussion, chiming melodies and rubbery bass guitar.
