'Cool Water' is Maxmillion Dunbar's debut album, and one of the best records Ramp have released this year. It follows two teasing 12's which established Dunbar's brand of screwed Boogie and slow disco dreams within the orbits of neon '80s revisionism and something slightly more psyched and avant, at once within the scene, and just outside out of it. The trippily smudged 'Girls Dream' is just one highlight among many here, embedded in a set of complementary drum machine workouts weaved with hazy samples and studied synth washes.
Mark Pritchard, Oneohtrix Point Never, Broadcast and The Focus Group, and Dem Hunger, among others, are invited to remix one of 2010s most unique albums, 'A Sufi And A Killer' by GonjaSufi. Between his distinctive vocals and the superb instrumentals from Flying Lotus, Mainframe and Gaslamp Killer, this is some prime source material which the appointed remixers treat with due care and reverent attention.
A beautiful addition to Chicago's Immune imprint, Steven R Smith's highly limited 'Cities' long player is among the finest collections of folk drones you'll come across in 2009. Smith's work as part of Thuja, and semi-sacred releases on the hallowed Jeweled Antler collective have singled him out as an enigmatically melancholy soul, mastering the art of rich drone music with a darkened character.
Finders Keepers return with another expertly sequenced compilation, this time taking a closer look at legendary Spanish imprint 'Belter' who have now been around for fifty years. Featuring rare tracks from the likes of Soledad Miranda ('Vampyros Lesbos'), Los Mismos and Fusioon, plus bizarre versions of tracks written by Curved Air, David Bowie, Quincy Jones, Wayne Fontana and Yamasuki, its another one of those precious releases that sounds like some kind of mixtape put together by someone with exquisite taste in killer, largely unknown music - which is more or less exactly what it is.
The best description of Gonjasufis voice may have come from Flying Lotus, who gave the new Warp artist a high-profile appearance on Los Angeles deep cut
