Album Review: Various "Best of UPZ (2007-2019)" (soWHAT Records Promo)
- Details
- Written by Mike Fossati
Throughout the years, UPZ aka Avi Elman has graced us with his unique blend of soulful/afro/latin influenced house music, now he has decided to open up a new chapter in his life. As a final gift, he presents the jaw-dropping aptly titled farewell compilation "Best of UPZ (2007-2019)" which comprises of twenty-two of the most loved and unforgotten UPZ gems, spanning the time period from 2007 to today. In a nutshell, this dazzling compilation featuring collaborations with an illustrious list of artists such as Sio, Jocelyn Mathieu, Black Motion, Kafele, Lifford, Stephanie Cooke, Cuebur, Silvinha, Rick Coffey, Theo Lawson and Jabzz Dimitri to name just a few is not to be missed...
From Detroit to Bristol, a collaboration between Detroit's Malik Alston and Javonntte Garrett and Bristol's Andy Compton, comes "Dance with me" a mind-boggling soulful production sure to send shivers down your spine available on limited edition 12" vinyl and as digital download... "Dance with me" is masterly orchestrated, featuring a wonderful rhodes piano alongside glorious harmonica, classy strings, lovely guitar and a thrilling organic backdrop, not to forget to mention Malik Alston's unmistakable sensual vocals and Javonntte Garrett's cool talk box solo. Malik & Javonntte strip things back on their entrancing 'Side by Side Dub', while Andy Compton somewhat relaxes the vibe to give the song more of a neo-soul vibe, with his dub putting the harmonica prowess to the forefront. Exclusive to the digital release is Andy Compton's 'Guitar Dub' putting the guitar center stage.
Songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Tom Glide is back with "Magic (spell on me)" the latest single taken from his highly acclaimed "Divas got Soul" album released in fall of 2017. This timeless soulful jewel featuring the one-of-a-kind sultry vocals of Terisa Griffin comes your way in paramount remixes by Sean Ali & Munk Julious who serve an uber soulful truly melodious rendition, Guri Guri Boys & Fuminori Kagajo who deliver a lively jazz/funk infused interpretation (inspired by George Duke's all-time classic "I want you for myself"), Yuki 'T-Groove' Takahashi who adds his magical boogie/disco inspired touch, and finally Tom Glide himself contributes a lovely latin flavored dub as well as a reprise-esque dub and beats version.
What an incredible update we have for you this week with nothing but the best in vocal soulful/afro house music... enjoy !!
Italian DJ/producer Andrea Curato is back on his recently launched Cool Staff Records with the marvelous "Different kinda love" featuring Cameroonian singer/songwriter Peter Jericho. Without doubt, "Different kinda love" oozing with a smooth yet intriguing organic musical backing, luxurious jazzed-up keys, dreamful chords and the beautiful haunting vocals of Peter Jericho is guaranteed to send shivers down your spine. Indisputably, this soulful gem is not to be missed...
The inaugural release for Pasqua Records S.A is the stunning "How" by South African duo C-Major (SA) and South African songstress Venessa Jackson. To cut right to the chase, "How" is verily tantalizing with the enthralling rhythms together with the lush keys, enchanting dreamy chords and Venessa Jackson's amazing sultry vocals guaranteed to cause a stir on the dance floor.
Back in 1999, Andy Compton from The Rurals formed Peng Records, ever since the label has been on the forefront of the house music movement, with the labels unrivaled back catalogue consisting of 150 EP's and 35 albums. Beyond question, Peng Records has been one of the most respected and influential soulful house and deep house music labels over the last two decades, with many of their releases nowadays considered timeless classics. To celebrate their 20 year anniversary, the label has put together a paramount retrospective compilation available for free for a limited time on the labels