Claremont 56 HHV Records 9 Items

Jean-Philippe Altier’s first full-length excursion as Jpye, 2021’s Samba With You, was heralded a contemporary Balearic pop gem – a superbly summery, sun-kissed set full of atmospheric instrumentation, colourful synth sounds, strong songs and star turns from a wide variety of musical friends and guest performers.

Bleu Your Mind, his hotly anticipated follow-up, takes a similar sonic approach to its predecessor, with Altier being joined in the studio by friends old (vocalist e11e, keyboardist Michael T and fellow Twonk members Leonidas and Renato Tonini all reprise their roles from ‘Samba With You’) and new (Da Roc and Iamrobd) on a set that effortlessly mixes and matches elements of nu-disco, jazz-funk, laidback synth-pop, Italo-disco and Balearic beats. Those who savoured ‘Samba With You’ will feel at home right away, as e11e sings softly and sweetly atop the gentle Latin infused shuffle, dusk-ready instrumentation and chiming vibraphone solos of ‘Freedom Ain’t Free’. French composer and keyboardist Da Roc make’s his first appearance on the following track, the duelling electric pianos and synths of sun-splashed instrumental Balearic pop gem ‘You Freak Out’, before e11e returns on the throbbing and suspenseful ‘Shiver’– a re-imagined and genuinely glassy-eyed cover of Marie Laure Sachs’ sleazy 1978 Italian disco jam of the same name. So, it continues, with Altier and his collaborators painting scintillating sonic pictures in kaleidoscopic colours. Impeccable arrangements and pin-sharp instrumentation work in perfect harmony with seductive grooves that pack plenty of subtle swing. Even more impressively, ‘Bleu Your Mind’ is an album that genuinely rewards repeat listens, with each successive spin revealing more musical touches and cannily crafted melodic motifs. As a result, highlights come thick and fast throughout, from the delay-laden jazz-funk-goes-electrofunk fizz of ‘Xcuse My French’ (with Da Roc), and the humid afternoon heat of ‘Va Là-Bas’ – a gorgeous and immersive, sunset-ready affair produced alongside Renato and featuring dazzling kets from Michael T) – to the slow-motion Gallic/Italian reggae-pop of ‘Tutto OK’ (a nod to the tropical-tinged reggae sounds created in France during the 1980s), and the slap-bass sporting, smoothed-out (but low-down) grooves of Renato hook-up ‘Take Off’.

As ‘Bleu Your Mind’ progresses, the musical details become more refined, the grooves drowsier and the mood more horizontal. This subtle shift can be heard in Leonidas co-production ‘Lazyjack’ – all chiming lead lines, languid bass guitar, snappy drum machine beats and glistening guitar motifs – the vocoder-sporting stoner funk of ‘Spinnaker’, and the yearning brilliance of ‘Fingers Crossed’. The album’s most emotive and immersive moment by some distance, ‘Fingers Crossed’ sees Altier and collaborator Iamrobd (also a fellow Twonk member) tease out a slow-motion groove in combination with lilting Spanish guitar solos, ultra-dreamy chords, twinkling pianos and delay-laden drum machine hits. Bittersweet and brilliant, it’s a track guaranteed to send shivers down your spine. By the time it fades out, via a sustained piano chord, you’ll be sat or stood in wide-eyed, open-mouthed wonder.

Since launching in early 2020, Claremont 56’s Claremont Editions series has served up two impeccably curated and lovingly curated compilations of label rarities, unheard archive cuts and brand-new music. Two years on from the release of the second volume, C56 boss Paul Murphy has finally got round to compiling a third instalment, and as you’d expect it’s full of attractive, sun-soaked treats.

The set introduces us to a handful of label debutants. German collective Neumayer Station, a group who emerged from the same musical and social circle as existing Claremont 56 artists Fürstattl, contribute two cuts: ‘Unterführung’, an evocative, low-slung, reverb-laden fusion of krautrock and horizontal psychedelic dream-pop featuring Fürstattl’s Frank Mollena and Patrick Göbel, and the subtly jazz-flecked krautrock hypnotism of ‘Crossings’, a cut whose atmospheric intent and well-placed dub delays make it undeniably Balearic.

Speaking of Balearic, experienced musical daydreamer Mike Salta finally makes his Claremont 56 bow, joining forces with regular collaborator Marty Mortale on the deliciously tactile, warming, electric piano-sporting sunset shuffle of ‘Seashore Redemption’. The final new addition to the C56 family is Taichi Arakawa, the DJ/producer behind Japan’s Café Goofy. His track, ‘Ocean Sunrise’, is a gorgeously dreamy and kaleidoscopic shuffle through drifting synth-sax, slow-motion beats, immersive pads and layered synthesizer melodies.

As with its predecessors, Claremont Editions Volume Three also boasts fresh, unreleased material from label stalwarts. Jpye, whose Samba With You album was one of the label’s highlights of 2021, once again joins forces with regular collaborator Renato – and newcomer Michael T – to deliver a dose of club-ready Balearic samba smothered in glistening jazz guitar licks, lazy synth solos and languid electric piano licks (‘Va Là-Bas).

Ferdi Schuster, who released his sole album to date on the label back in 2019, offers up the pastoral, folksy and hand percussion-heavy brilliance of ‘The Fuzz Version’, while C56’s own in-house trio, Hillside (aka Paul Murphy, Alex Searle and Patrick Dawes) deliver the utterly gorgeous and cinematic ‘Pole Vault’ – a delightful hat-tip to classic library music featuring brilliant brass and string arrangements from Michele Chiavarini.

Rounding off another excellent package are two remixes from the vaults: Bosq’s pitched-up, Latin-tinged Balearic jazz-funk interpretation of Hillside’s deeply personal and emotive ‘For Daniel’ (a revision previously only available digitally) and a previously unheard revision of Paqua’s ‘The Visitor’ from Idjut Boys’ Conrad McDonnell, a long-time friend of the label. His take is predictably magical and dubbed-out to the max, with Quinn Luke’s evocative vocals seemingly drifting above sparse, stripped-back beats, echoing guitars, hissing cymbals and hazy bass.

To complete the package, Claremont Editions Three features a specially commissioned cover painting from Andy Kehoe, an illustrator whose distinctively colourful, detailed and fantastical images are a perfect match for the vividly evocative music contained on the LP.

Over the years, Claremont 56 has played host to some memorable collaborative
projects, most notably Bison, an unlikely super-group whose members included
Holgar Czukay, Ursula Kloss, Liquid Liquid’s Sal Principato, Ben Smith and label
boss Paul ‘Mudd’ Murphy. Now Murphy is at the helm of another collaborative
outfit, Hillside, whose seductive debut single contains two deliciously pie eyed
instrumental workouts.
Hillside is very much a family affair, with Murphy joining forces with two old
friends: bassist/guitarist Alex Searle and percussionist Patrick Dawes. The trio
has a collaborative history that stretches right back to Murphy’s time in Akwaaba
in the mid nineties. For their debut outing, Hillside has also welcomed a very
special guest musician: award-winning jazz violinist and long-time Bert Jasch
collaborator Mike Piggott.
As opening gambits go, “Hidden Port” is an emphatic statement of intent. The
audio equivalent of sailing slowly around a cluster of sun-baked islands in
search of shelter from an approaching storm, the track sees Searle wrap bluesy,
Peter Green style guitar passages around a shuffling, Latin-tinged groove rich
in Dawes’ distinctive percussion patterns and Murphy’s languid electric piano
and synthesizer lines. As the track progresses, Piggott steps up to make his
mark, with his undulating electric violin lines complimenting Hillside’s impeccable
instrumentation while adding extra emotional weight to proceedings. It’s a
stunning beginning to the Hillside story.
Piggott also makes a big impression on accompanying cut “The King’s Tun”,
delivering fluid and energy-packed solos that weave in and out of a bright
and breezy instrumental track rich in jangling acoustic guitars, subtly spacey
electronics, fireside-warm bass and more sparse-but-intricate percussion
courtesy of the effervescent Dawes. Searle’s eyes-closed, rock style guitar solos
cap another memorable excursion from Claremont 56’s latest in-house band.

Since launching in 2020, Claremont 56’s Claremont Editions series of compilations has delivered a trio of must-check collections featuring a mixture of unheard gems from the label vaults and brand-new, previously unreleased tracks. Label founder Paul ‘Mudd’ Murphy continues with this blueprint on 2024’s instalment, the fourth in total. There's naturally some genuinely headline grabbing highlights amongst the nine tracks on display, starting with opener ‘Crossing’ – a fresh cut from C56’s in-house super-group Hillside (aka Paul Mudd Murphy, Alex Searle and Patrick Dawes), featuring lead vocals from long-time friend of the family Quinn Lamont Luke. The track is prime Hillside: all rolling hand percussion, warming keys, simmering synth-strings, sun-splashed solos and blue-eyed soul vocals from the effervescent Quinn. It sets a high bar, quality wise, but predictably the rest of the collection hits similarly heady heights. Mudd contributes two other tracks of note: a first collaborative outing with long-time creative partner Ben Smith for five years, Smith & Mudd’s ‘Journey Seven’ – a languid, slow-motion affair that hints at what we can expect from their forthcoming album – and a typically rich, jazz-fusion influenced solo excursion, ‘Massimo’s Steps’. As vivid, emotive and detailed as you’d expect, the track explores similar sonic territory to Mudd’s recent album, In The Garden of Mindfulness. It's usual for Claremont Editions collections to include tracks from new members of the Claremont family. Editions 4 is no different, with Danish producer Fureby – a close friend of fellow Danes Mike Salta and Peter Visti – joining forces with Guy Moscoco and Brian Faber on ‘Halcyon (Extended Mix)’, a gorgeously kaleidoscopic Balearic groover rich in fluttering flute solos, simmering disco strings and sun-bright electronics. Elsewhere, a few familiar favourites contribute suitably stellar tracks. Mai Fujinoya dons the Yamp Kolta alias for the first time since appearing on the first editions compilation in 2020, serving up the languid Japanese language Balearic pop brilliance of ‘Saturate’, featuring beautiful lead vocals by Yuzz. Krautrock-influenced duo Neumayer Station – who made their C56 bow on last year’s Editions collection – lay down a typically stretched-out, dubbed-out groove with Spaghetti Western soundtrack flourishes (the lilting and atmospheric ‘Bassrutscher’), while Ferdi Schuster invites us to dive into the immersive depths of ‘Resonance’ – a lightly art rock and progressive rock-influenced soundscape best enjoyed while lying flat on your back. Slow-motion house specialists Hear & Now continue to join the dots between tactile Balearica and pitched-down Italian ambient house on the stunningly gorgeous ‘Chimaera’, while there’s a surprise return for a Claremont 56 favourite: Mudd’s sought-after extended mix of Bel’s 2018 single ‘Ready To Die’, a sing-along modern Balearic classic. This time round, it has been re-edited by Blank & Jones, who teases out the sun-soaked instrumentation before finally dropping the original’s emotion-rich lead vocals. It all adds up to another must-check instalment of the indispensable Claremont Editions series. As usual, the vinyl version has been pressed in limited qualities and comes housed in a deluxe gatefold sleeve, complete with another stunning cover painting by illustrator Mark Warrington.

Since joining the label back in 2018, Hear & Now have quickly become one of Claremont 56’s most prolific and consistent acts. The Italian duo impressed with their debut album Aurora Baleare – a drowsy, mood enhancing masterpiece – and then went one better with 2020’s Alba Sol, a seductive and sun-kissed set that incorporated more nods to Hear & Now members Ricky L and Marcoradi’s 1990s deep house roots.

The pair have once more struck sonic gold with their third album, Milvus, a set whose colouful chords, unfurling melodies, warming instrumentation and sun-soaked vibes were mostly laid down during the various pandemic lockdowns of 2020. If it’s vivid, picturesque and immersive musical escapism you’re after, Milvus delivers and then some.

The album’s clear White Isle-friendly intent can be heard on opening track ‘Bassa Marea’, a yearning chunk of horizontal brilliance in which guest musician Marco Evengelista’s emotive flugelhorn sounds spar with slow-motion, eyes-closed electric guitar solos over billowing ambient chords and a tactile, thickset bassline. The pair’s ability to craft high-class, saucer-eyed Balearic soundscapes is a theme that’s returned to several times across the album, with ‘Abisso’– another near beat-free slab of touchy-feely dreaminess – standing out.

Ricky L and Marcoradi’s love of evocative, pitched-down excursions is another recurring theme. For proof, check out the chugging weariness of ‘Zanziblu’, where a lone whistle drifts across waves of heady chords and metronomic beats, the dub-fired Balearic reggae shuffle of ‘Coccobello’ and the bright aural colours of gentle title track ‘Milvus’, whose cascading piano motifs, echoing harmonica motifs and chunky dub disco grooves are as appealing as they are infectious.

While the prevailing mood is perhaps even more horizontal than their previous albums, Hear & Now have not completely abandoned the dancefloor. Two of the set’s standout moments are those where the pair actively explore their early ‘90s Italian dream house roots.

There’s the rolling haziness of ‘Levante’, where more emotion-rich electric guitar solos and ear-catching whistling softly spar with pulsing pads, club-ready house beats and chiming synthesizer motifs, and the breathlessly brilliant ‘Baiadriatica’, whose stirring, sustained opening chords should always be described as “rush-inducing”.

Rich in jangling piano riffs, fluid keys, squelchy bass and glistening guitars, the track is little less than a glorious 21st century update of the dream house sound first made famous by the likes of Sueno Latino and Key-Tronic Ensemble. Like the rest of Hear & Now’s absorbing and emotive third album, it’s a stunning, sunset-ready delight.

Limited repress of 250 copies!

Two years ago, Ferdi Schuster was a young multi-instrumentalist and producer
daydreaming of releasing his music on Claremont 56, one of his favourite labels.
Now he’s set to release his stunning debut album, “All One”, on Paul Murphy’s
long-running imprint.
It’s been a long time between drinks for the German producer, who last graced
C56 with his superb double A-side single, “Little River/Befreit”, in the autumn of
2017. Fittingly, it’s “Little River” – a babbling brook of audio bliss rich in sambainfluenced
drums, soothing acoustic guitars and spacey synthesizer licks – that
kicks off “All One”, a seductive set in which every drumbeat, piano note, guitar
riff, synthesizer flourish and fireside-warm bassline was played by the man
himself.
Throughout, it’s easy to see why Murphy decided to snap up Schuster and
push the producer to record a debut album. Check, for example, the dubbedout
shuffle of “Thinking of You”, where ghostly chords, soft-focus guitar solos
and ethereal vocals drift across the soundscape, and the slowly unfurling bliss
of “The Good Fight”, an effortlessly Balearic workout rich in sun-kissed guitars,
bubbly synth lines and chords so snugly they could probably be used as a
comfort blanket.
Schuster’s greatest strength is undoubtedly the evocative and enveloping nature
of his instrumental music, which draws on a variety of complimentary influences
but never sounds anything less than original and fresh. Some listeners may be
enchanted by the loose and languid pulse of “Fading Away” or the lo-fi reggaejazz
of dusty closing cut “Night Talk”, though others may prefer the stoned funk
shuffle of “Interaction” or the spacey vibrations of “Pulsa”, where intergalactic
synthesizer lines wind their way around heady bass guitar and sparse, off-kilter
deep electro drums.
“All One” is that kind of set; an atmospheric and musically accomplished
collection of cuts capable of muting the mundane and distracting from the stress
of 21st century life. As debut albums go, it’s something of a stunner.