Love International and Test Pressing commemorate yet another cracking festival with the latest instalment in their collaborative compilation series for their LIXTP label. For The Sound Of Love International #006 they’ve chosen Jay Donaldson aka Palms Trax as their selector.
The Berlin-based Brit launched his career in 2013 with releases on various labels which led to headline slots and globetrotting gigs from South America to Australia. He’s a regular at Love International, having spun at the first one in 2015, playing at Barbarella’s for an RA event.
The scope of this new record reflects the eclecticism of Donaldson’s DJ sets and his long-running ‘Cooking With Palms Trax’ NTS radio show and parties. Comprising of cuts collected on his worldwide trips, it’s a magical mind-blowing selection. Jumping between generations and genres, yet all coming together as a wonderful whole. As document it definitely demonstrates the joys of real record shops and physical digging.
The album opens with Linda Waterfall’s Clarity. A fabulous flight of late 1970s spiritual jazz-influenced folk from the late Seattle-based singer / songwriter, who released her debut on Windham Hill, and studied transcendental mediation under the Indian guru, Baba Hari Dass.
Sebastian’s Follow My Heart is a soulful soft rocker, a sax-y seduction theme. Its very European protagonist trying to entice you into a romantic liaison, and promising the time of your life.
On Did It Have To Be Me, glorious gospel choir-like backing lifts Frank E. Jeffries Jr.’s cool croon, and the spirits of anyone lucky enough to be listening.
Two tracks travel from `90s South Africa. El Pedro’s La Luna is a pumping piece of S.A. bubblegum, that’s strangely partly sung in Spanish and whose echoed snares mimic flamenco handclaps. Tropical, a little zouk-y and more mid-tempo kwaito, Novidade’s Masingita features great guitar picking and warm, welcoming group vocals.
Dieta Berliner & Jean Baptiste’s Paula & Kaspar transports us back to Berlin and forwards to 2012. A B-side secret weapon from Dieta’s short-lived Pakalolo City Records, this is a cowbell-led hypnotic head nodding chug, with a swaying sing-along melody and highlife-like licks hidden way down deep in the mix.
Culled from a cult Canadian 45 Angelo Mallia’s Hideaway is cute, catchy tumbling TR-808- driven synth-pop.
A piece of plugged-in Belgian `80s prog-rock, Zardoz’s brilliant Brasilia Drums pits its titular percussion against big cosmic synths, and segues into a new age-y journey.
Danish keyboard virtuoso Gert Thrue shows off his chops on I Play The Body Electronic. For nearly ten minutes switching between Hammond organ and Moog. Feeding everything through psychedelic phasing effects, and overdubbing some fab Fender Rhodes. A true emotional epic, the sonic auteur clearly got lost in its groove.
In Trance 95 might be one of the better known acts here, since the Athens-based duo’s work has been collected on Veronica Vasicka’s Minimal Wave, and in the 2010s they also supported Depeche Mode. Their 1991 single, Warm Nights Driving On Wet Streets, is chunky chill out room gear. Downtempo techno, with moody minor chords, that’s actually a tender love song.Frenchman Alain Salvati is behind Flayer’s Wanna Get Back Your Love, which first appeared in 1983, oddly on an Italian 12. Rediscovered at the turn of the millennium it’s become a bona fide modern Balearic anthem.
The closing cut, Jeancky’s Variations Sur Protestation, kind of brings the album, musically, full circle. Returning to the late `70s with campfire congas, bongos, and gentle acoustic strumming. Saxophone and vibes taking it in turns to serenade the soothing mantra-like vocal.
The majority of the tracks included were self-released / privately pressed and in many cases the often mysterious artists’ only recorded outings. So, in putting this together Palms Trax has pulled a lot of talented people out of obscurity. No doubt exposing some holy grails and upsetting a few dealers, while making the dreams of folks who love good music come true. Full of excellent, eccentric finds, it’s a blissful collection that’ll fill floors and catch heads’ attention.
