Tag Archives: Balearic

Lounge, Pop, Synth

CHAD VALLEY – YOUNG HUNGER (Balearic/Pop – UK)

Leave a comment

Chad Valley

Born from Oxford’s famously innovative artistic community, Chad Valley is the solo project of Hugo Manuel, who you may recognise as the frontman of UK band Jonquil. Over the past three years, he has released a string of laid-back Balearic influenced EPs that “recreate the feeling of being on the beach”. On his debut album, Young Hunger, the young artist keeps exploring new sounds with a handful of unbelievable guests, including Twin Shadow, Glasser, Active Child and El Perro Del Mar.

Young Hunger may feature a lot of guest artists, but it is a personal record at heart. With a rare clarity of vision and innovative drive, Manuel creates fancy smooth pop jewels that draw on 80s synth bass, 90s filtered vocals and timeless melodies in an attempt his own blend of retrofuturistic pop.

As a bonus, check out a couple of (more or less recent) remixes for labelmate Rush Midnight and Swedish trio The Touch!

Rush Midnight - Night Was Young Enough (Chad Valley Remix)     

The Touch - Sermon (Chad Valley Remix)     

For more info and music, check out Chad Valley’s Tumblr or Facebook. Buy Young Hunger on

Pop, Scandinavia, Synth

JJ – HIGH SUMMER (DreamPop/Balearic – Sweden)

Leave a comment

For the past three years, Swedish duo jj (Elin Kastlander and Joakim Beno) have been releasing mixtapes and EPs showcasing their quirky blend of dream pop with hints of hip hop and R&B. Their latest offering is the High Summer EP, released through Gothenburg-based label Sincerely Yours (founded by The Tough Alliance).

jj - High Summer     

The five-track release is a nice piece of delicate pop that invites you to enjoy the gentle sounds of summer. It is both carefree without carelessness, and unassuming without being lazy. The High Summer EP is currently available for free download from Sincerely Yours’ website so snag it while you can!

If you feel like exploring jj’s world, check out their blog. Buy the music on

Electro, Indie, Pop

POLARSETS – EXOTICA (Indie/Pop – UK)

2 Comments

Polarsets

Polarsets are Rob Howe (vocals, Guitar), Mickey Smith (bass) and James Rudd (drums), three lads from Newcastle, England. Their uplifting brand of indie pop relies on fast-paced guitars, playful vocals and synths galore to give the mix its dancey electro edge. Sometimes reminiscent of Two Door Cinema Club, Fenech Soler or a younger version of Friendly Fires, Polarsets have a knack for making the kind of catchy pop songs that will get all the indie kids dancing in clubs the world over.

Polarsets - Morning (Ardalan Remix)     

The band’s brand new release, Exotica EP, is further proof that they are masters of crafting catchy Ibiza-channeling island vibes. Featuring four irresistibly bouncy original tracks (“Tropics”, “Distance”, “Camping” and “Summer RElated Name”), the EP is an explosion of indie pop goodness. Get your hands on it asap…


Bonus tracks: check out a couple of remixes Polarsets produced for their friends from Worship and Bravestation.

Worship - House Of Glass (Polarsets Remix)     

Bravestation - Signs of the Civilized (Polarsets Remix)     

Wanna hear more? Listen to the whole EP over at their SoundCloud. More info on their official site or Facebook. Buy the Exotica EP on Polarsets

Electronica, Lounge, Scandinavia

PALLERS – THE SEA OF MEMORIES (Electronica – Sweden)

1 Comment

Pallers

Formed in 2008, Pallers are a blissed-out electronica duo who make “Dance music for the lazy, the blazers and for the slightly depressed”. At the helm of this musical ship, long-time friends Johan Angergård (Club 8, Acid House Kings, The Legends) and Henrik Mårtensson build an ever shimmering mosaic of sounds in which every element is integrated with such ease it almost seems effortless.

Pallers - Humdrum     

The duo’s monumental debut album The Sea of Memories was produced and recorded during three years’ time in apartments, basements, villas and cabins in Pallers, La mar, Stockholm, Miami and Cape Town. Ten tracks where the ever growing melodies and muffled beats beneath the surface transform the listening experience into a space voyage of emotional discoveries.

Pallers - The Kiss (Suburban Kids With Biblical Names remix)     

Influenced equally by ambient, trip hop, electronica and pop music, The Sea of Memories is “difficult to describe in words,” Johan explains “but when music makes a three dimensional universe where you can really sink into the music, it feels like sounds are coming from everywhere, and it’s not like ‘oh, I can hear a guitar, and there’s a drum’, but to put parts together that sound a bit outer worldly.”

Want more? Here is Pallers’ take on “Western Hospitality” by labelmate Club 8.

Club 8 - Western hospitality (Pallers Remix)     

Find Pallers on Facebook or check out their official site. Buy the music from Labrador’s online store or

Disco, Electronica, Lounge

JEREMY GLENN – NEW LIFE EP (NuDisco/Balearic – Canada)

5 Comments

From Motown to Uptown, Soul Jazz to Nu Jazz, New Wave to No Wave, Old School to New School to No School: Jeremy Glenn personifies the contemporary music mentality with all of its forms and functions. Whether making music under his alias Makeshift, collaborating with Rod Skimmins as The Makeover, or alternately producing as Jeremy Glenn, the young Canadian singer, songwriter, producer always manages to leave a strong imprint on everything he produces, making it unmistakably his.

Jeremy Glenn’s most recent release, the New Life EP, hit the stores last month on June 20th via Australian label Future Classic. The EP includes two versions of the title track and two original songs, “Found A Love” and “Overtime”. You can sample a deliciously summery rework of “New Life” below…

Jeremy Glenn - New Life (Torro Torro ReWork)     

Besides his talent as a composer, Jeremy’s DJing skills have also led him to share the decks with James Murphy (LCD Soundsystem), Tensnake and Andy Butler (Hercules & Love Affair), Alexander Robotnick or Aeroplane. In the past couple of years he has remixed tracks for the likes of Panic Bomber, Washed Out, Woodhands, Piper Davis, Circle Search.

Circle Research - Summertime In The City (SummerNights Jeremy Glenn Remix)     

Get more music, info and tour dates on Jeremy Glenn’s MySpace. If you like what you hear, you can buy the New Life EP on New Life - EP - Jeremy Glenn