Ever loveable Manchester imprint Paper present wide-eyed EP from Coyote
The Balearic don shows elegant touches on ‘Stages Of Time’ EP
There's much to love and admire about veteran Manchester-based Paper Recordings. Purveyors of the deeper shades of the cosmic trinity of house, disco and Balearic sounds for over a quarter of a century now, any self-respecting jock who even dabbles into those freaky realms is sure to own at least a few titles from the expansive Paper canon.
A go-to label from the get-go, they've provided a home to some of the most respected and talented artists from the more refined end of dance music since the beginning, and it's difficult not to get nostalgic when reviewing their output. Following a quick flick through the racks, I came across early releases from the likes of New Phunk Theory, Crazy Penis (even before their 'enis' fell off), Problem Kids, Those Norwegians, Kenny Hawkes, Eddie 'Flashin' Fowlkes, and a seemingly endless list of halcyon day pioneers of the gloriously colourful scene. Happily, via the 'Wave', 'Disco' and 'Recordings' suffixes, the label has kept its proverbial foot on the gas, continuing, as it does, to offer up a lively torrent of excellent new music to this very day. With their recent joint release from Anoraak, Luxxury and Lauren Turk on their Paper Disco offshoot riding high in the sales chart – and sounding fantastic soaring over the Bangkok rooftop gigs – Paper are back once again with an excellent four-tracker from Balearic luminaries, Coyote.
First, out of the blocks, we have the downtempo chug of 'Illa Conillera'. Deeply weighted bass and thick drums supply the bedrock for blissful pads and meandering keys to dance and play over delicate synth work as crisp percussion enlivens the groove. Next up, the tempo drops further for the deep dub stylings of 'The Igigi Gods Dub'. Here the low-as-it-goes bass drives the jagged, syncopated rhythm as vocal chops rise and fall in the distance, before psychedelic synths and stabs add to the smoke-filled mystique.
Now we come to the rush-inducing Balearica of 'Look For The Way In', where lighter than air pads fill the space as delicate percussion rolls. The mood-enhancing track moves into a dramatic breakdown before launching back into the meditative stratosphere with carefully layered synths, vocals and swirls. Closing things off, we have the aptly-titled 'Finally... House', where the tempo is raised beyond horizontal for an acid-infused cosmic Balearic joyride. In keeping with the rest of the EP, the music is rich with harmonic layers and forward-propelling rhythm. At once deep and textured but endowed with more than enough energy to drive the dance floor.
Exquisite production and starry-eyed vibes all round, this is a cracking collection from Coyote, and a fine addition the ever-growing Paper catalogue.
Coyote 'Stages Of Time' EP is out today on Paper Wave. You can listen and buy it here