Various Artists – Back N Front Voume 2

Label: sinnmusik*Score: 7/10 

Barcelona label sinnmusik* is one that tends to promote its own clan of closely-knit artists, and whatever your thoughts on them, there’s no doubting that the music they tend to release doesn’t suffer from a lack of invention, regardless of who it comes from. On Back ‘N’ Front Volume 2, they gather a host of these producers together, with the overall vibe one that sticks to a deep house sound. It’s the lovingly named King of Rats who are up first with ‘’Gifted’’. The vibes here are solid if not spectacular, and while a dub mix wouldn’t go amiss, the sultry sounds of Krystal’s vocals aren’t one to turn your nose up at either.

Baldo’s remix of the latter is hurried up with some booming kicks and a swelling synth that pushes it towards techno territory. One of the label’s star turns, Roman Muhlsclegel is up next. Muhlsclegel’s stock has been on the rise for some time now (even playing b2b with Max Graef in recent times), and his track, ‘’Twisting Winds’’ is one that’s glorious for its complex sound arrangements and its many celestial tidbits. An introspective, floating sound abounds – but the track really earns its crust when the unusual vocal cuts are allowed to stretch out. Georgi Barel & Niclas keep the original’s ethos firmly in check, adding a smidgen of bells to the well-woven equation. Back ‘N’ Front Volume 2 is far from the most original EP you’ll have ever heard, but it most definitely is a good one.