When Leng Records founders Paul ‘Mudd’ Murphy and Simon Purnell marked the imprint’s 10th birthday, they did so
via a celebratory compilation that mixed classic catalogue cuts, remixes and exclusives. Five years on, and with the
label’s 15th birthday upon us, they’ve decided to look to the future via a compilation made up entirely of fresh
productions from Leng’s roster of current and new artists.
Presented on limited-edition gatefold double vinyl with a bonus 10” single, the collection offers an updated
showcase of Leng’s much-loved trademark sound, a distinctive fusion of mid-tempo sleazy-disco, Balearica and
chugging house interspersed with elements of electronic psychedelia and synth-powered space disco.
Fittingly for a compilation that wholeheartedly looks to the future, you’ll find first contributions from a handful of
label newcomers. Fast-rising duo Flying Mojito Bros give their spin on ‘Smoke Signals’ by label debutants Joe HarveyWhyte and Bobby Lee, turning in a heady and inspired revision that sits somewhere between dusk-ready cosmic
disco and flash-fried desert blues. There’s also an appearance from Swedish producer Bo Wosticz with the dreamy
and ultra-deep nu-jazz of ‘Bs As’.
Naturally, you’ll also find plenty of heat from those who have already proved their mettle through prior releases on
Leng. Danish duo Liminal, who made their debut earlier this year with the much-played ‘Keep Coming Back To Me’,
open proceedings with the tactile, slow-disco flex of ‘Tzatziki Bay’ where sweet synth melodies and a heady electric
piano riff ride a warming groove.
Roberto Intrallazzi and Dario Piana from Italy’s original Afro-cosmic movement return with ‘Plutos’, a typically deep
dubbed-out cosmic chugger. Then there’s Rose Robinson AKA Tigerbalm, whose ‘Mexicana’ featuring singer Joi
N’Juno is presented across the package in two different forms. Pete Herbert, who contributed to some of the
earliest Leng releases, drops a driving dub disco take on the main compilation, while Robinson’s original mix – a
more organic, percussive and horn-heavy affair blessed with plenty of hallucinatory intent – opens the bonus 10”.
There’s a welcome return to Leng for the brilliant Payfone, whose ‘Dime Algo’ is a typically classy, analogue-rich
affair in which attractive Rhodes riffs, atmospheric female vocals and pitched-down house pianos rise above
shuffling drum machine beats and a slow-motion bassline. Long-serving label contributor Lex (Athens) delivers the
loose-limbed nu-disco breeze of ‘Stolen Dance’, while the imprint’s San Francisco connection – the ever-brilliant 40
Thieves collective – drop the dubbed-out Bay Area brilliance of ‘Such A Great Trip’.
Then there are the contributions of the label’s most storied artist, Andrew Meecham AKA Emperor Machine with
‘Eumig’, a deliciously slow, synth-rich chugger full of colourful chords, bubbly electronic melodies and jaunty
electronic bass. Then, to round off the bonus 10” single, Meecham joins forces with Paul Murphy (as Mudd) on
‘Road To Nikko’, an extended, Japanese musical culture-influenced slab of pitched-down alien-funk packed to the
rafters with squelchy synth sounds, effects-laden percussion, chiming melodies and rubbery bass guitar[info sheet from distr.]