returning from the italian excursion of vol. 13 before the u.k. pulls up the proverbial drawbridge, neil diablo delivers another to rack & ruin winner live and direct from the northern powerhouse. showing some love for the finer half of the county, neil presents the best the north east has to offer, enlisting our friends from the north yorkshire s craig bratley and newcastle s james hadfield to do the damage on this slick split 12inch.

soak by james hadfield, featuring danny linton, is one of the main reasons for the launch of me me me and a record i love so much i have done my first rem ix for the label, explains man power. further remixes from axel boman and bird of paradise cement a stellar third release on the burgeoning me me me imprint.

j1mi aka james hadfield

forriner is lee forster and oli worriner.
i made music together with lee for years (alongside mick rolfe) as last waltz. he also worked as lizards with james hadfield (james released solo for me me me 02), oli worriner, is a talented young northerner who’s already making a great name for his solo output, both under his own name and his traela alias, as well his label “tunnyl recordings”.
i’m really flattered that they’ve let me release their first full solo release, and i love how they’ve brought out each others deeper and more emotive sides in these 2 tracks. shit robot is a hero of mine. i basically wore out the grooves on a bunch of his dfa stuff from just over 10 years ago, and i’ve avidly bought everything he’s released since. i met him this summer for the first time when we shared the bill at a festival, and was so happy to find that he’s also lovely guy in real life. they say you should never meet your heroes, but i don’t subscribe to that as this meeting led to not one, but two fantastic remixes for me me me 08. the originals are a bright mix of melodically analogue left leaning house, while the remixes zero-in on a punchier dancefloor vibe, with an epic version goodnight, as well a more heads down disco dub.
so yeah, links within links, and keeping it northeastern again i guess.

for their third release clandestino step into the light themselves to present two original cuts. here, shades of classic chicago and detroit complement a modern production aimed at discerning dance-floors. another horizon has a heady late-eighties feel ascending sunrise chords and gentle keys swell organically giving way to a burbling 303 line.

futureboogie open their 2017 account with a new release from lizards, the newcastle based duo otherwise known as lee forster and james hadfield. after appearances on labels like leng records, join our club and not an animal records, lizards strut their stuff across two original tracks, whilst man of the moment lord of the isles weighs in with a superb remix. the percussion driven house of “tzatziki” kicks of the release, wrapped in warm and inviting pads and piano riffs. shades of old school chicago house meet sun-kissed balearic vibes on this early morning riser, as the heavyweight bass sounds curl around the raw drum programming and illuminating keys sprinkle over the production. on “aloof”, the tempo is taken down somewhat, as a bass line wanders over a steady kick and otherworldly ambient sounds and hushed vocal clips lazily glide over the 4/4 arrangement. as the track unfurls, more melodic and percussive elements come into play, blossoming into a something quite epic and unique. with a slew of releases for quality imprints like permanent vacation, firecracker, mule musiq and esp institute, neil mcdonald, aka lord of the isles, serves up a deliciously chugging version of aloof. gurgling bass and marching handclaps are dowsed in dramatic synth sweeps and glacial tones, as the good lord takes us on a monumental ride.

for their latest slice of saucer-eyed balearic perfection, leng records has looked to the north east of england for inspiration. lizards is a freshly minted project from newcastle-based twosome lee forster – better known as one third of balearic house combo last waltz, whose impressive releases have appeared on world unknown, futureboogie, endless flight and is it balearic? – and long-time friend james hadfield of nein records’ elizabeth collective.

lizards are lee forster (1/3 last waltz) and james hadfield (the mainstay of the elizabeth collective). taking over a full side, and clocking in at over 9 minutes, anthemic understatement is a very difficult trick to pull of, but the deepness of feel here, coupled with the restraint shown in rhythm and melody, allows the track space to ebb, flow and truly get under the skin of the listener. it s one of those rare tracks that are as equally beautiful as they are danceable international track lives up to it s name, seeing the north eastern english producers channel the japanese take on the balearic sound as heard in productions by artists such as cosmes.