- It’s been a good year for Soma. Hang on though – didn’t we say that last year? And the one before that? It goes to show what a reliable source of quality they have become, and in a refusal to rest on their laurels they have introduced new artists with a high success rate.
This year the bright new things have been Vector Lovers and a new discovery, Alex Smoke, whose ‘Chica Wappa’ is a finely crafted, interwoven techno track of such quality that if his new album’s like this, new benchmarks could be set. The Vector Lovers’ album of the same name caused a stir a few months back, and ‘Melodies And Memory’ is one of the standout electro cuts.
No Soma compilation would be complete without the two godfathers, and Slam’s two contributions are heavyweights from ‘Year Zero’ – the introspective questioning of Tyrone Palmer’s contribution to ‘This World’ and the dark, brooding ‘Lie To Me’ – a track that initially came over as a bit lightweight for the duo, but which continues to grow.
Elsewhere it’s possible to get down in the most groovy way to Mylo’s remix of Master H’s ‘Thirteen’, and a lively, funky collaboration between Percy X and Mark Broom – check out the bassline for ‘Lady Killer’. There are two excellent remixes of Funk D’Void tracks – Alexander Kowalski on ‘Way Up High’ and Deetron taking on ‘All That Matters’ – plus two standout moments from Envoy’s ‘Shoulder 2 Shoulder’ album, the title track and a rich, string based mix of ‘Move On’.
Quite a line up then, and even if you own all the albums mentioned above this makes essential listening. When I say it’s business as usual for the Glasgow label, it means the quality hasn’t wavered – they are surely contenders for the top record label of 2004.
Tracklist:
01. Envoy - Move On (Full Strings Mix)
02. Slam - This World (Radio Edit)
03. Master H - Thirteen (Mylo remix) Listen to a sample
04. Alex Smoke - Chica Wappa
05. Adam Beyer & Jesper Dalbach - Number In Between
06. Vector Lovers - Melody and Memories
07. Slam - Lie To Me (Radio Edit)
08. Funk D'Void - Way Up High (Alexander Kowalski Dub Mix)
09. Envoy - Shoulder 2 Shoulder
10. Hystereo - Winters In The City
11. Funk D' Void - All That Matters (Deetron Remix)
12. Percy X & Mark Broom - Lady Killer