We got mail from Local Records advertising their new release and discovered a label that shares a lot with us in terms of vision and musical taste. So far, Local has signed Romanian artists such Alien Pimp, Bogdan, Candlestickmaker, Cosmin TRG, Cristi Cons, Discoballs, Inner, Makunouchi Bento, Minus & Ion, The Model, Poor Relatives, Silent Strike, Sillyconductor and Suie Paparude and expects to add a new artist every month.

Here’s a short version of the story in their own words:

“In the past couple of years, our homegrown community of electronic musicians hasn’t been shy on inspiration. Bubbling like a volcano underneath Eastern Europe’s post-communist facade, what this huge creative delivery needs is an external output for its artistic intent.

LOCAL RECORDS wants to create an artistic community based on shared interests and to discover a new Romanian sound by encouraging producers who currently don’t have the stimuli to persevere and reach the next level. LOCAL RECORDS is an atypical label because it does not sell music, it just promotes it.

We don’t work with money, we work with enthusiasm. Enter this beautiful new world in which music wants to be free and money flows through other opportunities. LOCAL RECORDS is working along the Romanian Organization for User Rights (ORDU), an NGO that fights for free internet sharing and the use of open licensing. This is why LOCAL RECORDS works under a Creative Commons license. The LOCAL RECORDS releases will be digital, for the general public, available for download on www.localrec.ro, and in limited hard copy, available for promotion.”

What can be more refreshing than this? Let’s get to the point, erm, music and see/hear what is all about:

Juggling easily with bass, glitch and synth funk reworked live, Minus has been present on the Romanian scene for the last 5 years with music ranging from Game Boy tunes to dub, hip hop, skweee or even to psychedelic improvisations along Ion. After releasing 3 EPs at the Romanian netlabel Arhiva 7 and notable performances at Red Bull Music Academy and Sonar  2010, his biggest joy is his spectacular evolution rather than his accomplishments.

Well said and well done so far, but all these words make sense when you start listening…

18 minutes of pure blissed out sample magic disco hop dubbed out extravaganza that shapes a distinct and personal sound outlining a sense of humour similar to Mr. Scruff and Mylo. We haven’t heard any tunes with a Maxx or a Jennifer Rush sample that can sound so good. When you enter the soundscape of Minus get prepared to have some vivid flashbacks from random summer moments with a possible timeline between the late 80s and mid 90s. It’s like the sound triggers a synaesthetic deja vu into a whirlpool of  mixed and distant memories, rearranging and putting them in a new frame more appropriate for the present times. All about the uplifting pads and vintage synthsounds that made the music back then so catchy and even more about the dubbed out wonky beats and liquid feeling that makes it work so well.
A definite favourite this summer!

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