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Solar Sides
Electrolyse
1x CD Apricot
Don't be mistaken by the title of the Solar Sides album as this isn't Joe's average electro album. Solar Sides takes us on a well balanced trip of jazzy & funky acoustic grooves going from more acid jazz like tracks to dancefloor deephouse fun. We know covers don't say everything about music, but the stylish and nice character of this one showing a black woman in designers clothes smoking a big Solar Sides sigar perfectly reflects the design of the music. 
So, what's behind this mysterious smokey woman ? It all starts with "Birk's Work" for superb acoustic ingredients of trumpet on driving grooves, somehow reminding of the sound of the Soul Ascendents. "Afro Paris" continues this delicious cocktail of warm vibes and excellent trumpet and flutes creating a very melodic funky groove. And now time for the big bass, the deep one, the heavy drum and rythmic trumpets for dancefloor action on "Fascinating rythm", "Round midnight" and "Tin tin deo".
It's clear Solar Sides offers more than most of todays kickdrum deephouse that makes you want to take drugs to escape boredom. Well crafted grooves in which mainly the trumpet and keyboards add an exotic atmosphere will let you work your body out on a packed dancefloor without the need to touch any drug or alcohol. Now you thought that was all in the Solar Sides package ? Definitely not. Let Solar Sides guide you to the sofa as well with 2 killer lounge tracks : "Night in Tunisia" and 'Well you needn't", and when ez says it's killer lounge, it is ! "Night in Tunisia" is an instrumental pearl offering a cocktail of warm exotic trumpets, bassguitar, rhodes and flutes. "Well you needn't" is the definite chill workout, with delicious erotic vocals of
Haruna. Finally, Solar Sides is giving a try for atmospheric deephouze
grooves in House of 909 style with Side's Effect or going for an almost Internal Bass acid jazz sound with "Night and day". 
We can only hope Solar Sides is here to stay and already look forward
for a follow up album as they for sure have the right mix of talent to make interesting music. So, there you go Solar Sides, a big Freestyle-approved label on this one.

ez
sept 2000