Please note this is an old page and Fly Global Music has now moved. Please follow this link and search for the entry in the new site.

By coincidence, the last time I saw ‘Nippon’ Nik Weston, it was at the Dingwalls ‘revival’ gig, but when there’s a track like ‘Empty Faces’ on the decks, you’ve just got to dance. As an aside, sorry Nik, I didn’t mean to tread on your toes. And on the other side of me was DJ Patrick Forge!

This EP has three versions by Bakura which is the Latin dance team of Fly favourite, Dominic Stanton and Roberto Marin. The LP mix is closer to the classic Brazilian classic recording and features Sophie Ripley on vocals. It’ll take some for this to replace the
Flora Purim version (‘Vera Cruz’) in my heart and with that in mind, the club mix is too ‘club’ for my liking at the moment. That said, the ‘Primetime Mix’ is a happy compromise between the two. And can I hear some ‘Outta Space’ action going on? It’s going back in the Hectic chart.

That would be enough for most but there’s like two bonus tracks on the EP, one on house side and one on the jazz side.

DJ Kawasaki gets all jazz piano with Sweden’s Ernesto on vocals on ‘Like Thunder’ in a soulful deep house way. It’s suitably smooth but the one that’s shoutin’ at us is Bossa Free as it’s so Soil And “Pimp” Sessions. Little surprise that we find that Bossa Free is Hajime Yoshizawa (Piano), Soil And “Pimp” Session’s drummer Naoto Midorikawa with Yasushi Yoneki (bass). The three of them got at it from the start, there’s a little break to mop the sweat from your brow, before they head for home from the final corner. Grand prix piano jazz dance, brilliance.

Along with the top quality vinyl and the cover art, this is a must for all fans (check link below for a special offer on this week). And there’s an Essence Of Especial CD compiled by the Kyoto Jazz Massive to look out for.

Reviewed: Various — Essence Of Especial (Exclusive Tracks EP) (Especial Records) Cat. No.ESP-020 12”
[Japan] Release date: 10 July 2006
Tracklisting:
A1. Bakura — Empty Faces (LP Mix)
A2. Bakura — Empty Faces (Club Mix)
A3. Bakura — Empty Faces (Bakura Primetime Mix)
B1. DJ Kawasaki — Like Thunder
B2. Bossa Free — Rise Me Up

Links:
www.myspace.com/bakuramarin
www.dom-uniqueproductions.co.uk
Nik Weston on myspace www.myspace.com/mukatsuku_pr_nik [Nik’s just launched his own Mukatsuku Records]
www.therecordroom.co.uk 25th October, “Recent Especial titles at a knock down price, — For a limited time only!! get on it” £6.95
www.myspace.com/kyotojazzmassive