Album Review: Flipside Recordings’ the “Flipside of Deep”

Summer is upon us and lately the rising temperatures, azure skies, and blazing sun have put me in the mood to lounge around in a South Beach cabana with my most glamorous pair of over-sized shades. All that’s been missing is the right kind of soundtrack. Happily, I found the perfect compilation in my inbox earlier this week.

Its the latest from Flipside Recordings: the Pineapple Edition of the label’s Flipside of Deep album series. True to its name, the album offers up a serving of tunes that are both refreshing and sweet to the ear and perfect for easy listening. Lush melodies, bouncing groove lines and a clean, well-mastered sound give this compilation a chic sophistication that embodies SoBe swank. A bona-fide musical excursion, the 11-track selection takes us from the penthouse suite at the W Hotel to the smoky dance floor of an underground lounge.

Opening up the compilation is Romanian producer Addex’s “Memory Box,” a cool and polished number that sounds like it came right off a fashion runway. Sexy rhythms flawlessly complement chopped up vocal samples, polished chords, and sultry saxophone blasts to create a gorgeously modern and sensual start to our adventure.

“Memory Box” leads into an Analog Trip remix of Bourne’s “Runaway.” Mellow and brooding, the remix takes the compilation down in a deeper and more ominous direction before up-and-coming Croatian outfit Balkan Disko takes us to the dance floor with “Amazona,” a tense and upbeat tune that should be in every DJs warm up set.

Elektrik Dreams resident Pano Manera‘s “For Next Turn” is an interesting play between dissonance and harmony, taking us back to the modern glam of “Memory Box” with more of a futuristic techno vibe.

Greecian producer Serafim Tsotsonis follows with a stunning rework of Lego Boy’s “Rethinking About Love.” Beautifully melancholic, the edit shifts from plaintive lament to chill-step lullaby halfway through, creating the perfect sound scape for the subsequent track, V. Lopezz and Howard Mind’s sexy and sinister tech-house number, “My Brainmachine.” A pounding beat carries along sinister robotic vocals, creating a end-product that is just as addictive as it is eerie.

Underground pioneer and Nightchild Records protegee Daniel Torres takes shifts the sound back uptown with “The Room,” a spellbinding techno piece that layers recorded vocal samples over a chords that chase each other like refracting light waves. The result is a sound that’s as posh and luxurious as a clear summer sky.

Drawing from the decadent vibe and classic simplicity of the previous track, Cadatta‘s “Of Course” weaves an ethereal spell with hovering notes that wash over the listener in waves. The percussion skips along throughout the tune, taking us back to that runway. It drops away suddenly for a couple seconds to allow the rolling notes to take center stage before picking back up again and carrying us back into the groove.

Next up is “The Wrong Channel,” a dark and foreboding theme by Australian techno gurus Commit and Dubfonik. The tune seems to stalk along, meshing tribal-influenced percussion with meandering melodies to create a sound that’s veritably predatory.

Next, Deep sessions veteran Nkei leads us back up from the underworld with “Treffen.” The delicate piece mixes a gentle beat with different instrumentals and strings of high-octave piano notes to create a sense of fragility that contrasts beautifully with the preceding track.

Closing out the album is a refreshing different take on Analog Trip’s “Declaration of Silence.” Lofty chords bounce along a steady staccato rhythm in Cretan producer John Michelinakis’s (aka Lego Boy) down-tempo remix. Graceful and uplifting in its melodies, the dreamy edit serves as the perfect close to a fabulous musical journey.