Review: Peter Matson - Hotel PM (Bastard Jazz Recordings)

We knew this album would be good, but it gets a full 5 star Hotel rating for PM, AM and all the bits inbetween!

Fans of Hotel Inspector, 4-In-A-Bed and all those other shows know that after you've booked in, you've got to go digging for the dirt, stains and long hairs.  Well, there ain't no bad bits on this 10 track debut solo album of  the Brooklyn based musician/producer/DJ and co-leader of the band Underground System

We were pretty excited a couple of months ago when we heard Peter Matson's 'White Noise' together with his collaboration with Toribio on 'S.Y.G' (see review HERE) so he's more than delivered with thit bastardized jazz with groove and funk and boogie and disco and Balearics and even synth-pop.

'Alien' is typical of the bright disco vibe the underpins the album with with lots of electronic twiddling big strings whilst for a 'solo' album, he ropes in his mates Pahua (on 'Melancolía', she also check out the new JKriv EP, 'Intuition' - see review HERE), Kendra Morris ('White Noise'), members of The Rapture and Poolside [lovetempo is so hot right now] plus Ibibio Sound Machine which gives it a 'live' sound. 

Phenomenal Handclap Band (another JKriv favourite) feature on 'Never Know' whilst 'Shaky Escalator' (featuring Underground System) ain't going to get much in the way of many radio plays in this form as a clean edit/instrumental/dub might be a good idea.

Talking of instrumentals and no ideas, where's 'Lew Beach'? (Ed. or is it a person?) Even so, you'll want to spend you're summer there and it's one of three instrumental tracks that stand-out like the dubby jazz horn on 'Lobby Call'.

'Alien' is one of the hit tracks with super lush strings and it's summer ready beach appeal and I'll challenge you to not have it as a bed fellow to lovetempo this year (check out 'But I Do' remixes HERE)

'Hotel PM' is a bit like a chain in that is was recorded across cities like London, New York, and Mexico and has different room themes but all are variants of dancefloor, from the opener 'Lobby Call' or the closer, '18th Floor'.

Can't say enough good stuff about this album that'll definitely feature in the 'Best Of' 2025 list!

BUY LINK: https://ffm.to/hotelpm.GC

Artist: Peter Matson

Title: Hotel PM

Release date: 4th April, 2025

Label : Bastard Jazz Recordings

Catalog Number :  TBC

Format: Vinyl (pre-order) / Digital / Bandcamp  

Review: Diogo Strausz - Caramba EP (w/ Kai Alce and Lex Wolf Remixes) (Razor-N-Tape)

"¡Ay, caramba!", you might say, not another essential release on Razor-N-Tape?

Yes that's right!  Diogo Strausz who brought you  'Emancipação' that many thought was a modern Azymuth, returns with a new verson of 'Canto Das Três Raças' and a Kai Alcé NDATL Vocal Mix.

No surprise that the Brazilian producer's track sounds, feels and dances like Clara Nunes' original version on a 'Sunday Afternoon At Dingwalls' (with Gilles Peterson and Patrick Forge) - perfect London [or insert you're own Capital] Jazz Dance samba/música popular brasileira classic.

It's bound to appear on a Mr Bongo compilation in years' to come but no need to wait as if you get this, the Atalanta based Kai Alcé knows how to make it even more dancey.  You'll recall what he did on 'The Symington Avenue' EP by Toronto Hustle x Sean Roman (see review HERE) so if you you want to be in the groove as those musclecars, you know what to do.

Not only that, on other side, 'Caramba' is more NY percussively heavy with a disco ball of synths, whistles and cuíca.  And on the remix, try the Lex Wolf Technobloco Mix where the Lextension master (Ed. did you see what he did there) reformulates 'Caramba' into over 8 minutes of "Kraftwerk meets Marcos Valle".

We're always impressed with a Razor-N-Tape project but this is "¡Ay, caramba!" even for them.

 

BUY LINK: https://www.juno.co.uk/products/diogo-strausz-caramba-ep-vinyl/1077536-01/

Artist: Diogo Strausz 

Title: Caramba EP
Release date: 4th April, 2025
Label : Razor-N-Tape.
Catalog Number : RNTR079
Format :  12" - 4 track vinyl / Digital / Bandcamp