Article
2012 Top 10s & 20s

Albums
Poppy Ackroyd
Mario Basanov
Ryan Blotnick
Peter Broderick
Celer
Débruit
Vladislav Delay
Taylor Deupree
El Fog
Forma
Masayoshi Fujita
Golden Gardens
Grouper
Mano Le Tough
Lusine
Yann Novak
Paniyolo
Strategy
The Swifter
thisquietarmy
Robert Scott Thompson
Christiaan Virant

Compilations / Mixes
Cambio
Hernan Cattaneo
Change The Beat
DJ Deep
Eskimonde
Full Body Workout 10
We Love Detroit

EPs / Singles
Andrew Bayer
Birds of Passage
Brancaccio & Bishop
Maya Jane Coles
Eskmo
Ether
Gerwin, Nuage & 2 Shy
Glacis
The Green Kingdom
H. Salut / Hopeless L. M. B.
Her Name is Calla
Herrmutt Lobby
Darren McClure
Oh, Yoko
Michael Price
Danilo Rispoli
Silencio
Phil Tangent
Widesky
Windsor for the Derby

Brancaccio & Bishop: Sun Shines Down
KizzKizz

We're not generally inclined to review single track-plus-remixes releases but make an exception in the case of Brancaccio & Bishop's Sun Shines Down, simply ‘cause the original is too irresistible to ignore. Not much info is available about the cats involved except to note that Luke Brancaccio and Oliver Bishop hail from London and preceded the current release with 16 Bit Love on Defected. As far as “Sun Shines Down” goes, the style is straight-up deep house, and the succulent jam receives treatments from Wakeman and I Know Ferch mixed in with contributions from Brancaccio and Bishop themselves.

The lead version, titled “Sun Shines Down (B&B vs Wakeman Mainmix),” serves up seven tight minutes of soulful deep house bliss. A pounding kick drum and massive bass undertow form a granite foundation for the male vocalist's soulful croon (“Can't wait for this to begin / As the sun shines down on me…”), as subtle injections of dub and dubstep surface during the frequent buildups. In his remix, I Know Ferch (aka Late Kid Eight) refashions the snare as a hard-hitting crack, works in a synth-heavy breakdown, and deepens the bass line a tad, too, but otherwise chooses not to stray too far from the original, wisely keeping the vocals in place and, the track title notwithstanding, retaining its dark vibe. Rounding out the release, Brancaccio contributes a dub version that deemphasizes the lead vocals to lay bare the tune's funky house core, plus there's a three-minute radio-styled version. It's the “B&B vs Wakeman Mainmix” that'll likely keep you coming back for more, however.

January 2013