- In retrospect, Mark Barrott was always going to end up in Ibiza. Head of the Balearic-loving International Feel label and a purveyor of chilled electronic music since the '90s, he surely felt the pull of the White Isle long before he arrived there. Now he's made it his home, Barrott's productions have entered a fruitful new phase. Laced with hazy synths and field recordings from idyllic locations, the Sketches From An Island series is top-drawer Balearic from an artist who's been circling the style for years. Barrott's latest diverts from that series, but only really in name. The choice of sounds is a touch less kitschy, but the blissed-out mood remains undisturbed.
B-side "Tago Mago" suggests Barrott's still taking inspiration from his new home. The title first calls to mind Can's 1971 LP (there's a healthy dose of kosmische in Barrott's music), but it's also the name of an island resort just off Ibiza's coast. The track is pleasantly aimless, its bouncy conga lines, string and wind patches and bass guitar licks dancing around one another with lazy grace. The effect is colourful and chaotic, not unlike the chorus of birdcall Barrott leaves running in the background. "Cascades" is more reclined. Dive-bombing leads and dusty arps tumble over each other slowly, while a light hi-hat and the odd tom take up the pulse. We never get to a full beat, though. No need to go anywhere when you're already home.
TracklistA Cascades
B Tago Mago