https://www.facebook.com/NuNorthernSoul If you’ve been paying close attention to the Balearic music scene over the last few years, there’s a fair chance that you already own at least one release by Residentes Balearicos. Since making their debut on Kenneth Bager’s long-serving Music For Dreams label in 2020, the duo has put out music on such respected imprints as Shades of Sound, Sirsounds, Archipelago Records and Balearic Ensemble. Now they’re set to make their bow on another stalwart of the Nu-Balearic scene, Phil Cooper’s NuNorthern Soul. Ibiza-based Italians Luca Averna and Ale Doretto founded the Residentes Balearicos project back in 2018, and since both have become familiar faces on the White Isle. Not just through their DJ gigs – individually, they variously hold residencies at Pikes, 7 Pines, W Hotel, Chirincana and Malanga Café – but also via their stated desire to “create the soundtrack for life on Ibiza”. That doesn’t just mean delivering sun-splashed dancefloor gold, but also horizontal treats, slow-motion groovers and stunning summery soundscapes. The pair’s grasp of what makes music Balearic is naturally a firm one. It’s naturally on show throughout the Bonitos Mareos EP, alongside nods to their wide palette of influences, which include (but are in no way limited to), dreamy Italian house of the late 1980s, late-period disco, vintage Balearica and the kind of luxurious, organic, acoustic guitar-laden fare that was once championed by the late, great Jose Padilla. This vivid but hard-to-pigeonhole sound is evident on EP opener ‘Que Bonito’, which builds gently via waves of echo-laden piano, effects-laden choral vocals, sea-breeze chords and softly strummed acoustic guitars. By the time the tactile, laidback groove and evocative, Spanish language spoken word vocals kick in, your mind will be floating blissfully while your feet tap in time to the downtempo beat. On ‘Mandolina Suave’, Lua and Ale opt for a more spacious, morning-fresh sound, layering rising and falling synth sounds, calming chords and Mediterranean guitar licks over tasteful bass and a hand percussion-rich rhythm. ‘Mare di Inverno’ takes us down to the beach in search of moonlit dancing opportunities. Rich in spellbinding vocal harmonies, bongo-laced beats, undulating TB-303 lines, delay-laden pianos and heady dub bass, it’s a near horizontal club cut that you’ll want to get lost in. Closing out proceedings is ‘Grow and Fly’, a jaunty, thickset slab of floor-friendly Balearic dub brilliance built around gargantuan bass and snappy, loose-limbed drums. Add in evocative organ stabs, drowsy electronic piano chords, dreamy mid-80s synth sounds and yearning electronics, and you’ve got a timeless musical workout that should be entertaining the residents of Ibiza for years to come. Residentes Balearicos’s NuNorthern Soul debut is the latest instalment in the label’s Myths of Ibiza series, which is running throughout spring and summer 2022. Like previous and future volumes in the series, Bonitos Mareos features custom artwork from White Isle-based illustrator Emily McGuinness. Her cover image depicts Bruixes – the ‘witches of Ibiza. According to local mythology, they created the now famous Ibizan herb digestive drink and could only be warded off by painting a white cross on your windows – something still practised by certain island residents to this day. Distributed by Strikeforce 360 Media http://www.instagram.com/strikeforce360/ http://www.facebook.com/Strikeforce360 http://twitter.com/STRIKEFORCE360