UNA - Hiss for the Fly (Remixes) (Cool Jewel Records)

UNA deftly juxtapose intricate musicianship with lush vocals to convey emotion, mixing influences from trip hop, electronica, jazz, and blues into their alluring stew. The band includes Richard Larsen (keyboards, guitar, mandocello), Jennifer Nice (vocals), Scott Eric Olivier (synths, guitar, drums), and Eddie Barajas (turntables) and have impressed with their multi-layered releases and evocative live shows. Now Cool Jewel Records presents exquisite remixes of tracks taken from the Los Angeles combo's new Hiss for the Fly EP. The legendary Charles Webster delivers a pair of very different mixes of "Heal Him Now" that confirm his status as one of the most prestigious remixers around. Webster's His Bones Dub is a deep house wonder, integrating UNA's original elements in a hypnotic, building fashion over the mix's eight minutes. It's classic Charles Webster, ready to inspire late night dance floors. But it's Webster's full vocal remix that really sets the tone … the tempo is lowered and the atmosphere is ratcheted up for a dreamy re-interpretation that rivals Massive Attack at their languid best. On the flip side, L.A. producer Mystery Skulls shows off his own house music mastery with a disco-charged version of "The Raft". Jennifer Nice's vocals perfectly fit this uplifting dance concoction, confidently flying above the thick piano chords and bouncing bass line. This party's just getting started.

Jamie Jimpster (Freerange) - "The Charles Webster dub is a beast! Just in time for my gigs in South Africa this weekend."
Anthony Pappa - "I will support the Charles Webster His Bones Dub."
Gavin Hardkiss (Hawke / Hardkiss Music) - "Unsurprisingly classy."
Giom - "Lovely!"
Craig Stewart (Montana & Stewart / DCSTrax) - "The His Bones Dub is absolutely stunning! Charles Webster gives it the full treatment … brilliant chords."
Severino (Horse Meat Disco) - "Great sound, as expected."
Paul Cassidy (UM Records / Strictly Underground Music) - "Really liking the Mystery Skulls remix of 'The Raft' on this one … quirky and musical."
Liquid Todd (Sirius XM) - "Quality stuff."
Adrian Lugo (WEFT 90.1 FM) - "Charles Webster's dub is really hypnotic. It has a nice steady groove and gentle but funky bump."
Jon Manley (hOUSEwORX Radio Show) - "The downtempo Charles Webster remix is lushly dark and eclectic … fresh to the ears."
Zack Hill (VinylTribe LA) - "UNA and Charles Webster are a match made in heaven. This is the stuff vibes are made of!"

"Heal Him Now (Charles Webster Dub)" is available now from Traxsource.

The Hiss for the Fly EP is available now from Traxsource, Beatport, iTunes, and Spotify.

UNA - The Laughing Man Remix (Cool Jewel Records)

UNA is a Los Angeles-based trio composed of Jennifer Nice (voice), Richard Larsen (keys), and Eddie Barajas (turntables). An eclectic mix of sounds, bits of jazz, funk, soul, electronic, downtempo, and turntables paired with hypnotically sensual vocals makes it an instant favorite. Combined, these three incorporate a wide array of lush instrumentals, lounge music, fusion pop and movie-like sound treatments that take one on a exciting musical roller-coaster ride. The Laughing Man Remix, UNA’s second LP, is the return of this gritty crowd-pleaser with funky beats and awesome vocals, restated by some of the finest remixers on the planet. Treatments from the likes of Charles Webster, John Tejada, Omid 16B, and Heath & Skaggs are found in this album sampler, with additional remixes from Nightmares on Wax, DJ Cam, The Herbaliser, and more found within the full release’s fourteen tracks. UNA is a storytelling outfit that leaves behind the usual forlorn love-sick soliloquy for something more, something grand … and magnificent. Immerse yourself in UNA.

Peter Kruder (Kruder & Dorfmeister / G-Stone) - “Loooove the Charles Webster Remix. Awesome! The other mixes are very good as well. Great package.”
Tensnake - “Some of my millennium heroes are here for the remixes so I’m looking forward to this.”
Graeme Park - I love this.“
Q-Burns Abstract Message - ”Everything here is exceptional, but it’s the Omid 16B version that’s really blowing my mind. Will probably give the Tejada mix club play as well. Nice one!“
Vincent Kwok - ”I love the John Tejada remix of ‘The Astronomer!’“
Giom - ”The Heath and Skaggs remix all the way for me.“
Nick Holder - ”The Charles Webster remix of ‘We Are the Lonely’ is the dopeness!“
DJ Rocca (Ajello / Supersonic Lovers) - ”That Tejada remix is awesome.“
Abicah Soul - ”Nice … the ‘We Are the Lonely’ remix is dope.“
Michael Fossati (Spirit of House) - ”An amazing remix by John Tejada taking ‘The Astronomer’ to the next level with thrilling rhythms and heavenly melodies.“
ed2000 (BLN.FM / Different Drums) - ”This is very cool! An excellent set of different sounding and inspiring tracks … I like it a lot.“
Da Wiseguy (RTE Pulse, Ireland) - ”A dreamy cascade of sound … very cinematic for my head.“
Harry Avers (NOICE!) - ”It’s really tough to choose which one is a favorite because everything here is strong.“
Tony D’Onghia (Radio Koper-Capodistria) - ”A faultless choice of remixers here.“
Alan O’ Malley (Multi Storey Soul on RTE Pulse, Ireland) - ”Wow, what a wicked selection on this. It’s tough to choose a favorite remix … all deliver.“
DJ Pelau (Is The Spice Of Life) - ”With ‘The Astronomer (John Tejada Remix)’ I feel like I’ve been beamed to space without permission … such a nice ‘out of this world’ creation there. But my favorite is Charles Webster’s Lonesome Mix of ‘We Are the Lonely’ … I love everything he touches.“
Mark Reynolds (Fresh 92.7 FM, Australia) - ”My ears have been seduced!”

Available now from iTunes and Bandcamp, and on 12” vinyl from Juno Records.

DJ MFR - Rome Departure (The Remixes) (Transport Recordings) →

In 2005, San Francisco’s Transport Recordings released DJ MFR's soulful, vocal house music artist album Rome Departure to much acclaim. It received massive support from critics, DJs, and music fans, even earning notice as iDJ Magazine’s “Album Of The Year.” Now, half a decade later, Transport revisits this exceptional album with remixes of its splendid songs. A hand selected team of accomplished remixers vibe off the deep, soulful elements of the original tracks to create new and exciting club-worthy versions. These range from sublime, dreamy house to funky dance floor burners. All tracks recall classic house music in the best way while still remaining truly contemporary, reflecting the modern dance music sound of Transport’s San Francisco base.

5 Magazine’s review of Rome Departure - The Remixes:

It needs to be said: Hearing Jay-J's mix of Marco from Rome's “Take Me Away" makes me jizz in my pants a little bit. D’layna's deliciously magical vocals - which also stand out in MFR's original “Take Me Away,” the more electro-y 2005 version - really will get you to “release the pressure.” The smooth vibe of the absolutely fab chord progressions will also draw you in. The other standouts among these 10 remixes include the Haldo Deep Mix of “Just Because" (again with D’layna and a nice, long chunk of synthesized keys) as well as the mad-deep "Come To Me" (Charles Webster Mix) with Winstrongputting it out there from the beginning: “you know I want ya babe, you know you need me babe.” If you’re more in the mood for even boomier bass with some spice, check out Erika's throaty Spanish plus a healthy dash of lively piano in two different layers (and some strings) on MFR's “Latin Seduction" (More Seduction Mix). Overall, this is one sweet collection of 10 remixes, also including lovely contributions from Vincent Kwok. Consider checking out the originals if you end up digging these tunes from MFR’s gaggle of remixers and insanely luscious vocalists. (Review by: Lydia Wrobel)

Jask - "Dope business from the CEO of Transport. Nice selections here. Full support." 
Julius Papp - "Solid remixes from Charles Webster and Jay-J here, and am especially feeling Vincent Kwok’s remix of‘“Do You Remember.’ Nice tech-soul vibe complementing Tony’s vocal." 
Miles Maeda - "Simply sublime. Charles Webster does not disappoint!" 
Mousse T. - "Nice package. Vincent Kwok’s remixes are the winners for me." 
Joey Silvero (Distant People) - "I’m a big fan of this label and these remixes don’t disappoint. Sheer class! ‘Take Me Away’ is beautiful," 
Nathan G (Luvbug) - "Some hot stuff to choose from here. I’m really digging Charles Webster’s remix of ‘Come to Me’ and Vincent totally rinsed out ‘Do You Remember’ for the main room. Job well done!" 
Dj Nova (Rodon FM, Greece) - "Remix package of the year? Probably yes!"

Additional support from Roger Sanchez, Tony Humphries, Claudio Coccoluto, Jon Cutler, Graeme Park, Random Soul, Jay West, Robert Owens,Joshua Heath, Nick Holder, Roland Clark, Miguel Graça, Richard Earnshaw, and Hippie Torrales

Available Digitally From: Traxsource / Beatport / Stompy / Juno Download / iTunes 
Available On Vinyl From: Prime Direct