Metronomy GREATEST HITS is out September somethingth (5th) along with a BBC SESSIONS LP 🔥

https://metronomy.lnk.to/GreatestHits

was in 1996 that Jay-Jay Johanson, a young man from a cold climate, fascinated by the Bristol sound they called trip-hop and Portishead in particular, first tapped delicately on our eardrums.
The intoxicating album that definitively put this rare and elegant Swede on the map was called Whiskey. It was the beginning of an enthralling adventure. In only a few songs he revealed a family tree that spread its roots far and wide: on one branch Lee Hazlewood, or pop from Talk Talk or Nilsson, on the other John Coltrane with Johnny Hartman, and a whole army of calm jazz or symphonic
recordings sampled from everywhere imaginable.
Almost 20 years later he has returned with an
incredible new album. This new release is called Opium and it contains the very essence of Johanson’s music: an ease with inventing melodies, a voice that gently caresses, and the jacked up, heady rhythms that lift and carry the songs. From the peaceful harmonica opening of Drowsy / Too Young To Say Good Night to the smoke-wreathed love song I Don’t Know Much About Loving, via titles with a sporadic and light groove (NDE, Alone Too Long), Opium is a courageous offering. Johanson opens his heart with
fearlessness and modesty, gracefully lowering his guard and evoking the questions that torment men of his age: love, solitude, immaturity. The songwriting is unerring, the words have a suppressed poetry. This
new Johanson is the work of a guy who has survived the avalanches, who is no longer looking for answers and is content to sketch out the perspectives in as many songs. Some titles are serious (Harakiri), but others immediately take up the reins casting a more
gentle, peaceful light, like Scarecrow, a collaboration with Robin Guthrie that would not have sounded out of place on a Cocteau Twins album, or of the strange positivity of Be Yourself or I Love Him So.
The strength of Opium is that it asks questions that don’t necessarily have an answer; it offers a collection of songs freed from any certitude but which convince
through their modesty, through their precision.
In short, Jay-Jay at his best.

Harnessing a distinct brand of artistry that knows no categorical bounds, the DJ, producer and record label head has cemented herself as one of the music industry’s most in-demand names at nothing short of breakneck speed. Her signature sonic approach masterfully blends genres with a visceral energy that commands attention, the ardent catalyst in her meteoric rise from Belgium’s underground to global phenomenon status.

www.kolombo.be

Having mastered the art of modern production, Belgium’s Olivier Grégoire hasbecome one of the world’s most renowned dance music artists, with a bevy of high-profile releases under his various pseudonyms. You may know him as Kolombo, thehouse player with a discography that charts esteemed imprints like Kompakt, Turbo,Diynamic, Noir Music, Suara, Snatch!, Sweat and most recently Dirtybird, with thesummer 2018 single “It’s Gettin’ Hot.” Though he’s also made waves as the LouLouPlayers with his partner Jerome. Together they’ve toured the world, and launched theLouLou Records imprint, a house label with several releases from Kolombo and thePlayers.With shows at Belgium’s Tomorrowland, all across America, in Russia, Australia,and in the hip party capital of Berlin, the past few years have seen Kolombo’s starcontinue to rise as a DJ almost everywhere. But especially in South America, wherehe regularly plays major festivals and clubs. Grégoire’s relationship with the famedBrazilian open-air venue Warung has quickly grown, and 2019 will see the release ofsomething very special on the Warung Recordings label, along with another outing onDirtybird.Last but certainly not least, Grégoire is also part of the highly touted Mugwumpoutfit, a leftfield house duo launched with Belgian dance music pioneer GeoffroyMugwump in 2008. Together, their recordings have landed on electronic music’smost discerning labels, including DJ Hell’s Gigolo, as well as Kompakt, R&S,Cocoon, !K7, Throne Of Blood, Misericord, International Feel, Permanent Vacationand Endless Flight.It’s apparent that Kolomobo’s work ethic, consistency, and spirit of open-mindedcreativity have been the key ingredients for his success so far, and they all butguarantee his future will burn brightly for many years to come.

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