Under the careful curation of legendary French producer, Yuksek, the Partyfine imprint has established itself as a bastion of quality indie electronica and modern disco. Bolstering the careers of Villa, Black Yaya and Crayon, as well as the label boss himself, Partyfine has marked the completion of their first year in business with a compilation of their best releases thus far, aptly titled Partyfine Volume 1.
Instead of being purely an ode to Partyfine’s stellar back catalogue, Yuksek has wisely included a slew of new releases to the LP’s packet, wetting the appetite of loyal label devotees and newcomers alike. With unheard cuts from the likes of Michael Garçon, Chassol and Poom, there’s plenty of new stuff to wrap your ears around, as well as all the usual summery, Partyfine favourites.
The compilation kicks off with an exclusive from Clarens, the alias of French musician and producer Ousseynou Cissé. His debut track ‘Trust‘ opens with a rapid drum machine crescendo followed by a slippery drop into silken vocal melody, overlaid with aquatic pops and warm swelling synths. ‘Trust‘ is followed by tracks from label staples Juveniles, Oh Land, and the boss, Yuksek, that perfectly fuse bandy-sounding indie with lush electronica – the sound for which Partyfine has become synonymous. Track seven sees the inclusion of Crayon’s mega summer hit ‘Give You Up‘ which continues to be one of the imprint’s most successful cuts to date. Following the fluffy, upbeat flavour of the LP’s opening half, Partyfine swims out to deeper water with Villa and The Alexanders, who both offer up higher BPMs and heavier bass, with the later working in a decidedly naughties-sounding laser effect to their track ‘Don’t Miss‘. It’s soon back to soothing arrangements and sexy female vocals however, as Black Yaya and Chassol close out the compilation.
With summer barbecues, outdoor festivals and park sessions now in full swing, as well as the annual British migration to Croatia and Ibiza, Yuksek couldn’t have picked a better time to release Partytime Vol 1. The kind of LP perfect for lazy days and warm nights, Partyfine Vol 1 will easily slip into your repertoire of reliable summer anthems as well as holding its own as a pacifying, post-clubbing comedown record. With a veritable army of hit makers already at his disposal, we can’t wait to see what Yuksek has planned next for his already much-lauded Partyfine label.
HBF Rating 5/5
