Out now on Crosstown Rebels: [ Ссылка ]

Over a period of seventeen years, Damian Lazarus’ Crosstown Rebels has evolved into a world-renowned institution, garnering global audiences thanks to a consistent schedule of quality releases. Quintessential to the label’s success is the Spirits series, with each edition acting as a musical bastion to showcase the talents of both established and breakthrough artists alike. Now, after much anticipation, the world-renowned compilation will see the light of day once more in the form of Spirits IV, the fourth installment in Spirits’ ever-evolving saga. A mixed version of the album will also be included in the release, as a digital bonus track.

Ahead of its release, label-founder Damian Lazarus described the ethos behind the series: “The Spirits series is a very important platform for incredible new club music, often created by up and coming artists. The tracks are tried and tested over a twelve month period by myself at parties and no stone is left unturned to ensure the absolute quality of every cut on the album. Deep, twisted and beautiful music for the dancefloors of tomorrow.”

That last sentence is epitomised in the compilation’s very beginning, as Alex Kennon and Pete Tong’s Apache leads with a stirring intensity, gently winding between spirit-healing vocals and resonant kick-hat combos. Echoe-founder Francesca Lombardo showcases her decade-long production experience in Freak On Sea, providing a dubby-leaning club cut that features progressive key changes throughout before Martin Badder and Pablo:Rita’s stunning collaboration, Phase, soon arrives in its place, rippling with a gentle lucidity thanks to a subtle four-four bassline and mesmeric singing tones.

ANTS regular Andrea Oliva takes no prisoners on Rawman, serving up a near six-minute cut of pummeling kicks that build into a brooding synth-fuelled crescendo, whilst Russian-born up-and-comer Artur Nikolaev showcases his inherent artistic expression on Alma, creating an eleven-minute voyage into minimal techno’s deeper realm with stripped-back bass and hypnotic vocal samples. California’s Lubelski teams up with singer-songwriter Xkylar on Passion Fruits, a track that dives between slow-burning percussion and emotion-lead pads, paving the way for I See Colour, the latest collaboration from UK-native Luke Brancaccio and long-standing production partner Cypherpunx. Crosstown Rebels regular Made By Pete makes his Spirits debut next, presenting a tribal-laced mystic number in the form of Harar before Turkey’s leading exponent Ali Kuru teams up with Nublu Records founder Ilhan Ersahin on the jazz-dotted, Middle-Eastern inspired Eplos. Super Natural quickens the pace courtesy of enigmatic Barbados-born talent Murr, alongside Rosina’s ethereal vocal offerings that enchant as much as they delight, whilst veteran German producer DJ Linus gives us the penultimate track on Vibes In Space. Indicative of the track’s progression, we are taken on a celestial journey through starry-eyed synths and soft whispering hats, leading neatly into the compilation’s closing saga in the form of Matador’s Vulture, a straight-talking dancefloor cut that showcases the Rukus-founder at his best.

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