Reviews 090: Cantoma
Perhaps no other project is as highly regarded here at The Sun Lounge than Phil Mison’s Cantoma. Just Landed is the yardstick by which I measure that elusive balearic sound, so perfect are the flamenco guitars, sunset vocals, cinematic orchestrations, and exotic grooves. But each and every piece of the Cantoma discography captures that timeless and enigmatic Ibizan spirit, including the newly released Verbana 12” on Highwood Recordings. Here Phil presents a breathtaking original cut that encapsulates all the high points of the Cantoma sound, backed with equally stellar remixes by longtime associate/cosmic disco wizard Pete Herbert and Phil’s other project Noche Espanola (responsible for that entrancing Domino 12″ earlier this year).
Cantoma - Verbana (Highwood Recordings, 2018) Shakers and intoxicating guitar riffs, tropical bongos and a pulsing Latin bass grove, pianos flowing like an island breeze…this is how “Verbana” starts. And then we head straight into one of Phil’s incredible flamenco tinted acoustic solos, dropping sunset magic like no one else, followed by dreamy and spaced out synthesizer leads that bring with them swooning and wordless vocal exotica. The vibe is so transportive, sweeping you away to some otherworldly seaside paradise, especially as the hand percussionist darts off on jazzy adventures underneath textured flutes soloing in hues of pink and orange. Tasteful brass fanfares color the mix here and there alongside further mesmerizing guitar adventures and at some point folky and energetic clapping enters and heart-wrenching violins flow down from the heavens...the swinging grooving ocean magic now utterly irresistible.
Noche Espanola is Phil’s newer project exploring the stripped down and clubbier side of the balearik flame. In his remix under this guise, the kaleidoscopic bongo work is now accompanied by massive 90s ravebass magic, cosmic accordion patterns, and soaring synthesizers. Hallucinatory Berlin school sequences fade in and out while housey cymbals and dubwise claps fly all around and playful piano work sits under percolating delay trails. Haunting sea-blue pads flow underneath the old skool jam out and an incredibly emotional and erotic saxophone solo melts over the mix with liquid jazz textures. And here the journeying guitar solos from the original are given center stage under galactic fx, like the soul of flamenco strapped to a rocket and launched into outerspace.
Pete Herbert’s remix occupies the B-side and launches straight away into a monster disco beat with pads mutating under asymmetrical fx. The rhythm is given an exotic touch as Pete edits a particularly urgent section of the original’s main riff into a magical loop and adds in some slamming Italo bass. Addictive hi-hat and tambourine patterns sit below the looping Latin hypnotics and stadium sized tom fills bring everyone to the floor alongside hissing cymbals and clipped claps, while the synthbass, guitar, and keys cast their sundown incantations. And pushing the vibe towards total ecstasy, Pete brings in some wigged out sequences that soar over banging hands-in-the-air piano chords while those incredible vocals, which were merely teased in the original, are here repeated in anthemic glory, everything coming together for timeless and hard hitting balearic disco perfection.
(images from my personal copy)
