Phat Phil Cooper Presents NuNorthern Soul Winter Warmers

Welshman Phat Phil Cooper has been around the houses, from the peak mid 90s party energy of Liverpool’s Cream club to the beaches of Bali, but for a long time he’s been best known primarily as a torch-bearer for all things Balearic. Living in Ibiza, he’s famous for his diverse and dreamy sets, and since 2012 his NuNorthern Soul label has supported new music that orbits the various touchstones of the Mediterranean DJ scene back in the 80s. Thus this compilation, one of the label’s best: as the title suggests, it leaves behind the usual sunny signifiers for something with a little more chill and melancholy – but even in that it manages to be blissful. From acapella Fleet Foxes-like harmonising (Ilija Rudman and Andre Espeut) to minimalist Krautrock-indie that builds up into Jesus & Mary Chain / Spiritualized territory (B.J. Smith), from cascades of prog-jazz guitar (Ryo Kawasaki) to deep dubstep sonics surrounding a folky song (Ghostchant’s remix of Norwegian singer-songwriter Ragz Nordset), it never settles into conventional genre, but constantly weaves in and out of subtly-depicted moods of eeriness and enticement.