Tambores en Benirras – Ondas Horizontales Remixes Three

Released in the autumn of 2023, Graham Newby’s second album as Tambores en Benirras, Ondas Horizontales, is a 21st century Balearic classic – an inspired collection of slow-motion, sonically detailed delights inspired by “ambient soundtracks, cosmic journeys, Balearic rhythms and poolside sessions”.

Such a fine album deserves a similarly impressive set of remixes. That’s exactly what has been assembled on Ondas Horizontales Remixes. Following the release of his original album 18 months ago, Newby reached out to 12 artists to request reworks – a mixture of friends, Balearic heroes and rising stars whose music he admires. The results, stretched out across a trilogy of digital download EPs, are uniformly impressive.

To open the third and final EP in the series, Newby has turned to cross-generational Balearic dream team For Mankind and Leo Zero. Flexing their dancefloor muscles, the pair drops a near ten-minute revision of ‘Estrellas en Mastella’ that’s propelled forwards by heavy, delay-laden beats influenced by the Afro-jazz-funk futurism of Jasper Van’t Hof’s Pili Pili project, razor-sharp electronics, deep bass and seriously psychedelic TB-303 motifs. As if to calm us down after this most energetic of dancefloor excursions, the remix that follows – a fine take on ‘Ondas Horizontales’ courtesy of Asto – is a gorgeous chunk of tease-and-release brilliance built around crispy drums, pulsating sequenced bass and layers of sun-bright Balearic gorgeousness.

To round of the three-part series, Cooper has treated us to two more slices of sensationally summery beauty. The first comes from London-based Balearic rework specialist Jezebell. Their take on ‘Alma Hablando’ is simply sensational, offering a dubbed-out, head-nodding dance through deep bass, crunchy hip-hop breaks, suspenseful chords and winding electronic motifs. Rounding off the EP – and trilogy – is 100 Poems, who reaches for effects-laden jazz guitars, Guru’s Jazzamatazz style beats, simmering strings and sparkling synths on a life-affirming interpretation of ‘Generadora de Rayos’.