NOWHERE02 Various Artists

Keep your family close, they say. Which is exactly what SoHaSo does on the second chapter of their NOWHERE-series. At least five artist on this wonderful compilation reside in the city of Utrecht, most other ones are Dutch too. Foreign input comes from Ian Pooley and Dave Ellesmere, who both live in Berlin. NOWHERE02 showcases the many flavours of the SoHaSo-label. From the aquatic ambient washes of Stijn Sadee, the AFX-like beat manipulations of RDS from Amsterdam to the dubby Detroit skeletons of Luna Ludmilla you soon have to admit how versatile the Dutch label actually is. Most tracks veer away from straight four-four beats, trading them for more adventurous movements in rhythm. Apart from giving talents like w1bo, Tjade and Rahsaan Nova (a new alter ego for D-Ribeiro) a platform, NOWHERE02 also hosts long term beat makers such as Tripeo from Nijmegen and Mark du Mosch from Rotterdam. When the bassline of his killer tune In A Flash (e) hits, all you can do is surrender to it while worshipping the disco ball. Lovely. NOWHERE02 is full of gems like this. Music that both challenges you and puts a smile on your face. Utrecht-based Freek Fabricius took the family-element quite literal on the aptly titled Astronaut Princess. His young daughter Yuna gets full credits for the vocal part of his laid back Balearic work out. Later this year Fabricius will release his own EP on SoHaSo.