Late night vibes from Berlin-via-Hannover house nostalgist Ray Kandinski. “Faking Love” sets out the smooth, sultry lo-fi house vibes (anybody know the sample hit me up, it’s driving me crazy!) - but don’t get it twisted, this ain’t “Winona.” Kandinski smashes the tropes and wrecks the dance with super deep kicks and jackin’ broken beat acrobatics. “Do You Love Me Too” is on the moodier end of the spectrum, lacing a deep techno riddim with lush pads and woozy vocals. On the flip, Kandinsky pulls up “Do You Love Me Too” and slows it down to a codeine-soaked lurch, with the remix credited to his Barry Helafonte alias reserved for slower, funkier operations (don’t miss the Barry Helafonte 12”, also on Arcane). Almost as good as the records themselves are the bonus materials Arcane throws in to sweeten the deal, and this one comes with a fuzzy postcard depicting two young lovers acting out the record’s storyline in real time. Sold out everywhere else, so don't snooze. Recommended.

• includes full-color printed postcard
• limited edition
• music label: Arcane 2017

reviewed by hannibal chew 01/2018