Robert Babicz - Immortal Changes

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A Cheerful Temper, Robert Babicz's third and most recent album, was deemed by its composer to be the best way of describing him. The nicely brushed atmospherics of Immortal Changes continue that thread, indicating he hasn't altered his personality much, but show he still has an ear to the ground when it comes to writing classy deep house music.

Morning Kiss gives us a good impression of what to expect, with its widescreen sound, warm, Balearic textures and slowly evolving riffs. Darkflower picks this up and runs with it at a faster tempo, dropping a fuller house beat with its sunset vibe.

And so it continues, Babicz bringing together a pleasing mix of subtle funk, waves of instrumental warmth and carefully crafted riffs that dip their toes in the warm water without ever becoming too dominating. The overall impact is music that is rarely demanding, but in the best possible way - as now and then it issues its own challenge towards the dancefloor.

While that may sound like a fairly ordinary assessment, the truth in the flesh is different, as Babicz has got this LP lark down to a tee. He knows just when to put a foot on the accelerator, and when to change down a gear or two. Each time he does so the change feels inevitable, but it's always carefully thought through, the bigger picture always in mind.

So it is that the West Coast house of Chordy contrasts nicely with the brightly arranged strings on Tblisi Reprise, which in turn lead to the more urgent beats of Astor, and the spacious signing off track, Thank You For Travelling. Only the odd voice in Meet The Blue Elephant strikes a slightly surreal chord, a bit like a slowed down Frank Bruno superimposed on an otherwise blissful piece of downtempo.

All the while there is the backdrop of the big outdoors through the atmospherics, the Mediterranean warmth implied so strongly the listener almost undoes a shirt button in anticipation. It's a record to usher in the summer season on the early side - and an ideal set of grooves with which to begin a night out, or end an early morning.