Black Loops - Always Moving (2LP) [Freerange Records]

Format: 2x12" green colored vinyl, limited to 200 copies worldwide.

Black Loops condenses a lifetime of making music into Always Moving, a debut album full of personality and ambition released by Freerange Records.

This Italian producer goes far beyond dancefloor tools, incorporating guest musicians and vocalists such as Harvey Sutherland, Byron the Aquarius, and Marlena Dae. Black Loops is a producer of inexhaustible creativity who has brought constant innovation to house music since his first release over a decade ago. His panoramic sounds are inspired by funk, soul, and disco, all underpinned by a deep love for 90s grooves. His music appeals to both DJs and dancers, which explains his constant demand to play worldwide and the support he receives from the biggest names in the scene. After many years of releasing vital 12” records and remixes, he now channels everything he has learned to present his first full album with an elevated level of detail and vision.

“This album represents a step forward, an opportunity to create something more musical and complex, both in arrangements and melody,” comments the artist, who draws on his roots as a drummer and records most of the drums and percussion himself. Most of the tracks were recorded live to give them an organic, improvised, and personal touch, with jams that were then re-edited and polished over the past year. Thanks to this fluidity, Always Moving works in multiple contexts. The mix of catchy vocals and enveloping drums gives it a human character, as do the collaborations with musicians Black Loops has long admired.

The broken, relaxed beats of “CDMX” open the album with a soulful vibe; “Mamao” (a tribute to influential Azymuth drummer Ivan Conti) has a deeper funk; and “Detroit Love Letter,” featuring Byron The Aquarius, is a warm deep house cut with majestic chords that unify the mix. Marlena Dae, a talented emerging singer based in Berlin, participates in tracks like “Electrical” and “LSD” with a Metro Area-style disco bounce, as well as in the powerful deep house of “Experience.” She also adds her seductive style to “Pleasure Ride,” a track where Harvey Sutherland contributes cosmic synths.

The rest of this intimate and sincere album includes the retro-futuristic glow and boogie of “Synesthesia,” the dusty drums and nocturnal keys of “Time Space Matter,” and the downtempo beauty of “Intercourse.” The lo-fi, experimental beats in “Slow Jamz,” close to the Dilla universe, and the warm strings and enveloping bassline of “Good Bye Berlin” gently close the album.

Always Moving is an artistic triumph that blends a musical and personal vision of production with lived-in grooves that warm body and soul.