Melted Presents - Paradise Tempo [Universal Cave Records]

New York duo Fundido joins forces with Philadelphia collective Universal Cave for their first physical release titled Paradise Tempo, a love letter to dance music that sits at the intersection of grittier city sounds and softer Balearic and pastoral textures.

Side A opens with a flawless downtempo mix from California-based Dirty Dave & Alex Pasternak, who unearth a rare version of the Cathy Dennis classic and reinvent it to perfection. Next is Emotional Jungle, a jazzy mid-tempo weapon led by a massive sax hook and efficiently edited for the club by New York’s Nick Stropko. From Los Angeles, via Serbia, Masha Mar unearths the extremely rare gem Take Me to Mecca and transforms it into a midtempo dream journey that naturally combines a children's choir and a Middle Eastern synth melody over a misty track. Closing out side A is Universal Cave’s fantastic Charlie’s Vision, a cosmic journey with AOR overtones and an unsettling vibe, available only on this vinyl edition.

Side B begins with Amor, a Balearic beach party anthem from Fundido themselves; with Spanish vocals, an overflowing piano, and a catchy roaring bassline. Next up is Sex-O from Korea’s Tucan Discos, who reinterprets a tribal classic into a hypnotic and seductive mix for the club. This is followed by Freak Estilo from Spain's Orion Agassi, head of Ritmal Astral, who delivers an energetic freestyle breaks with an addictive R&B vocal hook. And to close, the edit Be Careful Operator by Miles Felix aka Sisserou concludes the function with a block party jam steeped in jazz, swing, and soul.

When asked what visual imagery they had in mind for Paradise Tempo, the direction given to art master Ray Fernandez was "common man's utopia" and "working man's paradise"... and Ray delivered exactly that.

Enjoy Paradise Tempo!