Music Psychemagik Presents – Magik Sunrise 2xLP *Restock^Women Music | Music

Having wowed critics and crate-diggers alike with 2012’s acclaimed “Magik Cyrkles” compilation, Psychemagik are now ready to unleash the follow-up, “Magik Sunrise”, on Paul Murphy and Simon Purnell’s Leng label.

Bristling with psychedelic, cosmic and curiously Balearic oddities hand-picked from the depths of their vast record collections, “Magik Sunrise” is, if anything, even more inspired that its predecessor.

For “Magik Sunrise”, the Kent-based duo has dug even deeper into the dusty corners of their record vault, deep in the Cosmic Forest. The result is another inspired, 15-track collection that gleefully skips between all manner of forgotten gems and little-known nuggets, occasionally stopping to acclaim an otherwise unknown track or artist.

Off-kilter African reggae (Max Adioa) nestles side by side with eyes-closed deep-jazz funk (Rob Mehl, George Oban), while the stoned, Balearic prog rock of Jeff Liberman jostles for position with the Steve Miller Band-on-valium goodness of Fox’s “The Juggler”. Then there’s the Roxy Music-ish grooves of Joey Newman, the drifting new age ambience of Iasos (whose “Formentera Sunset Clouds”, from the 1975 album “Inter-Dimensional Music”, is a highlight) and the folksy bliss of Yves Simon.

Artists originally ignored first time round, such as Daniel Mathieu, Cherubin, Susana Estrada and Steve & Teresa, are given a place in the spotlight. In fact, Leng spent a considerable amount of time tracking down each artist, allowing them to tell their stories, give the inside history of each track and relive their musical adventures – however previously obscure or overlooked. Their wares, from misty-eyed acoustic rock to slowed-down blue-eyed soul, sound sublime in Psychemagik’s new setting.

As ever with Leng and Claremont 56, much attention has been paid to the artwork and packaging. Long-time Psychemagik collaborator, acclaimed illustrator Luke Insect, once again handles design duties. His illustration – part pagan, part medieval alchemy, part prog rock revivalism – effortlessly matches the wide-eyed mood of Psychemagik’s brilliant selections.

Limited 2 x LP