Alex van Ratingen & PeterSea - Ninety

Cologne artist Alex van Ratingen links with experienced percussionist PeterSea for a sumptuous new EP on the always interesting Loot Recordings. 

Alex van Ratingen is a drum and guitar player who makes melancholic and organic music that always engages the floor. He has done remixes for various international bands like POOMA and also works with the singer from that band as Yoyt. All this means he has a widescreen musical vision. His partner for these tunes is based in Australia: PeterSea has been playing percussion for over forty years in all styles from jazz to acid to folk to world music. He also sings and merges poetic stories with shamanic sounds and is a veteran of many album projects. 

The beautiful ‘Float’ is a soothing three-minute piece of beachy synths and gently breaking waves with bird-like sounds up top. It’s expansive and perfectly horizontal and washes over you in blissful ripples. There are no drums, but a subtle sense of movement still carries you out to sea. 

Then comes ‘Calling’, a deep house track with bottomless kicks and warm dub vibes. Sombre chords are draped over the top and, as things progress, the energy levels rise, with well-sculpted synths shapeshifting as you go. It’s intimate backroom music to get the ‘floor locked to a groove. 

The same track then comes as a vocal edit and features distant, barely-there voices which add a sense of romance and lovestruck pain that makes the track all the more emotive and resonant. 

This is a tasteful and tender package that marks another classy outing for the Loot Recordings label. 

Tracklist:

1. Float
2. Calling (Dub Edit)
3. Calling (Vocal Edit)