TuneLab
Beau 'Ode to Ibiza' set in The Lab LDN
An 'Ode to Ibiza' set from Beau promises a certain kind of warmth, a specific brand of deep, sun-bleached house that we ironically crave while sitting in a London studio. This is for the sentimentalists among us who believe the best parties are remembered in a hazy, chord-drenched glow. The Lab LDN is bathed in a (theoretically) setting sun, all warm low-end and smiling, knowing nods. This is deep, soulful house music ticking along at a perfect 127.7 BPM, primarily navigating the compatible 12A and 3B keys for a fluid, soul-stirring journey.
The energy is beautifully balanced, with the lows just over 50%, giving ample room for those lush, mid-range chords and vocals to breathe and evoke emotion. Beau's mixing is fluid and musical, letting tracks like Grant Nelson's 'Rhode House' unfold over nearly seven minutes to tell their full story. The arc is one of sustained, building warmth rather than peak-time explosions, a true journey set. The track selection is a love letter to house history: Andy Compton's 'That Acid Track' starts with a raw, bubbling 303 line, Dosem's 'All Locations' edit is a modern deep-tech weapon, the classic 'Desire' by Butch & C.Vogt (and cheekily, the Gibb brothers) brings timeless groove, and A Guy Called Gerald's 'Voodoo Ray' is a mandatory slice of UK acid house heritage.
Fade's 'All I Got' in its 20-year dub form is a deep, melancholic masterpiece. It begins with the analog promise of 'That Acid Track,' reaches a soulful peak with the swirling pads of 'Rhode House,' and closes with the tactile, body-moving funk of Demarkus Lewis's 'Body Tonic.'.