Roger Shah - Magic Island Vol. 7

It’s January... It’s dark, it’s cold, it’s winter. Everywhere, that is, other than in the mind of Roger Shah. A man for who summer is an eternal proposition, June is right around the corner. While the rest of us are in the throes of snow-season, Roger’s already doing the rounds of the studios, on his yearly quest to seek and sign the hot season-summoning tracks that’ll comprise his annual ‘Magic Island’ excursion. Today, four months later, a good few degrees warmer and June-actual upon us all, he presents us with a new level high for his hallmark compilation series.
Returning to the tracklists of the warmest, most idyllic mix-comp in dance music are many of ‘Magic Island’s adherents. Included among them is exceptional new music from kindred summer-spirits like Brian Laruso, Dirkie Coetzee, Rene Ablaze, Raul Pablo Sanchez and Bob Memphis - all custom producing new M.I.-exclusive cuts. He’s expanded the search in 2016 too, sourcing White Isle-minded music from newer talents like Magic Island debutantes David Broaders, Bernis and Marc Lee.

Under his own name, and through some of his best-known alter egos, there’s also plenty to look forward too. Among them are ‘Reasons To Live’, his keenly anticipated reteaming with Clannad’s Moya Brennan. There are also new Shah vocal cuts like ‘Love Heals You’ and ‘Never Forget’, as well as an outstanding new High Noon At Salinas outing, ‘Beautiful People’. In the big wide world of dance music, there are some happenings that are now as ‘summer’ as summer itself. What, for example, would this time of the year be without the two discs of judiciously compiled, skilfully mixed music, comprising that annual sonic sojourn to the ‘Magic Island’!? 

Roger again delivers a sonic arc that takes you from the surrounds of beach, bar and dayclub on - with perfectly pitched development – to the night. ‘Magic Island Volume 7’s AM-to-PM disc initially plays it slower, cooler and more inclined. Frontend, it mixes up indolent numbers like Static Bloom’s ‘Island Ride’, ‘Holding Closer’ & ‘The Way’ from Brian Laruso and Balearic Session’s ‘Into The Morning Light’. Latterly, grooving rhythms and swaying melodies capture the mix, with equatorial numbers like Sunlounger & Kingseyes’ ‘I Just Wanna Dance’ and (in its new High Noon At Salinas version) ‘Coconuts & Pineapples’.

From Mix 2’s outset, Magic Island’s after-dark credentials come fast to the fore. A deuce from Dirkie Coetzee (‘Space Odyssey’ & ‘You’ll Find Me There’), David Broader’s ‘Celtic Beauty’, ‘Into The Stars’ from Rene Ablaze and the Uplifting Club version of Roger & Moya’s ‘Reasons To Live’ each, by degrees, increase the mix’s elevation. Taking it to its highest heights, Roger newies ‘Love Heals You’ and ‘Never Forget’ sit alongside rafter-blasters like Bernis’ ‘Luminas’, ‘Together’ from Sunbrothers and Andy Elliass & ARCZI’s ‘Hope For The Future’

Mix 1. 

01. Brian Laruso & John James Renfrow featuring Meredith Avery - Holding Closer (Intro Mix) 

02. Rogier Dulac & Miss Autumn Leaves - Endless Dream 

03. Brian Laruso - The Way 

04. Raul Pablo Sanchez - Day Out 

05. Static Bloom - Island Ride 

06. Balearic Session - Into The Morning Light 

07. Raul Pablo Sanchez - Bouncing Chips 

08. Sunlounger featuring Kingseyes - I Just Wanna Dance With You (Jukebox 80s Remix) 

09. Eddie Murray featuring Rosco - The Ending 

10. NotAndrew & Alain Ducroix - John Lover (DeepRock Mix) 

11. High Noon At Salinas - Beautiful People 

12. Christian Drost - Into The Night (MI7 Edit) 

13. Sunlounger - Coconuts & Pineapples (High Noon At Salinas Remix) 

14. Bob Memphis - You Are My Lighthouse (MI7 Edit) 

15. Clarks - La Digue (Original Mix) 

16. Clarks - Footsteps In The Sand (MI7 Edit) 

17. Marc Lee featuring Angelika Borof - Something Inside Me 

Mix 2.

01. Platen & Clarks - Satellite (MI7 Intro Edit) 

02. Serge Macoveu - Minnewanka (MI7 Edit) 

03. Arcania - All Is Lost 

04. CJ Seven featuring Marjan - One More Time (MI7 Edit) 

05. Hamza Khammessi - A World For Us 

06. David Broaders - Celtic Beauty 

07. Dirkie Coetzee - Space Odyssey 

08. Emanuele Braveri featuring Aylin - Winter Tale (MI7 Edit) 

09. Yodis - Filtered Thoughts 

10. Rene Ablaze featuring Robin Vane - Into The Stars (MI7 Edit) 

11. Roger Shah & Moya Brennan - Reasons To Live (Uplifting Club Mix)

12. Dirkie Coetzee featuring Amy Kirkpatrick - You’ll Find Me There (The Cracken Remix) 

13. Andy Elliass & ARCZI - Hope For The Future 

14. Roger Shah & LeiLani - Love Heals You

15. Andrew Henry & Glorius - Magic Island (MI7 Edit)

16. Roger Shah & Nathia Kate featuring Amber - Never Forget 

17. Bernis - Luminas (MI7 Edit) 

18. Sunbrothers featuring Natalia Meister - Together (Extended Mix)