Magic Touch / Ital - Split (12" vinyl)

Aw...I love Magic Touch and Ital. The fact they exist as a communal entity (Mi Ami) as well as working separately in a together sort of way is totally endearing. So, Mi Ami splinter into their respective solo alter-egos to share this 12” slab of wax, each bringing a new clubhouse banger plus a remix of the other’s work to the table. It’s seeoooo cute it’s almost unbearable. If you’ve heard the recent Mi Ami LP you’ll be familiar with the transformation from scatty disco punk splurge to all out house worship but it’s as solo artists that these two really mine the history of club music for glimpses of new inspiration.

Magic Touch (Damon Palermo) is first up to bat with ‘Anywhere You Want Me’, a tune that trades on early ‘90s R&B infused house music with the greatest of enthusiasm. Light piano chords and cut vocals loop in a psyched out frenzy whilst bubbling synths and bongo heavy beats maintain the blissful intensity. This is followed by Ital’s remix that introduces new Nightrider-esque melodies, an evil bass-line and some squelchy synths that take the track next level.

Ital’s (Daniel Martin McCormick) ‘From A Dream’ is a much progressive beast, taking the basics and really fucking with the formula. The resulting sound is intense in its abuse of vocal cut-up, sub-bass lines and maddening synth trumpet sounds but all the better and more inventive for it. He’s certainly getting the hang of it. Magic Touch’s remix mashes it into an almost Ibiza-friendly cosmic disco freakout with an exceptional beat-free synth swirl that concludes this 12” nicely. It’s as if these lads are better at approaching each others material than they are their own. Exceptional stuff.