Chris Joss

No, ESL doesn’t stand for English as a second language, but Eighteenth Street Lounge, the same label who brought you the fabulous mix The Outernational Sound by Thievery Corporation earlier this year. You’ve Been Spiked isn’t a mix but a selection of 13 original and unmixed tracks, and it’s of the same distinct calibre as TC’s release which leads me to believe ESL is one to watch. The album is clearly inspired by lounge, swing, and break beats from the ’60’s and ’70s. The French DJ/ producer Chris Joss offers organs, horns, drums, percussion, gentle electric guitars and quirky accents to create a mood that Catcher Block would be proud of. "Early Morning Wanderings” represents muted kitsch with its joyous strutting bass line and prancing horns, while "The Man with the Suitcase,” with its hand drums, searing horns, slinky bass lines and squealing tires would be fitting for a Michael Cane chase scene. Joss lingers in the past but plants his music in the present with the odd scratch, break beat roll and present-day production layering. Semi-serious and unpretentious, Joss has successfully landed a highly enjoyable day trip to yesterday.