Recommended music: 'Morning / Evening' by Four Tet

It's Friday, which, according to the worldwide record label overlords, is apparently now the day on which new albums are released. And so on this gloriously sunny day comes this wondrous new release from Four Tet. As with the best of Kieran Hebden's releases it's hard to pigeonhole it into a specific genre. Even though there are only 2 tracks (a Morning Side and an Evening side) there's a whole range of music on dispay. If it wasn't such a dirty word I'd be tempted to call it 'world music', not just for the samples from the Indian sub-continent but also because it's the sort of music that really can be enjoyed by anyone in the world, transcending cultures or creeds to create a really spiritual piece of music. You could maybe even call it 'prog', given its concept and its 2 twenty minute tracks.

The Morning side draws you in slowly and gently, rousing you from your slumbers and bringing you alive. As the vocal sample rises in the mix you'll feel the sun rise on a new day, as layers or found sound and synthesizers combine. The Evening side meanwhile starts equally slowly but in a more electronic vein, building bleeps and analogue chords, mixing them with more Hindi samples and blending them into a Balearic sunset. The samples then subside as the track dips and then rebuilds with characteristic Four Tet bleeps and some surprisingly live-sounding drums before adding some crunchier beats towards the end

If you could only take one album on holiday with you this year then this should probably be the one - it's made for heat, haze and sun. Have a listen below.

Recommended music: 'Island' by Ruf Dug

Arriving perfectly in time for your summer holidays, 'Island' is the sound of beach, sea and sunshine encapsulated in vinyl. From the moment that 'Tendacayou' starts up you're immediately transported to a hazy, shimmering world of heat and light that evokes that feeling of the sun warming your bones as you escape the world.

Recorded in Guadeloupe over 12 weeks using a host of portable equipment, Ruf Dug's first album for the Music For Dreams label is perfect for whatever island you may be heading to this year, whether that's somewhere lonely and deserted, or somewhere more hedonistic like Ibiza. Influenced in part by Wally Badarou's work at Compass Point Studios in Nassau, there are also other lineages on display here, in particular on the first two tracks. 'Tendacayou' is very reminiscent of somvee of the ambient records that The Art of Noise made (particularly their cover of 'Robinson Crusoe'), while 'Speedboat' has more than a hint of John Carpenter. 'Mangrove Dub' also has that Art of Noise feel, while the album's stand-out track 'Le Rayon Vert' could easily have been included on any Cafe del Mar compilation. Steeped in Balearic sunrises it features the guest vocals of Nev Cottee, and is pretty much guaranteed to be included on any mixtapes I make for the rest of the year.

It's not entirely successful, with the noodling 'Mosquito' being the most disappointing track here, but overall it's a pretty great soundtrack for the summer.

'Islands' is out now on double vinyl, and you can stream the whole thing below. BTW, big shout to the team and Wax and Stamp for including this in their package this month - I doubt I'd have heard it otherwise.

Remix of the Day: 'The Forest (Richard Norris Mix)' by Black Rivers

Just a few days after his brilliant mix of Public Service Broadcasting, Mr Richard Norris has come up trumps again. I must admit to not being that impressed with Black Rivers when I saw them supporting Elbow recently, but here they're reworked and re-energised in a way that I very much approve of. At this rate I'll have a whole Balearic-infused mixtape of Norris remixes by the time I go to Ibiza in July.

Remix of the Day: 'Gagarin (Richard Norris Vostok Remix)' by Public Service Broadcasting

Whether as part of the Time and Space Machine with Erol Alkan or on his own, Richard Norris' remixes are always guaranteed to please. Here the takes the funked-up brass laden 'Gagarin' and mellows it out with strings and Spanish guitar, creating a perfect Ibiza sunrise moment (if only we weren't stuck in England in February).



The track is available for free here in exchange for your email address. And if you're feeling the Balearic vibe then you should also check the remix below from 'The Way Out Sound From In', the 2014 album that collected together some of Richard's best remixes. In this one he digs uo long-forgotten band A Mountain of One and sets them off on horseback into the sunset.

Video of the Day: 'The Sunlight' by New Build

The first track to appear from New Build's second album 'Pour It On' has a gloriously blissed-out Balearic feel that puts me in mind of the stuff The Beloved used to do back in the day (ask your dad if you're too young to remember). Felix and Al (from Hot Chip) have crafted a great track here that bodes well for the album, which comes out on Sunday Best on October 20th. They'll be on their first ever live tour in October and November to support the album so catch them out and about if you can.

Recommended music: 'A Soundless Echo' by Sau Poler

From Badalona, on the outskirts of Barcelona, Sau Poler started making music a year ago, and has now released his debut EP via Atomnation. Influenced by electronic artists from various genres (but, as you'll hear in the music, particularly Four Tet) he has created a positive, upbeat sound, with snatched and sampled vocals complimenting the keyboards and percussion.

You can feel the warm, almost Balearic atmosphere on the record - 'Isolated' and 'Rutes' both have that looped Four Tet percussive feel, while 'Reflections' also adds a bit of a Caribou vibe and could have been played at Cafe del Mar any time in the past 25 years. Elsewhere there are hints of John Talabot and Orbital, and the whole EP hangs together really well.

It's another great release from the Dutch label, and this time it's available as a 'name your price' download - you can listen, buy and download it below.

Track of the Day: 'Futile Devices (Shigeto Remix)' by Sufjan Stevens

A rather gentle and lovely way to end the weekend. Originally on Sufjan's 2010 album 'The Age of Adz', the track has now received a great remix from Shigeto, turning it into something that would be perfectly at home on an Ibizan beach at sunrise. You can listen and download it for free above, courtesy of the wonderful Ghostly International label.