Around half a decade ago, label Crosstown Rebels was a staple of electronic music. Since then, the London firm has lost some of its lustre: it appears that in the last three to four years, the list of artists signed didn’t have the cachet or street cred it had during the 2007-2012 period, when Crosstown Rebels were thriving with the likes of Jamie Jones, Seth Troxler, Maceo Plex and Art Department. For what it’s worth, the editorial line hasn’t changed, with the boss Damian Lazarus not moving away from his “shamanic deep tech-house” segment. However, the wizard of British dance music did feel the need to “re-evaluate his artistic process” four years ago and created the band The Ancient Moons. Accompanied by Ben Chetwood on the drums, Rob Gentry on keyboards, and singer Jesse Appiah, Damian Lazarus, in charge of pushing electronic sounds, released Message from the Other Side in 2015, which allowed him to embark on a live tour − a format he really loves, as it allows him to better catch the public’s attention and energy. For this second attempt, just as much as on the first one, there are no major changes to Lazarus’ music, as he is committed to his substrate of smooth melodic house music that set a precedent in Ibiza and infiltrated the playlists of a new generation of beach bars. But this time, he brings in rich string orchestrations, and more mind-blowing soulful vocals, like on the opening of All I Need to Get High, borrowing the chorus of Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell’s You're All I Need to Get By. As for the single Fly Away, it is coated in violins, cellos and female vocals, with an R&B chorus by Jesse Appiah, followed by an – accidentally? – funnily titled interlude: Lost Myself. Strings are also massively used on Feedback Loop, which is reminiscent of SBTRKT and Sampha’s tracks, and then, between a little touch of trance (Spirals) and an Italian guitar on a sliding bass (Eli Eli, perfect for the peak time of an open air party), the Ancient Moons are joined by singer Chela for Five Moons, a mystical instrumental on which the new star of Australian pop emulates Natacha Atlas and Transglobal Underground. Not too shabby a comparison! © Smaël Bouaici/Qobuz