New York DJ Alex Gimeno has been pumping out albums under the Ursula 1000 banner for Washing DC-based label ESL (owned by Thievery Corporation) for about a decade, and as the name suggests, the sounds have leaned heavily on a retro aesthetic that has incorporated ’60s lounge/easy listening and Latin.

Mystics is a radical change of direction for Gimeno, and that’s a good thing, as Ursula 1000 (along with many other ESL acts) tend to hide behind somewhat somnolent nostalgia for grooves past. This album is a forceful and full-on dance excursion that gets rid of the obvious and crusty samples of old vinyl and comes across with a clean, detailed and dynamic sound.

The styles are diverse, from electro to Jamaican dancehall, but nothing’s quite as simple as that sounds: even dancehall in Gimeno’s hands comes replete with cool funk basslines so you don’t get bored with the hectoring vocals.

Ah, the vocals. Up to now Ursula 1000 has been primarily instrumental chill-out music, but almost every track here has a guest vocalist, whether it’s a singer or a rapper. The risk with this approach is that the project will lose its identity, but the personality in this case is strong enough to create a compelling continuity, and a big part of that is the aforementioned crystal-clear sound recording, and the way Gimeno audaciously crossbreeds his influences.

Every sound here seems to have been predicated to push the auditory pleasure button, and though it’s not a work of genius, it’s a highly enjoyable sensory experience. GARY STEEL

Sound 4

Music 3.5