Junichi Hoshino is one of the most revered producers working in Tokyo today. Under his alias, Tokyo Counterpoint, he has mixed disparate styles into one intoxicating musical brew. Originally producing and remixing tracks for some of Japan’s biggest J-Pop acts, he has stretched out into uncharted territory with Tokyo Counterpoint’s brilliant “Oval”. Working under the Tokyo Counterpoint alias since 2004, Junichi Hoshino’s blends breezy bossa nova bounce with ethereal jazz-tinged electronica, defying genres and transcending labels. From the opening notes of “To the Sky”, Junichi Hoshino takes the listener on a highflying aural journey to the stars and back. With majestic piano, bright summer beats and understatedly funky bass, “To the Sky” announces Hoshino’s stately vision of silky smooth grooves. One of the undeniable highlights of the song is the vocals of Japanese chanteuse WAWA. Her vocal range is as sprawling as Junichi Hoshino’s musical pallet, her voice capable of high-pitched cascades and lower register phrasing. Other highlights of the album are the rhythmically intoxicating “Twist of Fate”, the driving “Sine and Pulse” and the delicately grooving “Grandism”.

The new “Pearl Diver” continues with compiling the biggest and most shiny pearls of lounge music on CD. This time Lemongrass dived into the clear blue sea to pick up an outstanding collection of pearls. Lemongrass alias Roland Voss educated himself in music in three decades. After playing drums in rock bands, funk groups and jazz ensembles during the seventies he explored the possibilities of electronic instruments in the eighties. Before signing at Mole Listening Pearls in 1999 for his first album Lumière Obscure he went his way through diverse musical styles like Drum’n’Bass, Lounge, Jazz, Trip Hop, Jungle, Hip Hop and Ambient to figure out where he could find his place in the electronic music landscape and released his very first album “Drumatic Universe” on Incoming!. Until now he has released more than ten Lemongrass albums on Mole Listening Pearls and made his timeless soundart to an institution in lounge music. In 2008 he summarized the best tracks of the late Lemongrass albums (“Fleure Solaire”, “Ikabana”, “Filmothèque”, “Pour L’Amour”) to a best-of-album called “Beach Affairs”. In 2005 he founded his own label Lemongrassmusic with his younger brother where he created his own platform to support new artists and to start his own compilation series “Lounge Du Soleil” and “Lemongrass Garden”.

Even the dancemusic dons here at Clubstar can..t dance 24/7. To get the right balance in between we are also enjoying the beauty of downtempo music. To brighten up your first days of spring, as well as the summer days on the beach, your yoga lessons, or simply the quality bedtime at home we are bringing you now the second edition of the double compilation called Passion Lounge.

CD1 should bring you spring fever and starts with JEN meets Can7..s “Temptation & Seduction“, followed by Blackfish..s “Delta” and Clelia Felix “Alyways in my mind”. One relaxing pearl follows the other. Deela Feat. Inga Lühning are on this silver disc as well as well known lounge producers like Jens Buchert, Kaled DJ from Venice, Gauzz and Iëlo. The vibe of the summer is brought to you by acts like Casa del Sol and Dubdiver and at the end of disc one we even spoil you with sexy rhythm & blues by Haldo from Rome and the deephouse gods from Rurals.