Dial and Jost, back in the mix
The very best of Dial has a certain intangible, unattainable quality to it. A distinct type of beauty, the kind that appears briefly and lingers long in the air. This was particularly pronounced in the label’s early period, most notable in the best productions of Carsten Jost, Lawrence, Efdemin, Pawel, and Pantha du Prince. It was also, of course, perfectly captured in that evergreen Betalounge set.
Dial, and the artists connected to it, have certainly continued to doing good and great music in the intervening years, but that distinct blend of warmth and melancholy has appeared less regularly. Until recently. Over the last year or so, Carsten Jost has put out a series of mixes that wonderfully capture that older, seductive Dial aesthetic, which many of us recall fondly. These sets have been well suited for driving trips around the Japanese countryside, matching its enduring, but somewhat faded, charm. It is fitting that Jost’s new mix made for Autumn, the most Dial of all seasons, is perhaps his best yet. Check his soundcloud for more.