During the past two or three years, Magic Touch (a.k.a. Damon Palermo), has often been viewed through the lens of his previous projects, especially his work with skronky outfit Mi Ami. However, with his debut full-length, Palermo House Gang, ready to drop next week via the 100% Silk label, it seems like the time has truly arrived to evaluate the LA-based producer solely on the basis of his output as a solo artist. Coming on the heels of several EPs, both for 100% Silk and Tensnake’s True Romance imprint, the LP finds Palermo continuing to blur the lines between old-school house, indulgent disco, and classic garage. Curious if these stylistic tendencies would hold true in the context of a DJ set, we invited him to put together an exclusive mix for the XLR8R podcast series. Listening to the selections, it quickly becomes clear that Palermo’s preference for decidedly funky dancefloor sounds is very much intact here, though it bears mentioning that this tendency is more tied to a general vibe than any sort of strict genre regimen. There are are disco edits, swinging garage cuts, soulful house tracks, and even some choice moments where the proceedings get a bit deep and dubby. That being said, regardless of what sounds he’s exploring, Magic Touch manages to keeps things loose and relatively carefree. It’s true that much of the music on offer is vintage, or at least characterized by a retro sound palette, but that doesn’t stop the podcast from sounding fresh. Magic Touch may be inspired by the past, but his favorite grooves work just fine in the present.

01 Ananda Project “Where the Music Takes You (Pasta Boys Dub)” (Nite Grooves)
02 Unknown “The Music Sounds Better with ‘Fro (Soft Rocks Reconstruction)” (Black Rox Brighton)
03 Blawa Mafiozo “Amazon Tribal” (Mofaya Source)
04 Cloud 9 “Do You Want Me Baby (Dusky Remix)” (Toolroom)
05 Daryl Hall & John Oates “Hold on to Yourself (Tommy Musto’s Dub Mix)” (Push)
06 Kristine W. “Feel What You Want (Our Tribe Vocal)” (Dance Pool)
07 Lerota & Donato Dozzy “Acid Snake” (Apnea)
08 Moodymann “The Day We Lost the Soul” (KDJ)
09 Body Moods “Agitate It (B.T.S. Long Ass Dub)” (Bass Line)
10 C-Beams “Strollin’ (Speechless)” (Uncanny Valley)

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