Mettle Music 'Moodswings' Track Listing:

1) Scary Strings
2) Better Days (Deep Mix)
3) Pacific Motion
4) Sleepy Head
5) El Mar
6) Back Again
7) Honeytrap
8) Capture Part 1
9) Capture Part 2
10) On The Bounce
11) Latin Horns

Free mp3 downloads:

Capture part 1 (high 6mb)
Better Days unreleased instrumental (high 9mb)

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The best bit's in brief:

Itâs so nice to see in this day and age bands progressing rather than regressing. So many times you get a fantastically amazing debut album and then nothing from them afterwards. With Mettle Music, the first album was great and the second album is AMAZING! - Mike Chadwick, Jazz FM

An uplifting and joyful ride through deep grooves and rich harmonies. With a foundation of strictly-house rhythms and throbbing basslines - Mundovibes.com

By taking a few risks and remaining open to outside influences, the Manchester duo have produced an album that both transcends boundaries and defies categorization, just the wayt music should. - Luke Magnusson - XLR8R

Mettle Music's sophomore effort Moodswings is a study in coolness and control, a blend of liquid smooth beats and sharp and intelligent arrangements. - Cider Jane

An outstanding slice of sublime musicality for your mind, body and soul. This is a divine journey and the kind of disc that will instantly calm your nerves and transport you to a kinder, gentler place. - Paul Dailey Tweak Magazine

Moodswings could be described as the quintessential album designed to remind you of everything weÕve come to love about life. - Ron Somowicz -dancemusic.about.com

The gorgeous laidback grooves and summery funked-up cuts are a perfect reminder of those sun-kissed lazy days. - Jon Freer - Keep On magazine

Faultless production, mature arrangement and highly complex songs. One of the most musical 'dance' albums this writer has ever had the pleasure of hearing. Within this field of music you won't find a better album all year. -Marc Rowlands - City Life

"A jazz and soul infused collection featuring rich orchestral textures and top notch song writing. A soundtrack to balmy sunsets (or sunrises) at the beach." - Phil Williams [djFilter]

The consistent vibe, the production quality, the emotion and image it set forth was well, quite refreshing. . If more people can do what you've done here, we have a shot at progressing this genre - Chris Lum (Moulton Studios - San Fran)

The musicality of this album combined with the super clean sound,precise mixdowns & deep soulfulness makes it an absolute killer.It's excellent. I give it as a whole a 10/10.Perfect! - DJ Freestyle (Urban Torque, Ryzms, Safe In sound) Australia.

A phenomenal album, bringin sunshine to this fiesty september morn.. this album is wonderful, being able to listen and share music like this is why i get up every morning, - Sarah Foote- Favouritizm

so amazing, i can't tell you how impressed i am. Incredible work, much respect. - Patrick Turner (Movim, Low Pressings, Hooj tunes, Transport)

Holy shit!.. VERY impressed, naked music style... The sound quality is really great too .. nice one.- Morgan Page (Nordix Trax, Toko etc)

The album is fucking brilliant! - Raoul, Swirl people, Belgium

This album is excellent for home , bar & store listenings but as well for dj`s playing smaller clubs for cool people ! - Daniel klein , flamingo discos s.l.,spain

EXQUISITE!!! creating a geat buzz w/listeners and customers alikeÉ -Michael Stukes (New York)

Swelling sounds for album of the year?

The second album from Mark Wadsworth and Nic Conef, a.k.a Mettle Music, see's the Manchester duo come of age with one of the most musical 'dance' albums this writer has ever had the pleasure of hearing. Faultless production and mature arrangement keeps the highly complex songs - all live horns, strings, guitars and percussion - in a highly palatable form. Traversing Latin, reggae and soul influences, this is 'dance' music in the realest sense of the word. The highlights are many: jazz guitar odyssey 'Pacific Motion', the airey 'Sleepy Head, beautiful Latin vocal 'El mar' and irresistible album closer 'Latin Horns'. Within this field of music you won't find a better album all year, regardless of where it comes from.

(9) Marc Rowlands - City Life Sept. 17.

In the time since the release of their Toko debut album, Mettle Music have revised their sound to include a much wider variety of influences and textures. Released on Bar De Lune 'Moodswings' builds on the duo's unrestricted confident house sound with complex jazz percussion, rich female vocals and superbly layered strings. Perhaps most surprising is 'Capture' which begins (as part 1) with earthy female vocals and sad acoustic guitar melodies only to develop (as part 2) into a digital dub jam that would make the Mad Professor proud. By taking a few risks and remaining open to outside influences, the Manchester duo have produced an album that both transcends boundaries and defies categorization, just the way music should.

Luke Magnusson - XLR8R

"Mettle" is defined as the inherent quality of character, spirit and temperament, and when referring to Mettle Music's Moodswings LP, the exceptional quality is evident from the first note. . Moodswings could be described as the quintessential album designed to remind you of everything weÕve come to love about life. Very tall order, I know, but hearing this album conjures up visions of life's perfections- love, nature, beauty, fruity cocktails, fluffy pillows...you get my point. You'll find Nic's funked-up jazzisms interlaced with Mark's discofied percussion as the tunes waft effortlessly through many musical genres like Latin, reggae, samba, downtempo, and house. Naked Music fans will surely find favour with "Back Again," while "On The Bounce" recalls some of SwagÕs finer moments. "Capture," the albumÕs first single, is a dubbed-out affair featuring the seductive vocal stylings of Susanna Montero from Malena. Mettle Music's latest effort delights at every turn and would truly qualify as one of lifeÕs perfections.

Ron Somowicz http://dancemusic.about.com/cs/reviews/fr/MettleMusic.htm

'Moodswings' is their second album and arguably their best yet - a lush, shimmering, eleven track trip into jazz climes that(largely) steers clear of noodledom. as laidback jazz-house albums go, 'Moodswings' ain't arf bad. Besides, it's worth buying just for 'Capture', a two part trip into folk territory that morphs into a trippy dub halfway through.

Lawrence Hill IDJ

Mettle Music Moodswings Bar De Lune Records Mettle Musicâs sophomore effort Moodswings is a study in coolness and control, a blend of liquid smooth beats and sharp and intelligent arrangements. Manchester-based duo Nic Conef and Mark Wadsworth bring their individual strengths (as DJ and percussionist, respectively) together to craft an impeccably tight series of tracks running the gamut of genres from jazz to Latin to electronica.Scary Strings is a cool and breezy track with honeyed 70's style strings tinged with foreboding and a crisp piano hook, and Pacific Motion, infused with Spanish guitar, Latin drums, and melodious jazzy flute. El Mar, featuring lissome vocals by Malena's Susana Montero, has a pretty, sparkling quality, while the samba-inspired dance number ,Latin Horns has great energy and sass with intensely catchy drums and thumping bass laying the foundation for some terrific horns. I found the tightest tracks (to my taste) to be closest to house, as in the super smooth ,Better Days with vocals both elegant and earthy and graceful tension brought out in skillful string arrangements, and in ,Capture Part 1 and Capture Part 2, the delicate guitar and soulful vocals of part one segueing into a reggae-inspired rock number, the lush arrangement and use of melancholy strings laying over a great vocal hook in the chorus Iâd love to capture you in sound/I'd love to write your beauty down'. Moodswings isn't quite one thing or another, but many things, and you can take your sweet time to recognize each facet.

Ciderjane - http://www.groovystylie.com

Hailing from Manchester, England, Mettle Music (Nic Conef and Mark Wadsworth) drop an outstanding slice of sublime musicality for your mind, body and soul. Known more for its influence on the Northern Soul movement and as the home to Alternative rockers, the Smiths, New Order and Happy Mondays, Manchester also has a rich history in the world of electronic music. From Mike Pickering and Graham Park at the Hacienda, to Mr. Scruff, Brooks and Paper Music ; Mancunians have always loved their jazzy, soulful sounds and this release should fill the bill nicely on all accounts. Nic Conef is a veteran House DJ and long time supporter of the dance scene, while Mark Wadsworth is a talented live musician and percussionist. The collaboration of their experience and talents come together on this disc with startling results. From the smooth jazzy strains of ãPacific Motion and ãScary Strings, to the lush broken beats of ãCapture and the Samba flair of ãLatin Hornä, this is a divine journey and the kind of disc that will instantly calm your nerves and transport you to a kinder, gentler place. Add some atmosphere, a cool breeze and the companyâ of your choice and you have an evening to remember. Lovely stuff. *****(5 of 5)

www.pauldailey.com www.djmixacademy.com

You could argue that the title of the second Mettle Music album is fundamentally misleading: the moods on this record most definitely do not swing. On the contrary, the album maintains a consistently smooth, bouncy, club-happy mood throughout, and though the beats themselves swing intermittently, Moodswings is notable chiefly for the way it will help you keep things nicely light and fluffy at your next party or during your next romantic twilight drive. Much of this stuff rides blithely on a rolling bed of gently thumping beats, jazzy flute, synthesized strings and gently burbling electric piano. Things get more interesting as the album goes on, though, and those who nod off after track four will want to skip back after they wake up to catch the subtle complexities of"Back Again", the funky &"On the Bounce" and a very nice vocal-with-dub number titled "Capture" , on which the albumÕs dominant house beat gradually morphs into rockers-style reggae.

the All-Music Guide. Rick Anderson

'Moodswings' acts as a welcomed summer hangover (if a hangover can ever be desired, that is!). The gorgeous laidback grooves and summery funked-up cuts are a perfect reminder of those sun-kissed lazy days. 'Pacific Motion' is an aurally velvet textured cut, with delightful keys, a purring bass, stylish guitar and a miss-firing flute. 'El Mar' calls on the singing talents of Susanna Montero from Malena, whose sugary vocals soar over smart splintered beats, soothing guitars, water droplet keys and precise string cuts. 'Latin Horns' uses chugging breaks, marauding acoustic guitar, jamming brass and elegant partying keys to create a fiesta-loving track. Picking up where the 'Honeycomb Lounge' left off, their second LP is another enthralling selection of down right spirit lifting tracks.

Jon Freer

The thought of two Manchester lads cranking out Copacabanaesque dance tracks while it's most likely pissing it down with rain outside cracks me up. Not to say that Mettle Music's 03 release Moodswings doesn't sound like it was created on the shores of some tropical paradise, but I'd expect something a little more urban or industrial coming from such a big fat town in the North of England. Maybe that's why Nic Conef and Mark Wadsworth put out such an exotic sounding disco record, complete with sultry female vocals, lush strings and Miami style percussion tracks, because they just want to get away from their surroundings or something. Needless to say I'm left wishing they'd thrown some dirt into the mix, rubbed some of that Northern grit into those sunlamp tans. Rating - 714,820 (out of a possible 1,000,000)

http://www.electronicmusic.com/features/reviews/music/mettlemusic_moodswings.html