Leaving behind the blood-soaked political mess of the past decade and a half, the former Yugoslavia has emerged as an area to watch for the some of the most memorable jams championed by the London/Munich/Paris leftfield crew.

Eddy Ramich and Zvonimir Dusper put Zagreb, Croatia, on the map with the late-’90s full-length “High Life,” followed by a string of ’80s boogie-inspired singles and a remix portfolio that focused on transforming kitshy exotica (Nicola Conte, Ennio Morricone, Jazzinho) into subby broken business. The two broke up the Eddy & Dus project in 2003, and Ramich began working with singer/producer/instrumentalist Jana Valdevit.

The first Eddy Meets Yannah tracks to appear were Japan-only remixes of soul classics like Tania Maria’s “Come with Me” and Bobby Caldwell’s “What You Won’t Do for Love.” Now comes the pair’s full-length album “Just Like …,” on Michael Reinboth’s revered Compost Records. Gone are the rough edges of the Eddy & Dus days, like the bass drops and analog synth farts. Maybe it’s the feminine pressure in the mix, but Eddy Meets Yannah luxuriates in the ethereal, vaguely FM-smoove style favored by the Japanese producers of this genre. It’s brilliantly produced and perfect for the hazy days of summer, though a bit lite if your taste in the nu-sounds runs to the blacker side of things.

Enjoy Eddy Meets Yannah’s cover of the Earth, Wind and Fire masterpiece “Can’t Hide Love.” The two completely reimagine the quiet-storm builder into a 120-bpm Latin stepper. Unless you listen closely to Yannah on the mic, you might not even recognize that it’s a cover. Check out the mp3s for sale on ClickGroove. Club-quality 320kbps files are available for a few pence more.

Here’s a nice interview of Eddy Meets Yannah by the FutureBoogie boys. Dig around that site for loads of good content. And feel Eddy and Jana’s trainers!

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