Weekly Roundup: what we have on repeat
Image by IB Kamara
Featuring rich textures and infectious details across styles from kuduro to funk infused techno, these are the releases that caught our attention this week. In no particular order:
GЯEG – Eau Coulée Smart City (EP)
The debut EP from Paris DJ GЯEG is a striking collection of tracks that unabashedly asserts the artist’s identity and demands your attention. Fueled by an unrelenting energy, GЯEG mixes the the whiplash inducing beats of kuduro, jungle and drum and bass into a four club-ready bangers. The music is beat driven and eclectic in influence. On Dembow Tronico featuring King Doudou, the waning modulation of a kwaito refrain warps around cumbia percussion and on standout track Langet, a sample of Masters at Work’s iconic The Ha Dance adds an interpolation of ballroom to a jungle track that is unexpected and refreshing. Released via lavibe, Eau Coulée Smart City is available to download here.
Shire T – Full Attention
Taken as the second single from his forthcoming debut EP Tomorrow’s People due August 20th via Ninjatune, Chris Davids of Maribou State further introduces us to his solo moniker Shire T with a rhythmic synth driven cut that continues Davids’s exploration into the club ready side of his artistry. Pulling from the rhythmic patterns of UK dance music, in particular garage, Full Attention is driven by a repeated vocal sample demanding that we “listen.” The complex modular synth arrangements make the track shine, and by the time the euphoric disco vocal arrives at the two minute mark, Shire T can be sure that he has our full attention on lock. Pre-order Tomorrow’s People here.
Analog Tara – Dimensions (EP)
Multi-instrumentalist, composer and music historian Tara Rodgers has become renowned for producing quality dance music, and her latest EP Dimensions, released via 1432 R, is no exception. A trip into acid house and loopy techno, Dimensions is a collection of four multi-faceted dance tracks that evolve as they flow, putting into focus the precision with which Rodgers modulates her sounds. Strawberry Moon takes techno percussion and rolls in a hazy, droning house synth phrase before scattering into trippy cosmic chords and rapid-fire claps. Heat Lightning is funkadelic house at its languidly louche best, and the pleasure of Dimensions lies in how intelligently the music has been crafted. Download it here.
Little Dragon – ‘Hold On (Ela Minus Remix)’
Columbian producer Ela Minus lends her sophisticated touch to Little Dragon’s funky slow burner Hold On. For her take, Minus pulls apart the track in its entirety, chopping Yukimi Nagano’s vocals into pockets of samples that embellish Minus’s seemingly restrained production. Against a sparse micro-house pulse, Minus extends phrases of synth modulations so that they grow and expand until the track’s finale, giving a continuous rising feeling to the remix that elicits complete immersion and a hypnotic sense of introspection. The track is taken from Little Dragon’s upcoming remix EP, New Me, Same Us due on August 6 via Ninja Tune. Pre-order it here.
