This is Gui Boratto’s fourth album, and it is in effect a combination of looking back on his achievements with the first three and looking forward to the future. Even a glimpse of the cover confirms its close relationship with the first album, ‘Chromophobia’, but ‘Abaporu’ is a more substantial album than that one emotionally, moving between light and shade, and it has more musical variation as well, with Boratto moving between techno, deeper house and a smattering of break beats here and there. He also has some good vocalists at his disposal, the obvious examples being ‘Please Don’t Take Me Home’ and ‘Take Control’, where the cold and quite clinical sounds complement the warmer beats really well. Meanwhile ‘Joker’ has a steely edge, thanks to the piano in the mix, ‘Get The Party Started’ adds a healthy dose of funk, and ‘Wait For Me’ has the sound of a warmer climate but with an emotional pull too. Boratto has a melody for every turn and an impressive range of cinematic sounds that he shows off on the closing ‘Palin Dromo’, and there is evidence throughout this album that his style is continuing to develop. It’s this versatility that makes ‘Abaporu’ surely the Brazilian producer’s best record yet.
5 out of 5
Reviewed By Ben Hogwood
