Luca Cazal has made big moves in recent years, but always alongside someone else. Now for the first time he is stepping out on his own with a great new EP on the Crosstown Rebels label. In fact, he still cant resist a collaboration as two of the tracks here have been made in cahoots with others, firstly Mark Jenkyns and secondly BL_NK SP_C_S. The one solo jam may be the best one here though – Mariri is deep, smooth and sultry bit of house with playful drum fills, plenty of funk in the percussion and a truly hypnotic and curious sounding vocal hook. Swirling pads add a sense of depth and it’s a fantastically woozy groove that will have dancefloors under its spell, for sure. The same track gets remixed by third wave Detroit star Stacey Pullen, who flips it into a much tougher bit of spangled, mechanical Detroit tech. The Bullfrog is a tune with Hot Creations regular Mark Jenkyns and is a fresh bit of bendy, dynamic tech house with a spraying baseline and haunting chords. Crisp and chattery hi hats speak of classic Chicago house and overall it’s a fresh killer tune. Last but not least is Memory Man, a serene and tripped out bit of intergalactic late night house funk that really makes you feel something. A fine EP then, both in terms of the solo track and the collars.
4 out of 5
Reviewed by Ian Fleming
{http://soundcloud.com/crosstownrebels/sets/crm129-luca-cazal-mariri}
