- Dirk Leyers, one half of Africaine 808 alongside DJ Nomad, was once part of another duo, Closer Musik. At the turn of the century, he and Matias Aguayo made minimal techno that, thanks to Aguayo's playful sing-speak vocals and the duo's clean machine funk, was remarkably sensual and expressive. Fifteen years on from their pivotal One Two Three (No Gravity) EP, Leyers finds himself on a parallel path to his former production partner. As Aguayo explores his South American roots through his label Cómeme, Leyers has turned to another under-represented continent in dance music for inspiration.
Rhythm Is All You Can Dance, Africaine 808's second EP on Golf Channel following the excellent Lagos, New York / Zombie Jamboree, is unusually relaxed. Where many of the duo's other records fizz with nervous energy, this one is loose and unhurried. The title track is a dense yet meticulous scaffolding of rhythm; it's a wonder that, with so much going on, not a single shaker or hi-hat gets lost in the melee of percussion.
Wolf Müller pours luxurious reverb and dribbling congas into his slow and hypnotic remix. It literally feels made from nature—birdcalls, grunts and water drops do as much work as Müller's fleshy drumkit to sustain the track's shuffling gait. Only "Revanche" calls back to Africaine 808's customary frenzy, stretching its elastic synths into squealing registers over a rhythm that, like the rest of the EP, explodes with life.
TracklistA Rhythm Is All You Can Dance
B1 Rhythm Is All You Can Dance (Wolf Muller Remix)
B2 Revanche