- A stylish fusion of R&B and house with suave songwriting chops.
- Brazilian duo Deekapz have a knack for building songs around big, audacious samples—like this spring's "Higher," which sampled Whitney Houston—but on their new EP, Ensaio Sobre Você, they look more inward than outward. Sure, on the opening track, "Hoje Tem," they break into a sultry interpolation of Destiny's Child's "Say My Name," but this time it's all them singing, over a beat with melodic leads that twinkle like sunlight reflecting off chrome and a fulsome bassline that pushes it towards nu-disco. Deekapz have a sound that's fashionable, accessible and deceptively complex, finding a home in the zone between R&B, hip-hop and house music.
The best moments on Ensaio Sobre Você almost feel like a mash-up of those genres, like the way-too-brief "Eu Quero Entender," which sounds like a St Germain jazzy house track welded to a bucking trap bassline. With the duo's smooth vocals, it's the kind of thing you'd want to hear while sipping a poolside cocktail. Elegant saxophone curls throughout "Margarida," while "Confesso" is a slo-mo, lush filter house track that sounds a bit like Brazilian blog house. The EP finishes off with "Acabou," whose almost drunken swagger and flimsy, warbly guitar sample are the stuff of suave montages or late-night lounges. Ensaio Sobre Você could veer dangerously close to Spotify background music with its supremely chilled-out vibe, but it's the duo's songwriting, suave vocals and welcoming melodies that make it stick. This is stylish-sounding music with real substance.
Tracklist01. Hoje Tem
02. Margarida
03. En Quero Entender
04. Confesso
05. Acabou