- High-definition tropical club with hints of techno, dembow and drum & bass.
- It's believed that the town of Curepipe in Mauritius derives its name from the French phrase curer la pipe—i.e. to clean or refill one's smoking pipe. Hailing from this highland region is Rinse France resident GЯEG, whose debut EP feels like a cleanse in itself. Named after a neighbourhood in Curepipe, Eau Coulée Smart City is a potent hit of jungle, house and techno with various sounds from the African diaspora, including kuduro. Riveting and adrenaline-charged, its four tracks feature heavyweight percussion, mesmerising polyrhythms and cut-up tempos that stand out for their sheer physical impact. Intended to make hips bounce, shoulders gyrate and legs shuffle, this 12-inch is one of those records that invites you to lose yourself in seductive drums and addictive basslines, only returning to reality once the last tune wraps up.
The four tracks on Eau Coulée Smart City, with co-production from Krampf of the Parisian collective Casual Gabberz, are bangers in their own right, but "Dembow Tronico," a collaboration with King Doudou, is the star of the show. Featuring fragmented kuduro, a techno-inspired bassline, sinister bass thuds and dembow melodies, its unyielding groove feels like it could rid toxins from your body if you danced to it hard enough.
"Langet" is easily the darkest track on the release. Its soft-focus breaks, layers upon layers of jittery drums and thumping house beat are enough for a juiced-up hit, but the addition of soul-stirring vocal chants really makes the track stand out. It's pulsing and hypnotic—proof that GЯEG knows how to create serious heat with just a handful of elements. Closing out the EP is "Shatta," which folds in all the EP's other elements with blazing drum & bass. It's a shining example of how to pair familiar sounds in utterly unexpected ways.
GЯEG, who is part of the Boukan Records family, displays a remarkable ability to play with tempos, which is one of the EP's defining features. The way he slows down the pace only to jack it up afterwards isn't only fluid but striking, all the more so when you consider just how much disjointed, percussive-based club music is out there. Barely 20 years old, GЯEG already knows how to keep productions ravey and unpredictable.
Tracklist01. Eau Coulée Smart City
02. GЯEG & King Doudou - Dembow Tronico
03. Langet
04. Shatta