- Latin American club music and Dutch bubbling combine on one near-explosive EP.
- Recent converts to Nick León's music might have been surprised by his RA Podcast, where the wide, sexy swing of his music—informed by guarachero, perreo and reggaeton more generally—hardened and sharpened into something closer to techno. Now on Delirio, his second collaborative EP with fellow Miami resident Bitter Babe, that swing becomes punchy, almost aggressive, as the duo take influence from the halting stomp of Changa tuki (also called "raptor house," from Caracas) and the hyperactive bounce of Dutch bubbling, a uniquely Afro-Dutch take on dancehall that dates back to '80s Den Haag. The result is three tracks of sleek technoid club music that dip and thwack in all the right places.
The most appealing element of Delirio is the drums. Specifically, it's how the duo double or triple-up the drum sounds at the perfect moment, as on the opener "Tranki," whose steel-frame scaffolding makes a weighty foundation for the vaguely bleepy melody. The percussion is dynamic and exciting, a heart-in-mouth feeling only emphasized by the zipping psytrance-style basslines that appear towards the end. By the same token, the giddy bounce of the title track feels chemically enhanced, with pitched-down vocals lurking amidst the chaos of the (frankly brilliant) drum programming. "Gøce" feels like a cyborg version of Changa tuki, a heavy, shoulder-checking rhythm replete with big reverb and shouts of "Changa!"
Second-generation Dutch bubbler De Schuurman takes on "Gøce" with a remix that feels lighter on its feet and more filter-happy, balancing muscle with a funkier swing. But I imagine most attention will be drawn towards DJ Python's remix of the title track, which should satisfy cravings for the more sensual side of León's music. Any original strains of "Delirio" are hard to detect in Python's version, but the pitter-patter percussion and trippy panning harkens back to the emo-IDM of Mas Amable, a chord progression that wouldn't be out of place on an Erased Tapes record. It's a moment of respite on a record of blistering beats from a duo whose style of dance music is beginning to sound more and more like the zeitgeist.
Tracklist01. Tranki
02. Gøce
03. Delirio
04. Gøce (De Schuurman Remix)
05. Delirio (DJ Python Remix)