Aaaand we’re going to France again.
The heroes of our recent big feature about the new French scene are featured in our premieres section after a short break. After dropping one of the most interesting digital tracks of 2021 in January (yes!) they are ready to enter this year’s vinyl game too. And they’re entering with a high-kick knock.
It caught a lot of attention in a moment after their announce at least because of the name on this 12”. Idris Bena – part of the Forest Ill Records (another hero of that feature) and Rakya either doesn’t release too much stuff but also never disappoints. And I mean – NEVER. After 4 appearances (and 4 super quick sold-outs) on FIR he finally steps onto Rakya’s territory. Let’s look, what he’s bringing with himself.
Hiding under the B2 placement, our today’s track ‘Devotion’ is one of the two bangers on this wax (in my opinion). Taking everything we love from the FIR records – the club-driven, partly nostalgic melody and that constant changing every 30 seconds or so, Idris adds even more here – for example, even better sample work. You should definitely recognize that “wait-a-minute-wait-a-minute” from DJ Bogdan’s summer-of-2019 hit (1:59). Or that “mu-usic” (3:28) from Raw Silk’s timeless classic (also check Soichi Terada’s use of that sample – my favorite one).
When I reached out to the Rakya guys to ask what they think about the track, they said that this is “no less than a banger, a volcanic eruption of house energy with a pinch of eurodance. And while it winds back to a rather regular structure of the 90s dance music, Idris manages to create something entirely fresh out of it.” I couldn’t phrase it better – but I can add, that the melody switch at 1:46 is, probably my fav moment from all his works.
Since I already called this 12” one of the most interesting releases of the year, let’s see, what else is here. The second (or, actually, the first) banger here is the opener “Danceteria” – and you can definitely hear some continuation of Rodrigo Velasquez’s vibes from FIR006. “Bird Tales” gives us a little rest here in its first part but comes loud in the second one. “Soft Things” at B1 pets our ears with its dreamy vocoder (outstanding trend of the last months), and, when you thought, he couldn’t surprise you more – here it goes with some broken beat outro on “Now I Float”.
That’s it. Their releases are usually selling out in a moment, so don’t forget to make your pre-order on any good record store. And hurry up!
More info on Idris Bena
Facebook | Instagram | Soundcloud | Discogs
More info on Rakya
Facebook | Resident Advisor | Soundcloud | Bandcamp | Discogs
