Lilocox shows off a wide array of styles, revealing how thrilling batida can be when melded to modern dancefloor sensibilities, without losing one iota of its livewire energy.
PITCHFORK EP review
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DJ Lilocox Paz & Amor ★★★★☆ The smoothest, deepest release yet from brilliant Lisbon kuduro label Príncipe, with syncopated timbales paired with nagging melodies and blurted vocal samples. Truly hypnotic.
BBT, G2/The Guardian
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The percussion on this track is completely incredible. There’s something almost spiritual to it, to be honest. Each drum used has a specific purpose and it’s this level of thought that makes this so refreshingly good to hear.
FACT Singles Club “Vozes Ricas” track review
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“Vozes Ricas” may be a wordless song, but DJ Lilocox’s repertoire of rhythms speaks volumes.
PITCHFORK “Vozes Ricas” track review
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The sprawling ambience we hear throughout “Paz & Amor” unveils the present stage of the fascinating aesthetic progression that Lilocox has been sharing with the world ever since this Eurochild of Cape Verdean descent started to produce his original music. Lilocox comes out in open field, with a lot more space, building the groove around complex rhythm grids now unfolding peacefully. He scored a bouncier underground hit with “La Party” back in 2015, coming from a background of intricate batida drum patterns but his sights reached further and further away into deeper territory.
“Ritmos E Melodias” seems to split into two parallel tracks at some point with the house beat balanced by a background rattle more commonly associated with the slower tarraxo vibes. “Samba” is fully-formed from the very beginning but the kick only comes in around the 2-minute mark, joining a bleepy substitute for a bassline. In fact, you will find this music practically does away with the need for a bassline because the rhythm inventions keep the feet moving effortlessly. It might seem strange that a genre seemingly rooted in classic house can stay focused on the dancefloor without a bassline, but the skeleton of these tracks is naturally strong and provides all the necessary ground for ambience and melody to shine.
And they do shine universally on “Fronteiras”, an intensely emotional and catchy tune WITH a bassline, though very discrete and minimal. It follows the beat more or less independently, but its presence helps to consolidate the human bond we should all feel when exposed to these celestial harmonies. “Fronteiras” seems to contradict its very title.
credits
released May 25, 2018
Written and Produced by DJ Lilocox
Mastered by Tó Pinheiro Da Silva
Artwork by Márcio Matos
