Degustibus Peru レコード& CD

Review: Three hugely disparate cuts from mysterious producer Batongo; "Say Yes" is a straight-up piano and vocal ballad that would sit well against the likes of Sampha, James Blake or even Chet Faker. "Ah Yes" is a thundering house stomper that's reminiscent of Subliminal or Underwater Records' output 12 or so years ago while "La Notta Dei Tempi" continues to play with the 'yes' sample but with more of a soulful phrasing over deeper, progressive dynamics, a soft-but-lolloping beat and velvet synths. Don't say no.

Review: Peruvian label Degustibus Music returns to Batongo's "Aguirre" with some fine reworks from Mr Mano Le Tough and label regular Rubini. Originally released as the lead cut from the mysterious Batongo's 2012 El Segundo 12", "Aguirre" was a sublime tribute to the Amazon landscapes of Werner Herzog's 1972 film of the same name, all jungle sounds, and juddering percussion from the Comeme School and weaving analogue psychedelics. Mano Le Tough opts for a much smoother take that's in line with the sort of sumptuous house found on his recent LP whilst the Italian producer Rubini takes it even deeper with his self styled "Amazon" refix.

Review: A few years back, Ditongo - an alternative alias for Peru-based nu-disco producer Batongo - served up a quartet of tasty re-edit releases before heading back underground. Here he resurfaces with what we believe to be one of his strongest cut-jobs to date. Sure, there's only one track on offer, but it's an absolute beast. "Calypso" sees him playing around with a disco-era soca cut, brilliantly teasing out a punchy, extra-percussive rhythm track before unleashing elements of his steamy, Caribbean source material. There's a superb breakdown and build up midway through, too, which the producer uses to introduce a killer spoken word passage. In other words, it's a simple but brilliantly effective peak-time re-rub that's more than worthy of your hard-earned cash.

Review: The next missive from Fango's Degustibus stable is from Ditongo aka Batongo who uses this alias for disco edits. As legend has it, he was previously a Eurodance producer that released some hits in the 90s. After a traumatic experience, he escaped to Peru and retired from the music business. During those years he composed music for himself and then sold the rights to a label to release all those tracks - on the condition that his real identity was not revealed. This is part of a new series named Editales, and on the first volume here we have got the lo-slung tropical vibes of "Berimbau" on the A side, and the well funky (and rather sensual!) vocal delight "You Know Nothing" on the flip.

Review: Fango lives in Venice in the middle of nowhere and works in a home studio when not practicing with his live band of the same name. He has been serving up his own take on techno for over a decade now and that vast majority of it has come on Degustibus Music.This is his first EP for a while and as ever it is well designed and atmospheric. All three cuts will work their magic on floors filled with serious techno heads and once more this is Fango in fine form.