Review – Systematic release Bucolik EP by Rafael Cerato

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Artist: Rafael Cerato
Title: Bucolik EP
Label: Systematic Recordings
Release Date: Out now!
Genre: Deep House/Tech House

London based Rafael Cerato brings us the latest release from Marc Romboy’s hugely respected Systematic Recordings. Rafael has been building up an impressive catalogue of releases on labels such as Diynamic, Sincopat, Saruba, Saved Us and more. For the “Bucolik” EP he teams up with Italian producer Solaire on two of the tracks, “Dioniso” and “Bucolik”.

The original mix of “Dioniso” starts gently. The drums and percussion build and the bass is gradually introduced teasing you with dark stabs before fully coming in after the first break. Well placed clanging cowbells add to things nicely before a gorgeous melody comes in that evokes a delicious eastern vibe and really brings the track to life. The main break builds the tension brilliantly before locking you back in the groove. A beautiful track.

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The title track of the EP, “Bucolik”, starts out all eerie and atmospheric, little whispers lurk in the background and set the tone. A dark, growling bassline fades in and things really get going. The melancholy horns give the track a really moody feeling. The main break is great, it builds up beautifully with that growling bass creeping along before rising to a snarl as things snap back into action. A brilliant piece of dark, melodic tech house.

Germany based Gorge & Markus Homm join forces to provide the remix for “Dioniso”. A very cool groove and lively percussion give their remix a really good dance floor energy. The main melody is used less but with really nice effects to keep things interesting. Filtered white noise sweeps, twinkly little arps and intricate effects sound lovely interspersed throughout the track. A quality tech house take on the original.

The final track of the EP, “Highland”, is produced solely by Rafael. The tempo slows down a little, it immediately feels a bit warmer and lighter but still keeps the overall vibe of the EP perfectly. Things are nice and lively with big synth rasps and a catchy little hook. Rolls and rises build things up really well as the track reaches it peak. Overall the track is still quite dark in tone but has a really nice playful mood. A lovely track to complete the EP.

A great release and a must buy for lovers of deep, dark melodic house and techno.


About the Author

A lover of underground electronic music since the '90's. Luke DJ's at clubs and festivals around the UK and also hosts his own radio show, Flux, on Frisky every month.