Mauro Masi, Julian Liander, Brian David – Kumbaya [Nature Rec]

Returning from a four month hiatus, Nature Rec welcomes Mauro Masi, Julian Liander and Brian David to the label for their debut EP. Hailing from Argentina, Mauro and Julian have enjoyed success in the early stages of their respective careers. AMITABHA, Flug Lab, RYNTH and more have played host to their organic sounds, while tastemaker favourites Hernan Cattaneo and Nick Warren have already chimed in with support. Now making their Nature Rec debut, Mauro and Julian team up with newcomer and fellow countryman Brian David for an EP entitled 'Kumbaya', alongside remixes from Leo Perez and Sacc & Lapena.

Title track 'Kumbaya' lives up to it's name with a wealth of positive, thought provoking motifs throughout. Whimsical vocal phrasing and youthful chatter resonate with great strength, while exotic drum arrangements and soulful instrumentation blanket a warm, buoyant and undeniably danceable groove. It's one of those tracks with a variety of parts, all of which work remarkably well together. The companion piece 'Galactic Mirror' picks up the tempo a touch all while staying in the same thematic zone as it's predecessor. The drum elements shine with their lose, swing heavy sway and a delicate piano lead adds just the right amount of emotion to set up some gorgeous symphonic phrasing. Much like the former, there are an abundance of strong parts here which often time results in confusion, but here it is a very profound and touching story.

The first interpretation of 'Kumbaya' is provided by Nature label boss Leo Perez who presents his first production of the year. The Panamanian artist has long been regarded a creative remixer and he certainly lives up to that here. Making great use of the vocal elements Leo crafts a version with a bit more dance floor weight, all while keeping the funkiness of the original nicely intact. The main break offers a sun-drenched mood with carefully clustered keys emerging just in time to spearhead a powerful drop and ultra-groovy finale.

Rounding out the release are Sacc & Lapena who have been frequent studio partners in recent years. The Argentinean duo craft the most progressive sounding version on the release with a more of a full traditional groove leading the way. Again, the vocal elements get used wonderfully and stand as one of the strongest themes, while gentle piano stabs and airy arps add a wonderful touch leading into the break. Approaching two minutes in the length, the centrepiece basks in retro-radiance with glowing cinematic overlays and balmy key changes eventually giving way to an appropriately stripped down drop and thumping finale. It caps off what is a hugely successful return for Nature Rec and with support already in from Nick Warren, Sasha, Tim Green and more you know it's one not to miss. Highly recommended.

Buy: https://bit.ly/3zQTrYD

Release Date: 05-08-2021

Release Promo: http://releasepromo.com

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