I’ve said it before but the Locus Sound crew and myself are like two peas in a pod when it comes to our taste in this particular sphere of music. It was only a couple of weeks ago I featured Cel in a mix for the first time and lo and behold, the New Zealander immediately appears on the label for his debut project! For me, Cel‘s style slots somewhere between the dark experimental feel of Gantz and the crucial dubstep sounds of fellow Locus roster member Crowley, so you just know this is must listen material. Three original tunes feature on ‘Choke‘ EP, but today I have the pleasure of presenting the bonus free download – a vocal version of ‘D.T.T.T‘, featuring the legendary vocals and flow of MF Doom!
If you’re in the mood for a bit of murkiness, then you’re in the mood for this EP. Like inhaling a big thick cloud of smoke, ‘Choke‘ is a tight suffocating stomper with proper heady pulsating subs, laced with teeth grinding synths and subterranean SFX. The treated vocals of Kendrick Lamar sets the tone on the following ‘Blue Ivy‘, before dropping into minimal yet chaotic patterns of rapidly shifting bass and choppy drums. After an intake of breath and another vocal trail, the second drop offers a body abducting switch, flipping the initial flow on its head and into a transformative dancefloor friendly bounce. ‘D.T.T.T‘ heads back to the swamp where Cel develops his finest cut of stifling pressure sitting at 133bpm. The glitchy subs and distorted synth textures marry effortlessly yet still feels like an experimental left field production. Speaking of a perfect marriage, today’s premiere sees the vocals from MF Doom‘s ‘My Favourite Ladies‘, slapped on top of ‘D.T.T.T’ and it’s down right dirty, so it’s a no brainer considering its free download status!
Locus Sound continues to unearth the kind of semi-discovered producers I want to see occupying the setlists of the genres most in demand taste makers. Whether it’s a focal project or a little known alias, Cel is yet another new and previously underappreciated name on the blog and one I can’t wait to here more of.
LOCUS020 is out now and available to download from the Locus Sound Bandcamp.
Check out Cel on Soundcloud and Instagram.
Check out Locus Sound on Soundcloud and Instagram.