OK, sorry Citizens of Vice, I’ve been really into your stuff lately but I do not dig the title track here. It’s a solid enough groove but the Temptations’ “Cloud 9” vocal just sounds stapled on and gives me the kind of vibes you get from seaside bars in the UK at about half six on a Saturday evening when whoever’s DJing decides that Soundcloud edits of sped-up classic soul with added kick drums are the way to go. Luckily, this EP is a four tracker and the other three tracks are great.
“Pushing On” features another vocal sample, this time I think it’s Alice Russell, and it works much better. The vibe here is sub-120 BPM summery house, with lots of drifty pad action, a pair of Rhodes chords and a few flute flurries and it all hangs together very nicely.
“Raining On” is made of a tiny funky guitar riff, three rich pad chords, a wriggly b-line and a simple beat that slaps, all of which provides a bed for a set of female vocals and, regrettably, a brief cocktail bar saxophone lick, but you can always edit that out in the mix, and really, it’s so fleeting, even an extremely contrary DJ like me can live with it.
The awkwardly named “Give Me That Funky” finishes the EP and is similar in tone and groove to the previous tracks with its wah wah guitar samples, gentle conga track, minor chords and female vocal samples.
Smooth, slick and with just the right amount of disco attitude and low-end heft to work on the dance floor.
Lanowa: Cloud 9 EP (Citizens of Vice / Digital)
1. Lanowa: Cloud 9 (04:25)
2. Lanowa: Pushing On (05:52)
3. Lanowa: Raining On (05:58)
4. Lanowa: Give Me That Funky (06:58)
⚪️ Disclosure Statement: This record was submitted as a promo.
Previous Coverage:
Crooked Man remixes Lanowa’s “My Fantasy” (2022)
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