Part of this job is blowing up the secret weapons that you kept for yourself and Cosmic Rhythm has released more than their fair share of them. After launching five years ago, Cosmic Rhythm has served up nearly two dozen outstanding releases, all of them on 12″ vinyl as far as I know and with an unapologetic preference for the authentic sound of Italy’s underground deep house scene.
Cosmic Garden (aka Nico Lahs, who may soon become the patron saint of 5 Mag’s review section) has released several of them, alone or in collaboration and his hand has selected all of the others. With all apologies to St. David and all the other Rhythm heads, this one might be the best. The drums on the title track for “Come With Me” fire off like dum dum bullets over a soulful vocal sample and a slinky bassline. The effect is magnetic: try as you might, once you hear it you won’t be able to shake this off.
There’s an energy in these tracks, the same kind of energy I hear in records made by Chez Damier and Brawther and not a whole lot of others. “Night Traveler” takes its time before the drums kick in, counting on the fact that you’ll stick around to see what comes next and you will. The bassline holds it together, like drums and synths were melted down into hot metal and poured into a mold. The atmospherics of “Drive Me To The Sun” are a trip to ecstasy — awash in soaring synths that fill the whole room you’re in. “The Rydm” is the secret jam here — the top secret weapon — just a short little experiment somewhere between dub, downtempo and acid jazz and there’s nothing else quite like it.
Cosmic Garden: Come With Me (Cosmic Rhythm / 12″ Vinyl / September 2022)
A1. Cosmic Garden: “Come With Me” (6:47)
A2. Cosmic Garden: “Night Traveler” (6:49)
B1. Cosmic Garden: “Drive Me To The Sun” (6:01)
B2. Cosmic Garden: “The Rydm” (3:03)
⚪️ Disclosure Statement: This record was submitted as a promo.
Previous Coverage:
Nico Lahs drops four tracks of Italian deepness on Step Into the Future (2022)
Mind = Blown: Nico Lahs’ Blow Your Mind on Metamorphic Recordings (2021)
8 Funk & Disco gems curated by Chez Damier & Camille, edited by Nico Lahs (2021)
Nico Lahs is making music for making people happy (2021)
Nico Lahs to Release His Debut LP Freedom This Month (2020)
