Today’s flavor comes via Soundway Records. You are no doubt familiar with Soundway’s reissue output of African, Caribbean, Latin and Asian music, as well as their contemporary releases from Batida, Ibibio Sound Machine, Debruit & Alsarah, Fumaca Preta, Ondatropica, The Meridian Brothers, Bomba Estereo, Family Atlantica, Dexter Story, The Heliocentrics and Lord Echo. Since 2012, the label itself has been giving us music that will last a life time. Today’s output is no different. The Mauskovic Dance Band is spearheaded by musician and producer Nicola Mauskovic, a seasoned drummer who is in demand world wide. Whether it’s touring with the legendary Zambian rock band W.I.T.C.H. or Jacco Gardner (then to go on to form the dance band Bruxas with him), Turkish funk with Altin Gün, and now The Mauskovic Dance Band, he’s a very busy man. Linking with regular and long time collaborators Donnie Mauskovic (vocals, keys, effects), Em Nix Mauskovic (guitar, synth, percussion), and Mano Mauskovic (bass), their early set of seven inches went live to stage. With the arrival of super cumbia producer Juan Hundred on drums, there are big tings g’wan with this project. Having such a diverse ensemble of players, they draw from influences such as Afro-Disco as well as Afro-Columbian (champeta, palenque, cumbia, as well as picó soundsystem culture) sounds. Based out of Amsterdam, they’ve made quite a name for themselves on the festival circuit and through club dates. This four track EP draws from each of those aforementioned influences, with the title track “Down In The Basement” opening the record on a tribal feel, but still bouncy and on that outer space disco trip. The cumbia styles are prevalent throughout, as these dance grooves keep the party going. “The Opposite” continues on with that flavor, but at a more feverish pace, bringing in an African feel as well, plenty of percussion and wobbly synth sounds to keep you happy through a break down that leads back into a dance party for sure. “Continue The Fun”, our favorite track on the EP, is filled with Caribbean sounds, even more percussion, and electronic stimulation that digs deep in the Latin culture to come together into one great track. The EP ends with “Tuto Bay”, probably the most recognizable of a proper dance floor track out of the four. Synths all around mixed with heavy bass and guitar, complimented nicely with vocals that pull us into South America as much as they do Africa, this is a great end to the record. After hearing this, we can understand why they are lighting stages on fire throughout the world. On Down In The Basement, they burn down the disco as well. Stream the record below:

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