- At its height, Cadenza was one of dance music's most cutting-edge labels. It was known, among other things, for bringing a touch of Latin flair to minimal house. Today, ten years since it started, the label runs more like a factory, churning out groovy tech house EPs. In fact, were it not for the return of Luciano's Lucien-N-Luciano alias for the label's 100th release, it's possible the milestone would've passed by largely unnoticed.
Discounting the two EPs of retrospective material he released on Baseac in 2014, this is the first new music we've heard from Luciano in more than two years. Unlike the clobbering tech house of his DJ sets, "Grace Of An Art" and "Rickson Trephala" are charismatic minimal cuts, a sound that has long been his forte. Just shy of 14 minutes, the title track is a head-spinning roller, its blend of slanted kicks, baggy percussion and puffy synths giving it a camp charm. The B-side is more of a club weapon, framing fevered glitches around the kind of no-nonsense one-bar loop that would have devastated the DC-10 terrace in its heyday. As a DJ, Luciano may have lost some of his magic, but there's still something rattling around in his locker when it comes to making music.
TracklistA1 Grace Of An Art
B1 Rickson Trephala
C1 Timeless Songs For Lovers Of The Morning Enlightenment