Dj MaboOku [CDM] - "House Gaita"

Contrary to amusement park stereotypes, rivers are far from lazy.

Nature's moving walkways are, if anything, industrial busybodies.

Their water never stops flowing. It seems that no work day is ever long enough for these rarely straight and narrow bodies. A keen sense of rhythm, then, helps to pass the day. But the river in question is not the only mentioned mentioned so far on these pages. Rather than the Tejo, the author is referring to metronome water canals: the Douro. So strong is the river's beat IQ that Manoel de Oliveira - the Portuguese film director who passed away last week - dedicated his first short to the Fania Fluvial.

And it is just such six-sense of rhythm that concerns the selection at hand.

LiloCox and MaboOku are beat-makers of many talents. Not unlike the de Oliveira's portrayal of the Douro, each addition to the canon merits examination of it's own. Some tracks are are meant to romance while others are strictly make the people people. All CDM's sounds, though, are awe inspiring, and "House Gaita," is no exception. Released yesterday as a MaboOku solo effort, the song below is a mid-tempo afro-house. Atypically, the structure is that of a pop song structure: Intro-verse-chorus-verse-chorus-bridge-Outro. Only six or seven elements are heard; two of which are either the flow of white water noise or ambient sounds. But as the name suggests, an accordion is front and center. Similar to a similar Edyl0x track, MaboOku makes use of a single accordion throughout the song. The results are nothing short of a pororoca of melody. While not the song's central element, the rhythm is intriguing in its own right. A hi-hat/clap establishes the underlying beat as a single djembe slap marks the quarter notes. After the second chorus, however, a shaker appears to take syncopating duties.

Uncharacteristically accessible, but the contents create nothing short of an excellent effort.


Notable Mention: CDM Deejay's - "Error Demo"

The undercard considers something completely somewhat different.

Although still a CDM number, the river delta has been reached

CDM has experimented with hip-hop beats before, though. In that sense. "Error Demo" is not an isolated incident. Released in tandem with "House Gaita," the song below is presumably a dupla with between LiloCox and MaboOku. The beat is boom-bap kick/snare rhythm with a maraca syncopating. Bass is richer than silt from the Nile. In addition to some brief harmonic synth, some strings are heard as well. Essentially three sections are heard. But just as the organ is brought into the fold, shots are fired. The track is killed.

Well worth the minute and a half, though.

- J.N.

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