Mi Casa’s new album is a two-disk collection of 23 dance tracks to keep you more than occupied this summer. It boasts an impressive selection of featuring artists including Tortured Soul, Euphonik, Nathan Adams and Zepherin Saint. Since their inception barely four years ago Mi Casa has experienced an almost astronomic rise in recognition around the globe and with several prestigious awards under their belt, including two double platinum music awards.
The opening track ‘G&T’ is simply bred for radio. The steady drum and bass foundations are overlain by intermittently ebbing and flowing electronic melody, laced by silvery synths and synthetic intrusions, with Mo-T’s trumpet work making regular appearances. ‘Esperanza’ boasts a curious qwaito baseline over which flamenco guitar, trumpet and Spanish vocals are laid to create one of the most interesting tracks of the album – a seamless blend of Spanish and African sound. This practice makes another appearance in ‘Doido’, which is laced with ska flavours and European influences.
‘Chasing the Sun’ pairs a prevailing qwaito beat with unusual bells and xylophone components, turning a typical South African beat into so much more. Deep, rolling Swahili vocals and heavy percussive elements characterise ‘Tulale Fofofo’ (featuring Kenyan Afro-pop group Sauti Sol), while polished Hollywood-worthy vocals in ‘Take You Home’ (featuring Rancido) slows down the pace somewhat and is as catchy as they come.
Eighties-style synths make a much appreciated appearance on ‘Don’t Wanna Be Your Friend’, which features Euphonik and is easily one of the best tracks on the project while ‘Chocolat’ brings a sexy twist to our “chocolate” preferences. ‘Mumble in the Jungle’ catches you off guard with some surprisingly eclectic, almost Celtic taste to the album. A collection of flutes, classical guitar, drums and a variety of shaakers combine to create one of the more intriguing tracks on the album. ‘Come A Little Closer To You’ (featuring Tortured Soul), the closing track on disk one, although layered with sighing guitar and violin interspersions, mildly disappoints with its kitchy lyrics.
A bit of everything can be found within this project – with a collection of remixes adorning the closure to sustain the multifaceted texture of the album. A blending of a variety of contrasting genres somehow still falls perfectly beneath the broad-reaching arms of house music as a whole.
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Listen to “Home Sweet Home” below on Deezer.
