This is Cecil Etc – a Cape Town hailing classically trained producer and instrumentalist who combines his talents to produce explosive, boogie-worthy beats – drenched in subtleties. His debut EP, Vita, just hit the airwaves and finds its feet as an extended playlist for your evening dancefloor shenanigans.
But it’s also far more than that. In keeping with his classical roots, every track is flecked in chiming piano melody, and pulsing synth textures alike. From opener “Birth”, which clocks in at just over seven minutes and lays the foundation – piece by piece – for what’s to come, to the unsettling synth unspooling of “Memory”.
Thematically the EP follows the thread of life – from “Birth”, to becoming a “Soul”, taking on a name (“Julia”), and leaving a “Memory” – through to closer “Tell” which is focused on telling one’s story. A thematic vein which may have been lost if not for its caveat – but a theme which, nonetheless, brings it all home.
There’s nothing exceptionally different about each track – but that’s somehow where Cecil Etc makes it all work. “Memory” pivots off some distinguishing percussion, while “Tell” and “Soul” employ the use of fleeting soundbites to flesh them out a little more.
But beneath it all a driving techno-esque beat carries the EP as a whole – which lays the groundwork for the sort of late night set that’s got me itching for the festival dancefloor.
Feature pic supplied by artist
