- A rising Canadian producer delivers a deep and psychedelic EP.
- Ciel, a key DJ and promoter in the Canadian scene, is helping spread the message that tech house isn't necessarily a dirty term. And as you might expect from someone who plays tunes from classic tech house artists like Pure Science, Ian Pooley and E.B.E., plus plenty of records from the Canadian house scene, her music is understated and groovy, led by nimble drum programming and soft-focus samples. Hundred Flowers, Ciel's second EP, arrives on Coastal Haze, a London-based label that feels inspired by the Canadian sound. In line with its previous releases, Hundred Flowers is deep and delicate, solid material for DJs in charge of a warm-up slot.
The nine-minute "Blo A Wish" is the standout track, and the deepest, but it will also be the trickiest to place in a set. Its soft synth tones and vocal—a deadpan "I am your connection"—feel too powerful to waste on an empty dance floor, and too melancholic for a party's final moments, so save it for when you get home. "Hundred Flowers Groove" is more upbeat, shuffling on a bass-loaded groove and scattershot drums. There are two versions of "The Twirler," named after a Toronto character who twirls "in wide circles on the dance floor" at parties. It could've done without the sonar-style bleep sequence that sounds like an iPhone alarm clock, an element Central tweaks and buries underneath the dense percussion on his remix. The latest in a long line of solid house records from Canada, Hundred Flowers captures a talented new producer who's finding a niche in deep sounds.
トラックリストA1 Hundred Flowers Groove
A2 Blo A Wish
B1 The Twirler
B2 The Twirler (Central Remix)