Hugo Mari - Change ur Ways EP (Ft. Kai Alcé Remixes) [Heist Recordings]

Format: 12" 180 gram vinyl in printed sleeve.

The name Hugo Mari might not yet ring a bell with you, but we have a feeling this is going to change very soon. He has released various EP’s under his former alias Books on Omena and XVI, including his own edit series on the latter label (check out his impressive track In the Groove or his jazzy deep house collaboration with Zodiac called Feel it in my Bones). Considering he has also remixed such household names as afrobeat legend Dele Sosimi and grime master Trim, you’re likely to share our opinion on this incredibly talented and versatile producer. His Change ur ways EP for Heist is soulful, jazzy, deep and energetic, with three varied originals and a classic soulful house remix by the man of the moment, NDATL label boss Kai Alcé.

Get Loose features Zodiac’s smooth as silk vocals, excellent Rhodes soloing and a free jazz vibe to the horns. There’s a constant funk bassline running through the entire track to keep the energy going, while the loose arrangement and drum programming give the track that carefree feeling of an endless live jam. With that, Get Loose is an excellent club track that crosses boundaries between funk, jazz and house.

The title track keeps that jazzy feel but ventures into more peculiar territory with ‘Frits Wentink-esque’ harmonizing, out of tune pianos and loosely chopped samples. There’s a definite gospel feel to the track, thanks to the choice of vocal chops, which is perfectly complimented by a filtered disco bassline. The percussion layer and rhythmic elements are full of energy without crossing the line of subtlety, which makes this track so sticky.

On the B-side, we find Feel ur senses, the most straightforward deep house track on the release, which gets its atmosphere from a continuous tremolo on the Rhodes pads. Spacey sounds, bells, a hidden arp and reverbed hits give the track an almost Balearic sound that is sure to put a smile on your face.

The B-side is complimented by a vocal and instrumental remix of Get Loose by Kai Alcé, who has been dropping hit after hit, remixing Volcov’s Isoul8 project (one of our favorites of the year) as well as dropping productions on his own NDATL imprint. Kai goes for a full-on soulful house vibe, giving his own chord progression center stage alongside a flurry of rimshots. He chooses to leave out the horns and instead works the vocal, Rhodes and cowbells from the original effectively, adding some soloing of his own on a bell-like sounding piano, where he happily freestyles throughout the track and doubles the vocal to add harmonies.

The instrumental version is perfect for those moments where you don’t want any more vocals and are just looking for a compact soulful groove.

We couldn’t be happier with this release, so turn it up loud and get loose!