LISBON, 12 May
Pahua 'Espantapájaros' on Razor-N-Tape Records
Pahua arrives on Razor-N-Tape Records as part of a wider remix project, the label's own note says, featuring a range of producer names. The Captain Planet Remix, filed as Afro House, arrived on the label in March, running at 124 BPM, and Sabo placed it 15th of 16 in his Walking into Summer Chart on 5 May.
Pahua's catalogue includes a single earlier release, on Insomniac Music Group, in February 2022. The mix leans toward percussion, with the percussion itself holding a regular figure. Levels stay held back, with plenty of room under the peaks, and there is plenty of air at the top, an open, unhurried read that lets the rhythm breathe. 15th of 16 is a modest finish, but a spot on a remix project with a roster this wide still counts as good company to keep.
The label said
Razor-N-Tape Records, Bandcamp about text · sourceMexican sensation Pahua comes to Razor-N-Tape via a huge remix project featuring some of the hottest producer names in current outer-national dance music.
Remixers on this 12" includes both staples and newcomers to the RNT production stable. Label co-head JKriv turns in a late-nite bass mix of the exceedingly popular 'Porque Yo,' Captain Planet delivers a percussive & thumping afro-house flip to "'Espantapájaros', Tigerbalm brings her chugging international disco flair to 'Pa'lante,' Prince of Queens digs deep with a housey dub of 'Calla,' and Londoner Clive From Accounts takes 'Caña Brava' into moody nu-disco meets amapiano territory.
With a collection of remixes as prolific and solid as these, RNT opted for an expansive 12" and 7" package which features seven of the remixes across two slabs of vinyl, with gorgeous artwork that flips the moonrise eclipse motif of the original Habita album cover perfectly in a slick device that reveals a crescent moon as the record is removed from the jacket.
This package honors the essence of the original music, while flipping it in quintessential RNT club-ready fashion.