P020 – DJ LYCOX – Sonhos & Pesadelos

Vinyl 12″ / Digital
Written and produced by DJ Lycox;
Mastered by Tó Pinheiro da Silva, Artwork by Márcio Matos;
Released November, 2017;

VINYL/DIGITAL: Order from us

A1 – Weekend
A2 – Galinha
A3 – Domingo Abençoado
A4 – Virgin Island
A5 – Nichako
B1 – La Java
B2 – Parabéns Moh Baba
B3 – Quarteto Fantástico
B4 – Sky
B5 – Solteiro
– Ferrero (digital bonus track via Bandcamp only)
– 2855 (digital bonus track via Bandcamp only)

PRESS RELEASE

It is now possible to see a big picture. This means there is a timeline with enough years and developments since this sound emerged on its own. Lycox is of course part of a newer generation that keeps adding to the transmission, but he is already inspiring a younger set of producers.

“Sonhos & Pesadelos” helps materialize a multiverse of bold, shiny chrome architecture, staying true to the original kuduro backbone while Lycox organizes new forms, song structures and even artificial life. If you can’t call it “raw” it’s only because this is mental space translated into sound. The physicality of the music is but one element in Lycox’s ambitious take on dance music, although we should really say pop music, such is the melodic and harmonic forces at work. “Solteiro” could be just an ambient beauty but the abnormally long 4-minute mark reveals layers of masterful songcrafting well outside what some might still be tempted to classify as “ethnic”.
Not a classic seaside romance.

Vinyl 12″; individually hand-painted, hand-stamped copies available for the world.

Tia Maria Produções member DJ Lycox goes solo in a big way with debut album Sonhos & Pesadelos for the resoundingly influential Príncipe label. Based in Paris, DJ Lycox pushes a super colourful and hard-edged variant of Lisbon’s batida sound, blending tarraxho rhythms with afro-house, deep house and trap tropes in a singular style. His Sonhos & Pesadelos LP is the 2nd single artist album on Príncipe following release of Nídia’s Nídia É Má, Nídia É Fudida and serves to keep the quality levels ticking high with bountiful variation and party-ready effect between its standout moments such as the tropical drill swerve of Gallinha, suave Ron Trent vibes on Domingo Abençoado, and purely infectious rufige in the likes of Nichako, the almost Gqom-Like darkside banger La Java, and the spine twysting torque of Quarteto Fantástico, with special mention to the UKF compatible Sky.
Boomkat, October 2017

“Solteiro” is an uncharacteristically gentle and pulsating tune that feels — more than anything — romantic in its rhythm. Truth be told, it’s quite beautiful. And it follows lots and lots and lots of heretofore phenomenal music from the label.
Tiny Mix Tapes, October 2017

Absolutely killer debut album from one of the Principe’s most on it producers DJ Lycox, following on from an inclusion on Warp’s first Cargaa 12″ and credits on one of the scenes finest releases to date, Tá Tipo Já Não Vamos Morrer by Tia Maria Produções.
Across its twelve track duration, DJ Lycox’s excellent Sonhos & Pesadelos manages to dilute all manner of sounds from first wave funky, Kuduro, elements of deep house, jagged techno, new age grime and even what sounds like a violin to make a fast-paced trip through the truly innovative soundworld that makes Principe such a powerful force.
Aiming for a similar approach to production aimed squarely at the dancefloor as the recent Errorsmith LP on PAN, Sonhos & Pesadelos takes elements of classic club records but mixes them with a left of center approach, adding a much-needed layer of oddball mentality to these somewhat saturated genres.
Once you wrap your ears around this one you will instantly recognize how easy it is to spot a Lycox production from a mile off, his sequencing just cuts through everything else. Leaving you short of breath from its organic, and spiky melodic textural reduction of the classic sounds that feed into this next level music.
Bleep, November 2017

Anyone looking for the syncopated rhythms, lazer synths and militant attitude of kuduro should go straight to “La Java.” (Surely it’s no coincidence that there’s a Paris nightclub of the same name.) “Nichako,” the other standout, underlines Lycox’s similarities with gqom, the South African style of house. There’s an almost Balearic swing to “Domingo Abençoado,” while “Sky”‘s 4/4 and melody of strings could be disco house, until a jumble of extra percussion tumbles in. Angolan genres like kizomba and tarraxinha no doubt inform Lycox’s approach. His ear for odd melodies suits his bright palette, which maintains pop intrigue while remaining unconventional, intriguing and occasionally confusing.
Resident Advisor, November 2017

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