UPFRONTBEATS

James Rodrigo is Waltervelt, the next hot young talent to land on the mighty Ellum Audio label.

Born in Joinville, Brazil, this 25-year-old has already been involved in the dance scene for a decade and has made his mark at the key clubs in South America. His well-formed sound is a smooth fusion of Italo disco, techno and electro that swells over you to make for immersive listening.

Adventurous opener ‘Lunar Operation’ is just that, a superb sonic trip built on rugged bass rumbles with old school cowbells and a real sense of cosmic drama from the synths and strings. It’s expansive, colourful and as cerebral as it is moving. The excellent ‘Magman’ is just as evocative but has a darker atmosphere with shooting lasers and tension in the bass riffs that keep you locked as you shoot through the sky.

This is another masterful EP on Maceo Plex’s agenda-setting Ellum Audio