Yesterday I discussed how I got Romain some Tommy Guerrero records, but you know what else was in my discogs order? One of the best albums of 2017: DJ Python - Dulce Compañia. This album managed the impossible: turning me on my prior belief that reggaeton was a doomed genre. I have to admit my younger self was undeservedly passionate about genres, in general way too adamant about everything, something I have actively tried to curb in recent years as it plagued my life; and more importantly the life of others, with my negative thoughts. This is probably the Dunning-Kruger effect in full display, being overconfident about my music being the best, as if it was some kind of competition. Anyway! Back to the music, first let’s take the selected track; Cuàl, for a spin:

DJ Python - Cuàl (2017)

Hard to pick one track from this album, and for the true experience it should be listened front to back without interruption. As V. Mercader points out in his bandcamp review, soon enough you’ll get blown away by silky synthscapes that keep a steady presence almost everywhere at some point, from subtle dispersed notes to overwhelming arpeggios and yet, sound so right in place that feels like there is also an Ambient record trapped in here. I fully get behind the sentiment of this album feeling closer to an ambient record than anything else, with an 8 tracks journey through the dembow riddim soundscapes of DJ Python.

Yet; I picked Cuàl as it’s more or less the opening track, and the one that I distinctly remember blowing my mind back in 2017, as I listened to this on my headphones one random evening after work. At the time I was still sea deep into ambient techno, and this might have been the best bridge towards reggaeton for me at the time, as this is a true deepness masterpiece. The never-ending repetitive beat gets your mind wandering, slowly building up tension, until plush arpeggios appear and start expanding this soundscape to unreachable heights. After a sensational entry, the synths slowly morph into some kind of heavenly vortex, in a spiralling fall upwards… hard not to have goose bumps from the sheer immensity of it all.

Do take the time to listen to this album in full if you never have before, you will not regret it. Peace out!