Premiere: Dario Dea – Ready Player One (Theus Mago Remix) [NEIN Records]

Valentine’s Day 2020 will be a special one for Nein Records who serve up a new EP from Italian-born, London-based DJ and producer Dario Dea with remixes from Theus Mago and Steady State.

Dea has been in the scene for a decade, mixing up afro-house infused rhythms and heavy-hitting Italo disco basslines with house and techno. His love of blues and rock also informs his sounds with his previous releases having had support by the likes of Joris Voorn, Mind Against and Lehar. The artist says he started working on this record while moving from Dubai to London. ​”This move had a big influence on my music and I spent over six months trying to arrange my thoughts and feelings into music and this was the result.”

The excellent ‘Dance of the Sea’ opens up with a seven minute synth journey to the cosmos. Italo style chords bring future retro feelings to the far sighted disco grooves and the whole thing brims with rather melancholic emotion. ‘Ready Player One’ is a more dark and edgy affair thanks to the turbulent bass and thunderous claps, the lead synths are pained too, adding another dimension to this futuristic bit of dark disco.

The release is completed by a pair of superb remixes, opening with a real killer by Theus Mago, the alter ego of established Mexican producer Mateo González, who is responsible for dance music projects such as Bufi (Kitsuné/Discotexas), Sonido Fantasma (Turbo Recordings) and co-head of the Duro label. His version is built on a relentlessly rugged bassline that rumbles away under wild synths and off-grid percussion. Steady State is the second remixer, a mysterious production project about which nothing is known. They serve up a more introverted take on ‘Dance of the Sea’ that is awash with lush pads and chords and journeys to the stars on a more dreamy vibe.

These are four fantastically varied disco styles that all brim with quality and character.