In Demand Kiko & Popof Night Sky EP Watergate vinyl record

4 Tracker – Dark Minimal TEchno / Tech / TRance – Kiko & POPOF deliver a new ‘minimal’ EP that both kicks and pops off. ‘Night Sky’, however, abstracts the ‘minimal’ style into something that is actually quite maximal; though duly working in the tech house formula, the sound palette is dystopian and dark. Doing justice to the French pair’s long-standing good rep – Kiko has but 500+ releases to his name – it’s only natural that we hear something so fresh. Transformer sound FX and sci-fi impacts adorn each transition, especially on Yulia Niko and Mia Mendi’s remixes, coaxing out twin states of ecstasy and dread.
Kiko & POPOF link for a high-impact debut on Watergate.
The talented French artists both have a discography that goes back to the ‘90s. Kiko a veteran of 500+ releases, highlighted by his 1998 cut ‘World Cup’ that was continued a minor techno classic at the time.
He’s gone through many sonic incarnations since then and is currently turning heads with superb production on labels including Diynamic and Afterlife. POPOF, meanwhile, is a genre flexitarian, just as adept at releasing on Cocoon and Truesoul as he is Hot Creations, and now of course – Watergate Records.
‘Night Sky’ is a big, bright dancefloor pummeller, made for peak-time moments and driven by a stirring chord sequence. ‘Love Triangle’ is a shimmering nu disco beauty, propelled by a sharp tech underbelly.
Fresh from her much-loved ‘Raver Girl’ EP, Yulia Niko contributes a slick re-rub of the title track, retaining the original’s glistening melodic lead, while giving it a punchier bottom end. Rounding out the package
strongly, rising UK duo Mia Mendi give ‘Love Triangle’ the remix touch, re-fashioning it into a sublime breakbeat gem made for early morning on the Waterfloor.