the finnish tropical troupe maajo is back with a two-track ep. in contrast to the afro-balearic sound of their 2016 debut tropic of tulli, the new defo / mansaba ep is a step in a deeper and sometimes darker direction. defo kicks off the ep with a driving 5/4 rhythm. reminiscent of mark ernestus’ ndagga sounds, it is a tribal tune with maajo’s signature ethereal disco elements. trevor deep jr.’s version straightens out the original’s unconventional time signature and focuses on a four-to-four beat and plenty of berliner dub. the remix is a solid dancefloor tool, traversing the original like a train making its way through a dark rainforest. the b-side is entirely covered by mansaba, a 14-minute long journey into inwards. this studio jam, recorded largely live, is a wild mixture of polyrhythmic sequences, krautrock guitar licks, equatorial forest percussion and violin synths. the trip starts slow and soothing, sneakily picks up pace and keeps grow and growing, eventually exploding into a full-on tribal dance.
