May: 7 bass & club releases you need to hear this month

Zutzut 'Placas' (NAAFI)

Mexico City collective NAAFI has become one of the most instrumental players in the global club scene right now. Alejandro Núñez Ferrara, the Monterrey-based producer known as Zutzut, has a knack for slicing tracks and sounds apart, and putting them back together in a manner that’s both sleek and piercing. New EP ‘Placas’ (a slang term for ‘cops’) creeps around you deliberately, like a cloud of grey mist.

The steadiness of the drums among the melodic textures adds to the sense of unease that permeates throughout the record. ‘Tiro Limpio’ is the most ominous, melding groans and the sound of running water with rumbling basslines; ‘Mareo’ and ‘Plexo’ move ahead of you rather than around you, guiding you on a path into the vague darkness. ‘Ojos Negros’ icily plays with suspense, with the drums again keeping the melodies moving, augmenting the eerie vibe. Designed to encapsulate the experience of living in Monterrey, Zutzut is able to lead the listener to their own conclusions, without ever having to explicitly explain how it feels.

8/10