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Franco Cinelli is an Argentinian producer, specialising in the darker, more left of centre house. His style has ranged and changed across the grey area that is house and techno, but he comes highly recommended by some of the stars of the dark side of house and my favourite producers, a couple of whom have collaborated with him, such as fellow Argentine Funzion, Dilo, and Bruno Pronsato; with whom he made the outstanding Picaro EP back in 2005.

Esperanza, a great Spanish label, who have supported and distributed his music for years, couldn't have picked a better ambassador for their sound than Franco with this EP.

His last EP with them Green & Black really set a high benchmark for his own style, but this is something else.

He pulls no punches with his references to Detroit techno and the lasting influence it has had upon his releases. The title and overall sound of The Sound Of The City is his most upfront cap-doffing to the hi tec soul formula of techno's golden age, but his mastery and re-evaluation of it is both remarkably unpretentious and flattering.

"The Sound Of The City" throws you straight into a big tech-housey groove. When you think that the beat has reached it's peak, the bassline changes, or cymbals gain more clarity. It is a tech-house behemoth. Franco throws in the classic high whine skimming over the top of the track, and matches it with the toughest rhythm section of the EP. For the end of peak set time, this will tear.

The oscillating filtered percussion loop of "Joint Non Stop" is a reference of-but from being- an 808 imitation, not to mention a really satisfying sound. With another chained whistling high line again laced around the track, this is a deeper and more funky track.

The digital only track "Duth" has more soul than the ones that made the press. It adds depth to the trio. It has a gut-wrenching synth part that has to be heard in its context to be believed. Funky bassline, Franco takes his time to throw each part at you and none of it sounds too quantized. It really completes the EP and makes it worth the download. The whole EP is filled with an air of effortless and equal amounts of soul and grit. A homage to the birth of the four to the floor revolution, Franco Cinelli's new EP is bound to satiate the carnivorous appetite of the warehouse in the weeks to come.

Artist: Franco Cinelli Title: The Sound Of The City EP Label: Esperanza Tracklist The Sound Of The City Joint Non Stop Duth (Digital only) www.esperanza-label.com www.myspace.com/francocinelli www.francocinelli.com.ar Our rating: 7,5/10