RA Reviews: Colorhadoo ‎- Zanzibar EP on Amphia (Single)

Of the Romanian big three—Rhadoo, Petre Inspirescu, Raresh—it seems Rhadoo takes the idea of aliases most seriously. He's used at least five in his 20-year career, most just a few times. (The Bucharest resident is hardly a prolific producer either, with just a handful of 12-inches and a batch of remixes under his belt.) The sound of each moniker is distinct, perhaps testament to the effort that goes into differentiating them. The Rhadoo name, for example, has typically been an outlet for his most straightforward and low-slung work, while Adsum, a relatively recent addition, is percussive and light-hearted.

Colorhadoo is the latest alias. It arrives with the Zanzibar EP, a three-track 12-inch for Cristi Cons and Vlad Caia's Amphia label. The record's key difference is a strong focus on psychedelic sounds, exemplified in the 13-minute "J Strawberry." It's Zanzibar's standout, built with a half-time beat and a collage of warped vocal snippets, synths, chants and reverb. Most of Rhadoo's music is trippy, but "J Strawberry," a track without any focus on functionality, is on another level. It would be risky to pull it out at a party, but it's easy to imagine the cinematic atmosphere working its magic.

There are two more obvious dance floor cuts to choose from. Cristi Cons reworks "J Strawberry" into a functional, bass-heavy roller, while "Zanzibar," the brightest track here, makes use of a warped melody and a stomping groove. They round off a delightfully varied EP.