2017 was a big year for electro. As we outlined in our year-end summary, DJ Stingray and Helena Hauff were the stars, but they were just the visible tip of "a very large iceberg." There was tons of activity below the surface, spread all over the globe—even in unlikely places like Morocco. The Casablanca label Casa Voyager and its trio of dispersed affiliates, Driss Bennis (OCB), Jonas Bengio (Viewtiful Joe) and Youssef Benjelloun (Kosh), were among the torrent of new electro slingers to emerge in 2017. Starting with a breezy mixtape, In Loving Memory Of Ambition, which also featured hip-hop and drum & bass by Bennis and Bengio (under different aliases), Casa Voyager released their first proper EP last summer, a compilation with contributions from all three friends. Null 212 sees Benjelloun step up for his first full solo outing.
Compared with his labelmates, Kosh favours a more purist electro sound, and Detroit homage prevails on Null 212. His tracks for Casa Voyager's first EP were deep, warm and dreamy, much like The Other People Place, and a similar vibe props up the B-side here. "Bug In The System" is especially luscious, with lullaby overtones and a funky groove. The highlight is "Null 212." Spine-tingling AFX acid-like melodies, noodly funk riffs and fidgety breaks combine to make one of the first knockout electro tracks of 2018.
| A1 | Catch The Train | 4:39 |
| A2 | Null 212 | 5:41 |
| B1 | Electronic Setups | 6:18 |
| B2 | Bug In The System | 5:05 |
