What changed between Av. General Roçadas and Junkeira? Seven years in people’s lives — yet the team’s commitment remains untouched, and the steady hand on the plumb line that keeps dance music (still) upright holds firm. Years of sustained research and field work from both producers, with their own records, mutually independent and independent too in how they brought them to life. Moreno Ácido has been navigating detours through a conceptual yet grounded underground — in sound and in format (two self-released cassettes since 2019) — while keeping one eye on the floor. His post- pandemic reawakening carries a clear message: Call to Action is the label that in 2023 put the still-in-demand Trash/Treasure out on vinyl. Diogo keeps Discos Extendes as his shelter, gathering talent and retreating into it. At the same time, a disseminating vocation — that talent turned outward, on a mission to champion the different sensibilities that can converge in music made for dancing.

Junkeira is direct. It hides nothing in its intent, nor does it conceal the origin of its love, nor the way it exercises its fascination with the source. Geography can define movements, described and echoed countless times outside and then inside the net. The signifiers are known to all — it’s a matter of applying them with respect and flow. Perhaps the craft in this production really does come down to love, when it comes to it. What is “WTF” if not a declaration of love — at the very least of closeness — to the sonic essence of the English rave? The piano stab, the breaks defining that hardcore state of mind, the string bed lifting feet off the floor. Closing out the EP, “Freak” gathers different emotions — eyes still shut, body in comedown while still moving. Chill. Everything rounded. Bassline, vibes, vocals woven into the rhythm.

Rewinding, the opening track “100 Planos” is a throwback to Roçadas (2019) — harder on the ground, with a 4/4 beat broken up by claps, a circular structure built for DJs, with mix-friendly entry and exit points. Then “Turbo Love” puts the keys in control, foregrounding them, letting a car alarm ring out and balance the beat — a reverential nod to UK Garage felt as raw material, already part of the lineage that has been the continuous evolution from Disco onwards: an evolution that traces a line and its branches, from which you can isolate any chronological point since at least 1977 and combine whatever elements form a personality. The spirit lives, as summer kicks in.

text by José Moura

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EXT041 – Bass Stuff, marks the emergence of the most recent alias “Dun Dun”, by the Portuguese producer Diogo Vasconcelos.

Essentially marked by timbral richness and an elaborate programming of percussion sounds, “Bass Stuff” draws some of its inspiration from the worlds of Gqom and Dancehall.

“Bass Uppers” and “Abambo” make up the first part, where the references to Gqom are more evident, ending up being almost like two versions of the same song, where the same elements are articulated in different ways, taking into account the tempo over which they are built upon.

“Can’t Stop” and “Get Them!”, find themselves more inspired by the slow and warm rhythms of Dancehall, without ever leaving aside the sonic palette that structures the entire album, and which is also built around a somehow dark atmosphere, and where voice samples are predominantly used as rhythmic interjections.

The EP closes with a bombastic remix by Will Bowen, aka Pluralist. Picking up “Abambo”, he removes it from any kind of inhibitions and transforms it into a luminous bomb for the dance floor, completed with a section featuring triplet kicks. Maximum respect for this artist! Just hoping that Dun Dun’s release will be able to do you justice.

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Diogo is opening 2025 with a blast with “EXT038 – Saudades das Raves a que Não Fui…” (loosely translatable to “Lost Rave Nostalgia”) on Discos Extendes.

These four tracks summon the golden-age of Rave culture in the early 90’s, where forward-thinking sounds and free parties tore down boundaries of class, culture and identity. An homage to a period where dance culture was at the centre of a radical social change, realising itself as a form of communal cultural resistance. Through these tracks, Diogo channels these dreams and his own desires to somehow have been a part of it all… Sampled Breaks, heavy basses and dance floor euphoria guaranteed!

“Aquecendo” warms up any dance floor filled with hungry ravers. An exercise in breakbeat science laid on top of a hot and heavy bassline, with a minimal but detailed atmosphere. Guaranteed party starter.

“Break It!” has an infectious beat, almost recalling an early Prodigy track. We hear the faint sounds of ravey synths or the shouts of an MC in the distance, evoking faded memories of raves past.

“Londres Chama” speeds up the tempo and brings in some four-to-the-floor moments. We also get some samples of classic MC chatter spliced with ecstatic female vocals.

“Danos Menores” wraps up the EP with a bouncy heater. Starts off chilled-out and playful, but gets serious once the Amen breaks start rolling in.

“Saudades das Raves a que Não Fui…” feels like a blend between hazy memories of raves past and dreams of raves we didn’t go to, but that feel just as real.

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