The multi-talented drummer and producer Nicola Mauskovic is at it again. After he most recently resurfaced on our radar as part of the Amsterdam-based Turkish psych-folk outfit Altın Gün, who are set to release their debut album at the end of this month, he now presents the four-track debut EP of The Mauskovic Dance Band, released last Friday on London's Soundway Records.
"Down in the Basement" presents "a potent, modern blend of Afro-Caribbean rhythms and space-disco", featuring "Afro-Colombian styles such as champeta, palenque, cumbia and the picó soundsystem culture [...] integrated with '80s No-Wave drum machines and synths," which in turn results in a unique, culturally diverse and highly combustible combination of dancefloor-targeted goodness.
The band is made up of Donnie Mauskovic (vocals, keys, effects), Em Nix Mauskovic (guitar, synth, percussion) and Mano Mauskovic (bass), with "fabled underground cumbia producer" Juan Hundred joining the group on drums. So don't be fooled by the name because The Mauskovic Dance Band is in it to win it. Hear for yourselves.