Welcome to the Chinese calendar year of the rooster, which astrologists say will bring more civility, integrity, and punctuality. Mexico City experimental music cabal NAAFI is basically always on time, but after a monster 2016 they’re taking the cock’s productivity dictate to heart. Core member Imaabs self-released the skewering Hype EP a few weeks ago, and now it’s Zutzut’s turn to serve the masses with quality sound experimentation.
Zut’s six-song Placas EP is set to be the label’s first official release of the year when it drops on February 17. “Mareo,” the preview track the producer just gifted fans, is packed with extras like disinterested horns, snarling dogs, and snares that sound like the door to a long-lost tomb is swinging open in an Indiana Jones movie. Judging from its teaser, Placas seems set to uphold the NAAFI legacy of unexpected sound pairings and intellectual peripheral rhythms.
Zutzut is also the co-founder of Monterrey’s Club Viral, an essential showcase of electronic innovators from around the hemisphere. Recent editions have featured Tayhana, Wasted Fates, and Debit. Given that ongoing convergence of superlative producers, it makes sense that “Mareo” displays a heavy arsenal of diverse audio references, from kuduro to kennel realness.