»Ziu Ziu (Reprise)« is the opening track on Diferenciado by DJ Narciso, and while it serves as the album’s introduction, its title alone instantly conjures associations with sounds already heard and loved: the painfully melancholic atmosphere of Kelman Duran’s 1804 KIDS, or the uncompromising footwork sketches of DJ Nate. Yet Narciso is less aggressive than the latter, his music carrying an unmistakable leaning towards introspection while maintaining a sense of restless urgency.
»Underground dos Loucos« captures the madness of its title well, aligning Narciso with the chaos he embraces. To ears trained on four-to-the-floor, nearly every hit within these sprawling polyrhythms feels »off« until they begin to fold over themselves, and amid the chaos, a steady kick emerges almost by accident. »Vai Estragar a Câmera« clatters and rattles in fits and starts, throwing skewed kuduro synths into the mix before a TikTok jingle sounds at the grand finale. »Pipipi« rolls out heavy keys with an acoustic backdrop that increasingly resembles the sound of guns being cocked, percussion taking centre stage. »Do Jo«, meanwhile, pushes its modulated scratching right to the end, much like Theo Parrish once did on »Dark Patterns«, achieving – and this may be DJ Narciso’s greatest gift – a level of plasticity that feels almost tangible.

Diferenciado