Title: Ben Watt & Rodamaal INSOMNIA out june 6th
Date Added: 11 May 2005

THEY'RE BACK! THE RETURN OF RODAMAAL

Buzzin' Fly's own supergroup release their first single in 2 years

If you remember the summer of 2003 you may well remember Musica Feliz - a gorgeous slice of latin-disco served up by Franco-Portuguese DJ-production trio, Rodamaal on Ben's Watt's then youthful Buzzin' Fly label. From early spins at some of the last Lazy Dog and first Buzzinč Fly parties through to beach-front mix compilations throughout that summer and finally a berth on a Cameron Diaz movie, it was a highlight of the year for many on the house underground.
It also fully realised a sound first hinted at on their under-exposed classic, Love Island (Jazz-Up Records), a record picked up on and supported almost single-handedly by Ben Watt back in 2001.

Since then the three members - Alex S, DJ Rocco and Manoo - have become cult figures, mainstays of Buzzin' Fly, and each talented producer-DJs in their own right. Alex S, Saturday night resident at Portugal's Studio Club in Leiria outside Lisbon, has provided a rich selection of tracks for the label from his deep golden remix of 'Musica Feliz' itself that opened Watt's Buzzin' Fly Vol 1 mix CD, through to his serene switchback mix of Unity's 'I Love You', and most recently his trailblazing electro-Afro cut 'Senti Sabi'. DJ Rocco, from Lyon, delivered a superb remix of Automagic's 'Do You Feel'? that became a radio hit in South Africa, and Manoo (with his studio partner Francois A) has defined a whole new sound with sweeping synthetic-orchestral cuts such as '6 In The Morning' and 'Five Seasons', leading to tangential work for celebrated underground labels Freerange (Jamie 'Jimpster' Odell's imprint) and Deeply Rooted House (DJ Deep's label). Watt has brought all three to London and Miami for regular DJ slots, building their reputation as cornerstones of the label.

Now they return with a superb low-slung piece of electro-latin entitled Insomnia featuring the voice of Portuguese singer, Claudia Franco. Miami was fizzing with talk of the track. Early CDRs have brought 10/10 reactions from underground luminaries such as DJ Deep, Chez Music's Neil Aline, Alix Alvarez and Louie Vega's stablemate, Mr V, who played the tune three times in one night at Cielo recently. A creeping Afro-groove with plaintive wailing acid synths gives way to bloodshot nocturnal pianos and strings and Claudia's tough whispered incantation and urgent refrains. Destined to be a true deep epic, it encapsulates perfectly Buzzinč Fly's tender-tough ethos and is surely a highlight for the label so far. A Rodamaal album is now in the pipeline with a release pencilled in for early 2006.

'Insomnia' is released on 12 inch vinyl and CD single on June 6

Aine