MIhalis Safras - Cry For the Last Dance Album (Trapez)

[mihalissafras]

[b]Mihalis Safras[/b]
Cry For The Last Dance
TRAPEZ


Having established himself as a DJ of significant prowess in the late 1990s with residencies at most of the major Greek clubs, the last few years have seen Athenian native Mihalis Safras shift his focus towards production. Safras has approached this new frontier with vigour and matured rapidly as a producer, releasing on renowned labels such as Soma, 2020 Vision and Great Stuff and collaborating with the likes of Mark Broom.
It is perhaps of little surprise though that Safras will release his debut LP, Cry for the Last Dance, on the hallowed Trapez imprint, as label boss Riley Reinhold has long been a fan of Safras, having previously commissioned a number of singles for his Trapez Limited sub-label. And as one would expect from a release that is endorsed by a tastemaker such as Reinhold, Safras’ debut LP is a consistently high quality effort.
Cry for the Last Dance is a mature album that showcases a dozen tracks that both hold a groove and can double as floor filling peaktime bombs. It is also sequenced to perfection, which is something of a lost art in an era of digital dissemination of music, where many people prefer to purchase individual tracks through sites like Beatport. But this fragmented mode of consumption doesn’t seem to have deterred Safras, and those who listen to the album from cover to cover will appreciate its pacing.
The deep, hypnotic opener ‘Chopsticks’ sets the tone for the album, slowly building via a pulsating bassline and Mediterranean guitar sample that is evocative of some of the quintessential underground anthems of the past year, namely Ilario Alicante’s ‘Vacaciones En Chile’ and Luca Bachetti’s ‘El Matador’. And while representing a less percussive sound, Safras’ answer to these cuts should wreck similar carnage on the dancefloor.
From the strong opening the ante is slowly upped on each of the ensuing tracks, and by the halfway point you can’t help but wonder whether the album could continue to build. And yet it does. ‘Hit Machine’ is a pulsating techno bomb where Cry for the Last Dance reaches a crescendo; this tune could get a statue dancing! Thereafter ‘Rina’ revisits the tribal influences of the album’s opener, merging them with a throbbing, progressive-esque bassline. The previously released ‘Here Comes The Rain’ ends proceedings with its luscious melodic layers, easing the listener to the end of a thumping ride. Until the inevitable re-listen that is…