From the opening bars of "Bright Lights", it's clear that Lisbon brothers Bruno and Leo aka OCTA PUSH have redrawn the parameters of their sound. They've developed the elements that defined their breakthrough releases and expanded them to develop a broad, exciting palette of new sonic textures and colours. Their early releases on Soul Jazz, Fabric, Enchufada and others expertly balanced UK bass and African influences to catch the attention of high profile fans like Thom Yorke, SBTRKT and Gilles Peterson. An undeniable ear for melody and a percussive sensibility drawing on the polyrhythms of African music set them apart from the crowd and on "Oito", their debut album, they've taken those two elements and worked them in to twelve compelling tracks that marry the organic and the electronic as well as underground music from Europe and the African continent. The album takes the sub bass and syncopated rhythms of UK genres like garage as its starting point but once again filters that through a kaleidoscope of influences, mainly stemming from Portugal's unique cultural ties to Africa. They infuse the album with musical references to music like Nigerian Afrobeat or Funana from Cape Verde without overtly sounding like the music itself. Re-contextualizing instruments like Kalimbas or Xylophones and playing with complex rhythms gives their music a richness without them ever sounding like copyists. The album also marks an expansion of their work with vocalists, starting on track one with Alex Klimovitsky from the Portuguese/USA group YOUTHLESS. He's now a mainstay of the OCTA PUSH live show, lending his skills as a vocalist, programmer and multi-instrumentalist. The three tracks featuring Alex, "Bright Lights", "Francoise Hardy" and "Splendor" balance great songwriting with intricate vocal layering and melodic work that was only made possible by such a close connection between the three artists. Elsewhere we find Sasha from Berlin's pioneering JAHCOOZI (Ninja Tune, Kitty Yo and BPitch Control), London based Catarina Moreno, and Braima Galissa - one of the best kora players in Guine Bissau. The complex melody of that traditional instrument is woven in to "Ali Dom" along with Galissa's powerful vocals conjuring up the perhaps the most vivid non-European image on the album. Record Label: Senseless Style: Dance