Esa v Daymé Arocena

Last year, Daymé Arocena released her second album, Cubafonía, on Gilles Peterson’s Brownswood imprint: a tour through the deep-rooted rhythms permeating her native Cuba, it was a breakout moment for the Havana-based singer and bandleader. Now, two of her standout tracks see ascendant, London-based producer Esa take on remix duties with infectious results.

Across two different mixes of Como, the Dekmantel and Worldwide FM-affiliated DJ takes the steady-swaying, lighters-in-the-air moment to more uptempo territories. Propped up by an ‘80s drum machine bounce, soft-dappled synths swirl around an extremely well-executed xylophone melody. As a set of remixes, they achieve no mean feat: flipping a melancholy ballad to an all-out party banger. On Eleggua, Esa takes a more esoteric angle – a slow-build, synths-and-bleeps chugger, Daymé’s distinctive exaltations are the track’s driving force. This 12” is another impressive effort from the South African DJ sure to feature heavily in clubs worldwide.