Shimza, real name Ashley Raphala, is one of South Africa's brightest young talents. "Ascendent", his 4 tracks debut E.P. on Cadenza reveals solid production skills and an innate instinct for peak-time bangers. The opening track, "Congo Congo" is a dark ride over abysmal tom-tom drums, lively percussions and a gloomy bass lead, ignited dramatically by an ensemble of wide synthetic stabs and chords. In its "Dub- Mix", the drums and the percussion become lighter without diminishing its dynamic tension. The overall weight of the leads and the stabs is reduced, leaving more space to its intense piano and string chords and swinging sub bass. "Shimza - Secret Melodies" starts with an obscure bass line, but the intense twist of fractioned rolls and arpeggios bring an ascending piano progression that quickly blooms into an uplifting symphony. "Selector" is a deeper cut that keeps the gaze on the dancefloor: the incessant hand clapping and a cloud of low frequencies bumps unexpectedly drag its hypnotic harmonies into a breath-taking drop.
