Dennis Cruz delivers the landmark 300th release on Damian Lazarus’ iconic Crosstown Rebels imprint with ‘The Snake Charmer’ EP, featuring collaborations with Ian Ludvig and the label boss himself.
An artist at the height of his powers, arriving off the back of his busiest Ibiza season to date, it’s safe to say that Dennis Cruz is a man in extremely high demand within the global electronic landscape. Founder of his own labels MÜSE and CRZ, while featuring as a key member of the Solid Grooves Family, Cruz’s longstanding ties to Crosstown Rebels date back to his debut in 2018. Returning to the imprint following his excellent album ‘Roots’ in 2021, plus his recent contribution to the 20th Anniversary compilation with his remix of Pier Bucci’s ‘Hay Consuelo’, Cruz is back in emphatic fashion as he marks the 300th release in the label’s revered catalogue with his latest EP ‘The Snake Charmer’ – featuring two solo tracks alongside collaborations with fellow Crosstown signee Ian Ludvig and label founder Damian Lazarus himself.
A master of crafting rolling arrangements with subtle nuances that keep dancefloors locked in unison, the four tracks across the package see Cruz experiment even further as he showcases a global array of influences. Opening track ‘Snake Charmer’ welcomes a crisp organic percussion arrangement accented by eastern flutes through to snaking grooves and hooky female vocal samples throughout, while ‘Revolution’ welcomes an all-star cast as he links with Damian Lazarus for a heady, skippy slice of house merging hazy chords and bright stabs with vocals from contemporary Detroit nightlife icon and staple DJ Holographic.
On the flip, the Spaniard once again steps out solo and dives deep into a low-slung and playful groove on ‘Time Out’, introducing a wealth of vibrant vocals amongst blossoming melodies and soulful organ riffs, before closing the show as he joins Ian Ludvig to present an off-kilter, impactful and warping closer guided by provocative vocal snippets across ‘Pain Away’.