Meet Rafael Cerato – the young French producer, whose skills in production match only the intensity of his output. With a frequency of over 40 EPs, listeners are treated to a nearly constant stream of quality alternative house and melodic techno. Cerato’s started his musical journey through learning classical instruments. Through honing his musical potential in a classical setting, Cerato quickly discovered the importance of structure and individual sounds within a symphony. A chord was struck inside the producer upon hearing deep house, which inspired him to use his know-how to contribute to the world of dance music.
Rafael Cerato has a varied history in production, quickly capturing the attention of Solomun, who featured Cerato’s track ‘Sekater’ in his mixes across the world. Artists such as Roberto Calzetta were quick to play off of Cerato’s style, audible in Calzetta’s track ‘Carpo’. This is by no means a detraction of the artists, but rather a clear indication of the forward thinking nature of Cerato’s production. What’s more, is Solomon featured Cerato on his cutting edge ‘Four to the Floor’ compilations. This has served as key exposure to the artist, whose recent track ‘Uplift’ sent shockwaves throughout dance floors in 2017 as an essential DJ weapon. On April 4th Cerato’s latest release, ‘Orchestral Feeling’, is an ode to his background in classical music. Such a direction has been experimented with previously by master producer Paul Woolford, who used raw chords in tracks such as the phenomenal ‘Mother and Child’. To pull off the use of acoustic instruments on a digital production, the artist must find the right balance.
In classic Cerato fashion, the first track, ‘Distant Lands’, creates a building anticipation of deep chords and a somewhat muted techno drum. Soon this percussion is beefed up by a sharp snare as the listener is pulled deeper into the track. A selection of violin samples saunter on top of the track, which gives the sound an orchestral sensation. The listener is taken on a journey, one that has potential to get people dancing, but on another level, this is music to think to – with deeper levels that emerge after every new listen.
The final track on this EP is ‘Entropy’. which spares no time in introducing a number of short, sharp violin samples. The clarity and quality of these samples provides a luxury feel to the track. The chance to hear this track live should not be missed, as more and more instruments are brought to the mix. Cerato has attempted to bring two worlds together- that of classic and dance. It is nearly a complete success for Cerato- his trademark sound is clear along with a truly interesting couple of tracks. Yet, the deeper elements of these tracks take away from the energy that Cerato is more than capable of delivering. Entropy is in many ways a beautiful chaos, underpinned by chalky high hats and almost disguised baselines. But, what is evident from this EP, is the talent of Cerato to synthesise and potentially push his direction within dance music. As previously stated, the EP provides music to think to, making it different to the dance festivals of the summer, but an individuality that is certain to last longer.
