Premiere: Itoa ‘Wet Brain’

Itoa returns to dBridge’s Exit Records next week with the release of his ‘Oh No’ EP. Listen to opener ‘Wet Brain’ below. 

The London-based DJ and producer, whose knack for intricate beat wizardry has seen him release two EPs for the label since 2018, returns with six fiery club cuts; his flair for genre fusionism in the orbits of 160 BPM stretches in new directions here. From the tension-building footwork pulse of ‘Wet Brain’, complete with chirruping vocal chops and melodic zaps, to the wobbly Blawan-esque techno throb of ‘We Want’, the EP starts strong and only gets stronger. 

The title track features Japanese vocalist Nakamura Minami / なかむらみなみ, who raps gleefully over a fast n’funky acid beat. Itoa describes the EP as being an attempt to “make music that makes me want to move when surrounded by uncertainty and possible collapse”. It’s a feeling that’s carried through the rest of the release, where speed-freak beats, vocal glitches, wiry melodies and giddy acid basslines weave about with a frantic, playful energy – like a loose waltzer spinning at a dizzy, dazzling speed. 

‘Oh No’ will be released on 2nd December. Pre-order it here.