Cause I Love You

New England deep house patriot Octo Octa logged serious miles in 2013, flexing live sets and DJ gigs worldwide, refining production techniques, and tracking a trio of fresh EPs. Cause I Love You is the first (to be followed by 12's for Skylax and Argot), and it's a shot to the heart. "Cause I Love You" jacks out of the gate, a jubilant drag race of tumbling percussion, intestinal bass, and slipstreaming vocal samples, a bold banger to break the mold of Between Two Selves' moody collective soul. Live staple "So Lux" lives up to the title, a creamy, serene slice of stereo software, while "Give" (featuring Raw Moans) coasts on a mesmerizing melody loop, filtered, flowing, and low to the ground. Closer "Mine (Second Chance Mix)" is classic Octo: lens-flared, high-stepping, turned on, turned loose. Though more of a variety pack than a linearly themed collection, these four cuts show a crafter hot in the pocket, still picking up steam, alive with ideas.