mâi: kyoto
Francisco Espregueira
There’s a gentle buzz around the new release by Mâi, the evocative 4-track EP Kyoto, arriving on the thoughtful imprint Groovence Records. Born in Istanbul and refined in Berlin, Mâi brings a global pulse to his work, layering echoes of oldschool Disco, Funk, Early House, Jazz and Fusion into something fresh and danceable. As the label puts it, the EP “blends chopped jazz and funk samples with stripped-back house grooves.” In this release, you can feel the club history and the record-crate digging habit embodied—he takes cultural fragments and recontextualises them into smooth grooves that work just as well in a late-night set as they do in a reflective listening session.
Groovence has been quietly building a reputation for forward-thinking, groove-focused electronic releases, and Kyoto fits that ethos perfectly. The EP bridges European and Japanese influences, pairing soulful textures and emotional resonance with driving rhythms that nod to the dance floor without sacrificing subtlety. Over 4 tracks, he invites the listener into one of those stories—quiet transitions, bursts of energy, soulful movements—and Groovence places it in a catalogue where both deep listening and club levelling coexist. Available on Bandcamp.