Both Nick Léon and DJ Python (aka Brian Piñeyro) are rising electronic producers with their own hypnotic take on dembow: Léon’s beats are often scaffolded in scraping, metallic sound design, while Python’s songs are warm and psychedelic, loosely draping glowing synth pads over reggaeton rhythms. They also have a clear admiration for one another: Python and Anthony Naples included “Ecotone,” a snaking dub jam from Léon and Bitter Babe, in an ambient techno compilation last year. Then a month later, Léon tapped Piñeyro to remix his and Bitter Babe’s “Delirio.” They’ve also spent a good portion of 2022 curating and DJing parties together in Miami.
The product of the time spent in close orbit, Python and Leon’s new Split EP shows the two producers with a foot rooted in their own approach while testing ideas gleaned through osmosis. On “Nerve,” the jittery, aptly titled opener, Léon layers clicks and clangs onto a syncopated electro beat, a muffled melody giving way to a low bass growl that carries the song to its thrilling finish. DJ Python’s contributions are much less angular, though “I’m Tired” mimics Léon’s greyscale techno with atonal bells and a spiraling, detuned siren. The standout, however, is Léon’s “Love Potion,” which builds and unravels several times over the course of five minutes. The track begins with a shuffling drum pattern atop a distorted melodic loop. Léon gradually adds airier elements to the mix: synth drones appear and fade like headlights on a dark highway, while heavy kick drums settle into a groove after a filter sweep, as if brought by a gust of wind. “Love Potion” feels like Léon’s version of Python’s “Club Sentimiental, Vol. 3,” with a quicker tempo and more moving parts; it’s clear he’s learned to open up his approach without sacrificing any of his style.
