Liquid Portraits is the first real masterpiece from Italian producer, jazz drummer, finger drummer/sampler wizard and composer Cristiano Crisci aka Clap! Clap!

The signature Clap! Clap! sound- intricate electronic music with a variety of world rhythms and intriguing samples- is perfected and elevated by an entirely new level of detailed production. The acoustic, electronic and sampled elements are seamlessly composed into 12 excellent tracks that are ready for the most discerning dancefloors or headphones.

There’s not many folks out here blending such a wide range of traditional influences into such a tight electronic sound and even fewer of them do so with such a live and organic feeling as this. While the sound fits well alongside main stage acts like Bonobo and Theivery Corporation, I’m strongly reminded of the jazzy and experimental instrumentation on recent albums by blog favorite electronic musician Howie Lee.

Liquid Portraits is an incredible record that’s so tight it’s hard to pick out any one thing that makes it so interesting. Perhaps it’s the complex rhythms and his chops as a jazz drummer (boy can this guy tear it up on a sampler live.) Perhaps it’s a musical literacy gained as a result of his wide travels. This record achieves a genuinely global sound that doesn’t strongly identify with any particular traditional influences, in contrast to his more Afrobeats music. With Liquid Portraits, Clap! Clap! has struck a perfect balance between impeccably produced and mixed electronic dance music and live/sampled multi-instrumental grooves.