06 Feb DJ MAG – Eight emerging artists you need to hear: February 2024
Born and raised in Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic, Ezel Feliz Vargas has been kicking around for a while now, with a debut album, ‘Secreto’, coming out way back in 2010. That release was a beautifully rendered collection of Afro-Latin–tinged groovers, and he’s continued in that mode ever since. His 2021 collaboration with go-to soulful house vocalist Rona Ray, ‘Hard To Stay Away’, featuring a remix from the UK mainstay Atjazz and finding its way into the record crates and hard drives of DJs like Spinna and Kai Alcé, is another career highlight.
Despite that success, Ezel remains a bit under the radar with the general clubbing public — but that might be about to change. He’s teamed up with Ray once again, this time for a full LP on his own Bayacou Records called ‘Take Me Home’ — full of richly musical and highly emotive tunes that range from deep-house gems to disco-kissed chuggers to sultry R&B, it’s an absolute beauty. With remixes already lined up from the likes of Osunlade, DJ Spen, Mr. V, Ian Friday, Terry Hunter and other notables, we’ll be dancing to this one for a while. BRUCE TANTUM
