La Zic drops Zodiac Circus III: twelve tracks mapping the current underground landscape
French imprint La Zic delivers the third instalment of its Zodiac Circus series, a twelve-track compilation that cements the label's identity as a launchpad for emerging producers with genuine sonic vision. The result is a well-balanced VA, emotionally consistent yet technically diverse, moving fluidly between functional tech house and the more introspective textures of minimal/deep tech.
The volume opens with purpose via Sway-B's Bass Shock, a 129 BPM tech house cut built around an E Major bassline that knows exactly what to do on a dancefloor at 2 AM. Simes follows with New Reality, tenser and more melancholic in C Minor, introducing the duality that runs throughout the project: groove versus depth. Reed Hickman's Work It stands as one of the set's clear highlights — a 6:26 minimal/deep tech piece in F# Minor proving that economy of elements can generate as much weight as any maximalist production.
The second half dives deeper into minimal territory. MEEG's Can't Stop and Giorgio Leone & Gudru's No More Parties — the fastest cut at 133 BPM — provide tempo contrasts that sustain the listener's attention throughout. Barut's Love Me closes the cycle gracefully in B Major, while Annina's Ma Donna seals the volume with a deep tech piece in F Minor that rewards repeated listening.
- Highlights: Bass Shock (Sway-B), Work It (Reed Hickman), Love Me (Barut), Ma Donna (Annina)
- BPM range: 125 – 133
