Peggy Gou’s Gudu Records is proud to present the label’s first-ever album from someone who’s been part of the family since the start: Brain de Palma the full Rhythmption LP is out, following ‘Mind the Gap’ – an uplifting piano-powered house weapon, ‘U Ya Kwini’, featuring the vocals of artist, Victor Kwality, hailing from Mozambique.
Born in Ukraine, settling as a child in Turin and spending three years in Egypt before settling in his current home of Berlin, Alexei Versino has one hell of a story.
Musically, he’s been around for a decade now, releasing his previous music (solo as Panama Keys and also as one half of the duo Stump Valley) on labels like Dekmantel, Soul Clap and Off Minor before settling on Gudu with his Brain de Palma alias. But personally, his relationship to music goes much more profound: as a young child growing up in the former Soviet Union, a lot of European music was banned, so he relied on his well-travelled uncle to bring him back smuggled cassettes of Italo Disco, Depeche Mode, Kraftwerk, Erasure and early DJ mixes – getting an illicit musical education behind closed doors as a child.
Comprising eleven tracks made across the past year, Versino describes Rhythmption as “my redemption through rhythm” and a tribute to “seeing people enjoying themselves on the dancefloor, that feeling of unity where people become one thing, regardless of their life path or social status.” Opening with the gorgeous ‘Thandolwami’ (featuring South African vocalist Sfiso Atomza), Rhythmption charts a path through sun-drenched Balearic house, stuttering drum work-outs, Italo-inspired synth romps, trancey house and even a touching tribute to his former home of Egypt, taking in every aspect of Versino’s journey to date. After all, it’s not all about the destination; it’s also the sights you see along the way.
About Gudu:
Launched in 2019, Gudu opened with one of Peggy Gou’s most successful records, ‘Starry Night’, and has released several hit singles from Peggy since (‘I Go’, ‘Nabi’). However, Peggy’s music is only half the story with Gudu.
Since its formation, Gudu has housed music from a truly global roster of artists, including the UK’s DMX Krew, Special Request, Matrefakt and JRMS, Italy’s Hiver, Matisa and Dukwa, South Korea’s Mogwaa, Indonesia’s Dea, Ukraine’s Brain de Palma, South Africa’s Riff and the USA’s Maurice Fulton and Lady Blacktronika. It has also hosted label showcases across Europe, and its own stage at Peggy’s Pleasure Gardens festival.
As well as releasing artist LPs and EPs, the label has it’s compilation series. Gudu & Friends Vol. 2, and also recently launched Club Gudu, a new dancefloor-focused single series, and has a batch of high-quality dance records in the pipeline for 2024 — including the label’s first album.
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