Monki is a name most British dance fans already know, even if they don’t realise it: a decade on the BBC Radio 1 airwaves followed by A&R work for Defected and Atlantic kept her firmly in the industry’s orbit, but the production side of her career has remained quiet. That changes with Yurican Soul EP, her debut on Jamie Jones’s Hot Creations label—a three-track acid-tribal rave cut inspired by a deep love of Louie Vega, and one that arrives with plenty of big-room pedigree behind it.
Title track Yurican Soul sets the tone with a dry, swinging four-to-the-floor kick and a properly filthy 303 line that squelches its way through four minutes of rolling percussion. The tribal influence is right there in the toms and the hand-drum fills that snake around the groove, while a looped, wordless chant gives it the feel of a peak-hour festival anthem in waiting. On the digital edition the Extended version (6:33) stretches things out, letting the acid line breathe and the percussion stack up in satisfying layers before the drop lands.
The real moment of intrigue comes on the B-side, however. Ring Ring (feat. Queen Rose) brings in Detroit spoken-word poet Queen Rose, whose deep, unhurried delivery sits atop a darker, jazzier bed of Rhodes stabs and muted percussion. It’s a fine counterweight to the rawness of the title track—less obvious, more patient, and with a smoky, after-hours quality that suggests Monki has more than one mood in her locker. On vinyl the EP is a two-track affair, with the extended mix reserved for digital, which keeps the 12-inch a tidy, focused statement.
Across its three cuts, Yurican Soul EP is a confident, well-executed debut—not breaking new ground, but delivering exactly what it promises with polish and evident love for the source material. The Louie Vega influence is worn openly rather than hidden, and in a genre where reverence often curdles into imitation, Monki keeps things feeling fresh. If this is her re-entry into the studio, the wait for the next record will not be a long one.
