JORGE CAIADO — Freak Not Freak EP

Jorge Caiado – Freak Not Freak EP Jorge Caiado returns to his own Carpet & Snares Records with Freak Not Freak, the label's tenth catalogue release and a four-track vinyl EP built around the fundamentals of underground house music: rolling drums, weighty basslines, acid detail, moody chords and carefully controlled rhythmic movement. Released as CARPET10, the record presents four distinct interpretations of house and tech house while maintaining a strong connection between groove and atmosphere. Caiado's production remains economical throughout, allowing individual elements to carry the arrangements rather than relying on excessive layering. The official label description places the four tracks across tribal house, deep house, acid-inflected club music and garage-leaning house. Wild Card opens the EP with a contemporary tribal roller driven by a combination of moody organ tones and acid lines. The track's rhythmic foundation is direct and physical, while the organ introduces a darker harmonic character above the groove. The acid elements provide additional movement without overwhelming the arrangement, giving the track a tense but controlled quality. At around 126–127 BPM, Wild Card sits firmly in club territory, but Caiado avoids turning the track into a straightforward peak-time tool. Its strength lies in the interaction between percussion, bass and the slightly uneasy character of the organ and acid synthesis. The result is a groove that can develop naturally within a longer house set. Life's Too Short follows with a deeper and more soulful approach. The track recalls the classic Prescription school of deep house, but with additional low-end weight and a more contemporary physical presence. That reference is significant: rather than reproducing a 1990s sound literally, Caiado takes the spaciousness and musicality associated with that tradition and gives it a stronger modern club foundation. The arrangement remains restrained, allowing the bass and percussion to establish the central pulse while the harmonic material supplies warmth. Life's Too Short provides the EP with its deepest moment, balancing the darker character of Wild Card with a more open and musical approach. The B-side begins with the title track, Freak Not Freak. Here Caiado deliberately pushes the record into stranger territory. Spooky pads, skewed rhythmic elements and sudden cymbal rushes create a more unsettled atmosphere, while the underlying groove keeps the track firmly connected to the dancefloor. Freak Not Freak is arguably the most characterful production on the record. Its appeal comes from the tension between familiar house mechanics and deliberately unusual sound choices. The groove remains functional, but the pads and percussion introduce enough instability to give the track a more psychedelic edge. The final track, Wrong Mindset, takes a different route. Breezy garage-inflected house rhythms give the closing cut a lighter and more fluid character, providing a natural contrast to the darker B-side opener. The track maintains Caiado's emphasis on groove while allowing more space and movement within the arrangement. The four tracks work particularly well as a sequence because Caiado avoids making the EP dependent on a single stylistic formula. Wild Card brings tribal percussion and acid, Life's Too Short moves toward deeper and more soulful house, Freak Not Freak introduces darker and more eccentric textures, and Wrong Mindset closes with a looser garage-house feel. That stylistic range reflects the broader identity of Carpet & Snares Records. Founded in Lisbon in 2014 and managed by Jorge Caiado and Rui Ferreira, the label and record store have developed a catalogue spanning house, techno, electro, breaks and minimal music. CARPET10 therefore functions not only as a Jorge Caiado release but also as a concise expression of the label's wider interest in underground club music. Caiado's role as both producer and label head is central to the release. Freak Not Freak was written and produced by Caiado in Lisbon, mastered by Jorge Lima and distributed through Carpet Distribution. The record also received recognition within Portugal's electronic music scene. A Cabine included Freak Not Freak among its selection of notable Portuguese EPs of 2023, describing Caiado as one of the country's major ambassadors for house music and highlighting the release's importance as a vinyl-focused document of contemporary Portuguese club culture. For DJs, CARPET10 offers four complementary tools rather than four variations of the same track. Wild Card provides a rolling, acid-tinged opener, Life's Too Short brings deeper musicality, Freak Not Freak adds darker rhythmic tension, and Wrong Mindset finishes with a more relaxed garage-house swing. Freak Not Freak ultimately demonstrates why Caiado's productions have remained closely connected to the physical culture of vinyl and the club. The arrangements are concise, the grooves are carefully engineered and every track leaves enough space for the rhythm section to breathe. With CARPET10, Jorge Caiado delivers a record that moves comfortably between deep house, tech house, acid and garage influences while retaining a clear identity throughout. It is a focused statement from both producer and label owner — rooted in Lisbon, informed by house music's history and built squarely for the dancefloor.