Back in 2018, Taku joined up with Jakarta Records to start a new imprint called 823, the numerical representation of the phrase, “Thinking of you.” Essentially, it has served as a way for Taku to put out smaller releases from lesser known artists and hopefully give them more exposure. Previous releases have come from quickly, quickly and Kuzich, as well as Taku’s collaboration with Matt McWaters, Please Wait. It’s been a minute since the last 823 release, but now they have a new Australian producer to introduce, Cabu, who releases his sophomore EP, So Far To Go.

Cabu is a producer from Sydney who has been making beats for a few years, but he hasn’t had much in the way of polished, official releases. This is where a label like 823 really helps out. In releasing So Far To Go, audiences can finally see the potential of Cabu as a pop producer play out. Over the course of seven tracks, we get to hear collaborations with Kamaliza, Gabby Nacua, Pastel, Young Franco, NOÉ, Milan Ring, and Taku. If you don’t know any of these Australian artists, you’ll definitely be looking them up after listening to this EP, because there is a lot of talent there and they all have great chemistry with Cabu. One thing that comes through in terms of Cabu’s production is the joyous bounce he has to a lot of his beats. You can just feel that energy coming through the speakers. He’s drawing upon hip hop, R&B, and dance music to make his own style of danceable pop-friendly beats, and he’s good at creating hooks that will immediately stick with you. Everything just feels natural and familiar, with these sunny vibes that will make you want to break out this music at a summer dance party.

So Far To Go is a great next step for Cabu, giving us a taste of what he’s capable of as a producer and introducing us to a lot of other Australian talents in the process. Hopefully he can continue to build upon this foundation and give us even bigger bangers in the near future.