Crosstown Rebels opened its 2026 schedule with a label debut from Romania’s Cristi Cons, who delivered a three-track EP titled Give Me Love.The release focused on rhythm, tension, and hypnotic club function, and it framed his groove-led approach in a direct, late-night format that fits the label’s lane.
The title cut Give Me Love ran on subtle vocal refrains, darker atmospheric layers, and a rolling groove built for long blends and peak-hour pressure. Can You Hear Me shifted into a sleeker pulse, with dubby textures, restrained bass weight, hook-forward vocal moments, and a tight groove that stayed locked without crowding the low end.
You Ain’t Got Nothin’ closed the EP with bright synth work, tight drum programming, and another round of vocal use that kept the focus on forward movement.
Cristi Cons arrived with a long track record in Romania’s underground through solo releases, his SIT project with Vlad Caia, and their shared Amphia imprint, and he has also connected with Raresh through their Verico project with Caia. Give Me Love extended that arc into the Crosstown Rebels context, and it set a strong tone for his first release on Damian Lazarus’ label as the year kicked off.
Arturia OP-Xa V
For the main hook of the song I used the Arturia OP-Xa V which is a faithful recreation of the classic Oberheim OB-Xa, popular for its wide brassy tone. I started out with the Celeste patch but tweaked the filter modulation and both envelopes to have it interact well with the stabs and vocal shots creating a call response feel between elements.
Something I typically do, regardless if it’s a plugin or an actual synth, is automate parameters while the arrangement is playing to create modulation or “movement” in the patch. When using hardware synths, I would record the audio and edit it afterwards, but in this instance I recorded MIDI modulation directly on the plugin patch.
LiquidSonics Seventh Heaven
My go to reverb for drums and vocals is the “Seventh Heaven” by Liquidsonics. It’s the closest emulation of the Bricasti M7 and it’s nothing short of amazing. In this project I used it on a return track, sending the snare, clap, percussion and hihats, but the send levels were carefully controlled so it enhanced space without muddying the mix or blurring the drums.
The price point for this is quite high but for those willing to invest it is definitely worth it. I encourage fellow music makers to also try it out on vocals or synths with long decay times, resample the audio and play around with the end results.
Sidechain tool – oeksound soothe2
Another Swiss Army knife tool is Soothe2 by Oeksound.
In this instance, I used it to sidechain the bass to the kick using this particular preset, which I discovered in a mixing video with Grammy Award-winning engineer Jaycen Joshua. To quote his words, it’s the fastest sidechain available on the market.
Mix bus glue – UAD API 2500 clone
In my work template, I use a mix bus where I send everything before hitting the master channel.
The compressor that glues everything together is the API 2500 clone from UAD, based on a template I’ve tweaked over the years. On the mix bus channel, I typically use the slowest attack and the fastest or second-fastest release (depending on the tempo of the song), aiming for no more than 1.5 to 2 dB of gain reduction.
To my ears, it gives a nice lift and glues everything naturally without destroying the dynamics. Another way I sometimes use it is on a return track with more extreme settings, for example, 15 to 20 dB of gain reduction with a shorter attack and fast release, then subtly blend that with the drums group to add extra character.
Bonus tips for creating this style of house
- Groove is essential – if it doesn’t swing without the bassline, your drums aren’t ready yet. Shuffle your hi-hats, nudge your claps, and let the rhythm breathe.
- The bassline should “talk” to the kick – the low end should feel like conversation, tight, warm and hypnotic.
- Emotion over perfection – slighty detune synths, subtle saturation, imperfect timing, that’s the human touch that makes us connect with music and keeps things exciting.
The post How It Was Made: Cristi Cons – Give Me Love appeared first on Magnetic Magazine.