A labyrinth of lush notes and expansive ideas.
Crystal Maze is an exciting collaboration. The team of G-String (of Echovolt and R-A-G) with Marco Antonio Spaventi aka MaSpaventi (M>O>S> and R-A-G) have been active since 2011, starting out with an excellent 12” on aDepth Audio and a superb follow up on Bio Rhythm. It is to aDepth that the twosome return, this time armed with a glut of tracks. Cue debut album, Enter the Maze.
A mist of late night house opens. The tempo remains low as the mood darkens for the intricate acid tinted “Slow Swirl.” Blacker tones follow into “Indian Tape” before ambient abstraction arrives with the aquatic plinks of “Mirrors of Chambre.” Ashen atmospheres are further explored with bass and beats twisting and writhing under a bleak sky. The title track is a subdued piece of translucent Chicago. Light is absorbed by the machine, bleeped out harmonies etching shuttered sounds and bruising bass. Melodies are countered and rhythms repulsed for “Dr Claw” before a charcoal curtain descends with “Trapped.” The close is one of the gems of the album. Techno undercuts the track, warm bliss-filled chords blending seamlessly with crisp claps.
For their first LP Crystal Maze have achieved a refined crossover. House is central, but not the mechanical sounds associated with the genre. Deep house is in here, but not the ever familiar format. Techno is in here too, a smidgen to add a further layer. In many ways, Enter the Maze is Intelligent House, its structures and compositions guiding the listener in a warm drift of analogue dreams. But the last thing needed in this day and age is another sub-genre. A labyrinth of lush notes and expansive ideas.
Enter the Maze is available on aDepth Audio. [Clone | Beatport]
