Lake Haze trades in his signature atmospheric style for a funkier groove on his latest EP, Geonomic Fusion. Prioritizing acid leads and steady grooves, the Lisbon-based producer presents seven electro tracks that seem old-school inspired, but that don’t come off as dusty in any way.
Prioritizing acid leads and steady grooves
Lake Haze trades in his signature atmospheric style for a funkier groove on his latest EP, Geonomic Fusion. Prioritizing acid leads and steady grooves, the Lisbon-based producer presents seven electro tracks that seem old-school inspired, but that don’t come off as dusty in any way. The rhythms are quite modern, mainly thanks to some hefty kicks, which distance the music from the more traditional claps or cowbells you’d hear in ’80s and ’90s electro, as well as contributing to the heaviness of the songs themselves.
The opening tune is the best example of this, as well as my favorite track due to how energetic it is, being slightly faster than most others. “Astral Waves” kicks off right into business, with its steady kicks and rattling hi-hats, but it’s the acid that ultimately sets off the piece. There’s some nice atmosphere too in the meatier portions of the track, balancing out its friskiness.
By comparison, the following “Particles Collision” is as dry as a desert. The groove is more forthright, as there’s less cymbal spazz—they only pop up occasionally or are much quieter than the rest of the drums; this makes it so the kicks and the claps take over significantly, alternating between the heavy thumps of the former with the bright accents of the latter to create a satisfying pattern. The track mostly focuses on that, as well as plenty of other percussive add-ons that spice up the lead groove, but as far as melodic or atmospheric parts go, there’s practically none in this track, making it quite hefty.
“Nucleosynthesis” and “Cobalt Crevasse” are much gentler instead, and “Cobalt Crevasse” in particular stands out as one of the EP’s highlights. The icy chords and the beeping synth melody give the piece a lot of character, making it both immersive and as bubbly as every other track. Acid synths are also not missing, of course, but they don’t act as the protagonist in this case, given how good the rest of the track already is.
The last three tracks get back into banger territory, with the title track in particular being the standout. While rather docile, it creates good momentum with how it sets a steady four on the floor two thirds in, while the rest of the song is a bit more articulate with its grooves. “Biometric Network” is also solid, as it’s a bit more eerie than the rest of the EP, while the closing “Gravitational Lensing” is the only piece I find to be a bit unsatisfying, as it doesn’t really stick out from the pack.
All in all, Geonomic Fusion might be what you’re looking for if you’re missing a couple tracks for your next electro mix. The pieces are pretty transparent and effective, leaving a bit of room to play with, but also making them quite nice on their own. “Astral Waves” and “Cobalt Crevasse” are especially impressive—definitely not to be missed.
“Drawing influence from legendary producers like Optic Nerve, Drexciya, and Cybonix.” ~Clone
Geonomic Fusion is available on Clone. [Bandcamp | Clone]
