Review on: Earth Trax & Newborn Jr. – Maze EP (Dopeness Galore)

Polish producers Earth Trax and Newborn Jr. obviously found a very fruitful way of working together (as their excellent releases on Rhythm Section, Echovolt and Les Yeux Orange prove), now their new record comes via classic Amsterdam label Dopeness Galore. The “Maze EP” shows again that these two guys are familiar with not only one style of electronic music. The “Maze EP” starts with title track “Maze”, a mighty fine piece of Detroitish Techno composed of driving yet still crisp beats, a huge warm bass line and slightly shifting lucend synth harmonies (reminding of Sebastien San‘s “Asylum EP“). “Where There’s A Will, There’s A Way” then is amazing advanced House Music on deep broken beats and pinpoint samples and sounds, dense and pulsating, illustrating the producers skills in expressing a vibe that’s both rough and elegant. “Acid Burn” is not so much Acid Techno but a reverberating bass-driven sci-fi ode to a darker future that looks like Blade Runner, and while it definitely has a groove this ode is beatless. Same goes for “TechNoir” and “Diamond Edge”, cinematic adventures with ambient elements, though they might be a little too vibrant to be actual Ambient. There’s a Balearic easiness with it for sure but there’s also something more epic hidden in the swelling synths that cover “Diamond Edge” like sea foam.
So, on “Maze EP” Earth Trax and Newborn Jr. offer a variety of styles and tempi but, as they know what to do, the whole EP feels remarkably coherent. A Gesamtkunstwerk, you could say. Great music, great producers!