Known to Music Review World as a highly proficient artist combining various subgenres of EDM and house to produce a result that is potent, engaging and mind-blowing, this current release serves as a compilation of unfinished and unreleased tracks from different phases of his 30-year career in music. This release will include more subgenres roped together to form a cohesive body of art, such as genres like drum and bass, EDM, R&B as well as pop. The songs on this album were little snippets of ideas that were never fully completed or released until now.

ARTLess is described as more than just a ‘compilation’, however. It’s a project that bears Milad Nazeri’s personal touches to it, from start to the end. It reflects the changes he has experienced throughout his career. With significant shifts happening in his personal life, this album is also the last release he will make for a long time. As a symbolic end to a chapter, it quantifies his thoughts, ideas and explorations of his previous phase before things get more uncertain towards the future.

The album also offers a glimpse into the wacky and spontaneous undertones of the creative process, and the journey of making music across many years. This is evident in some of the period-specific influences throughout the album, from 90s R&B to early 2010s EDM. The tracks also represent moments of inspiration, growth and experimentation that were the ‘odd ones out’- never truly fitting into the theme of earlier projects.

Let’s embark on a free, spontaneous, and expectation-less journey… into the world of Milad Nazeri.

The album truly begins with a spectacular number, not being short of energy and intent. ‘Gotta Go’ starts off strong, bringing on the motif of an electronic-heavy soundscape from his previous release, with the new addition of vocals. It gives off a very fresh take on a specific, dynamic subgenre of 90s House, mixed with a bit of Balearic House influences in the swing and the way the bass interacts with the beat itself. In a way, the heavy swing also gives it an unexpected 1920s feel. The vibrance and soul of the vocalist’s voice helps to elevate the effortless suave of the track, as it goes through motions of spatial direction within the panning and mastering methods throughout the track. Honestly, one thing I love about the artist’s music style is how you can ‘pick out’ various genres unfolding at almost every half-measure of the track. The syncopation even mimics Romanian house in some instances of the track. Extremely dynamic, glossy and engaging.

The second track, ‘Lost’, bears a different soundscape. It seems to mix elements of rock, rock-pop and electronic music as well, which I find quite interesting. The way it mixes all of these genres is actually quite subtle, without any clashes inbetween the transitions. This track gives off a more dated sound, reminding of pop ballads from the early 2010s and how they used to mix a four to floor beat with a more pop-esque song structure. Unsurprisingly, the choice of vocals for this track also match the slightly sombre, ‘release of energy’ feel within the song. It has tones of vulnerability, all while providing a bit of an emotional oomph from the EDM techniques. Even though it does sound a little dated initially, the breakdown in the middle of the song gives it a breath of fresh air. It bears a breakbeat, followed by a buildup to a beat drop. I think that’s extremely novel and interesting, and could actually start a movement in terms of new production techniques.

The third track, ‘Come Back’, follows a similar theme to the previous track, expanding upon more sombre and serious themes and methods of execution within the soundscape. It also has the same compositional structure, mixing a pop ballad with slight trap elements and a heavy electronic influence. It has a slight melodic trance note to it, reminding me of tracks from 2007 – 2012. The vocals are very smartly manipulated, giving a layered and autotuned feel. This actually helps to give the track a lot of dimension, after being deceivingly predictable. Once again, the artist shines in the ‘break’ or the bridge of the songs, infusing a fury of genre-bending electronica.

The fourth track, ‘Things Will Never Change’, ironically changes up the flow of the album up til this point. It has a very late 2010 – 2014 electro-R&B fusion to its sound. It almost puts me in the mind of ‘Whatcha Say’ by Jason Derulo, especially with its production and in the chords and percussion. I think this song has a lot of potential as a ‘newer song’ that revives this style of music, but something in the vocals truly throws me off. I’m not sure if its just merely the production, but it lacks a certain authenticity to it. I admit that it’s probably a bias on my end, as it does sound like the output typically produced by artificial intelligence trying to emulate vocals from that time period. Hey, one day the signs of ‘human authenticity’ would also be replicated by AI, don’t you think? I appreciate the slight change in transposition and chord structure within the bridge of the song, as it helps to inject a sense of excitability within the song. If you miss the style of music associated with people like Jordin Sparks, this is definitely the track for you.

The fifth track, ‘Hold your Hand’, delves into a soundscape more in tune with the electro-funk revival associated with acts like Bruno Mars and even modern-day K-Pop bands. It has all the elements of the typical Motown funk sound, mixed with a technological boost and some furnishings of trap music production from the mid 2010s. It has a very ‘crowd-esque’ feel in the vocals and the layering, as if the lyrics were meant to be sung in the midst of a crowd. I’d say that this track is definitely one of the more ‘epic’ tracks on the album, with extremely crisp production and a delectably proficient improvision in the bridge. The production on the vocals reminds me of what Zapp and Roger could’ve been if they came out on the scene today. It has a very, very immersive soundscape. This song will envelope you and your whole consciousness as you listen to it, blocking everything out. I find that quality quite fascinating.

The sixth track, ‘Livin a Dream’ amplifies the previous theme of electro-funk even more, with a definite 80s funk-pop influence. If I mentioned Zapp and Roger before, this song is even more of that- it’s like as if Computer Love had a hardware upgrade. It is very metallic in its feel, and dynamic as well. If this song has a colour, it would be gold and silver with accents of purple. The way the chords and the melodies hug each other in this track is truly solid, complete with the vaporwave feel of the beat itself. I think this track is almost genius in its execution. I typically abhor tracks from today that have an 80s influence, as I think it’s overdone and it never really sounds ‘new’ or futuristic enough. However, this track is a very rare exception.

The seventh track, ‘Falling to Pieces’ is an emotional piece that takes you through a more sombre, yet determined sequence. It feels like a mixture of modern indie rock and a bit of OneRepublic, mixed with the vocal tone of a person influenced by Tears for Fears. I get the intent of this track, but personally, it’s a bit too commercial and predictable for me. I wholly acknowledge that this is my subjective preference, and I think this track has the capability to resonate with A LOT more people given the emotional depth and intensity within this track. It has slight elements of dubstep and trip hop, giving the track an edgier feel instead of merely being a sad story.

The eighth track, ‘Made for You’ unfortunately sounds like the most generic song on the album thus far. I can’t help but think of songs produced by Stargate specifically from 2010 to 2012 within this song. It’s not a bad song at all, the production is wonderful, and the composition is adequate, but it just does not stick out to me at all, given the high proficiency of all of the other songs on the album. The bridge within this song does save the song a little bit, but unless you’re a huge fan or have a personal bias towards songs like this, it won’t wow you.

The ninth track, ‘Dance Like’, starts off with a very ‘crowd-intensive’ intro, as if it were meant to build up a crowd and hype them up. Honestly, it’s very potent and energetic, and I think even if you don’t have a personal bias towards songs like this, you’d definitely understand and feel the intent of the track. It still mixes elements from neo-funk with Nazeri’s signature style, mixed with elements of dubstep as well. This is also another immersive track that I can picture a vivid dance number too. It is also very innovative, in terms of the bridge- it has very minor aspects of acid as well.

The tenth track, ‘Tonight’, dives deeper into heavier dubstep-electropop soundscapes. I can’t help but also think that this particular track bears a strong similarity to 3OH!3’s work, in particular, songs like ‘STARSTRUKK’. It also reminds me of Pitbull’s rebrand into more dance-pop and electronic heavy party songs from the early 2010s. It does have aspects of breakbeat, but I feel like this song would fare better without being pigeonholed into a particularly ‘2010s’ party song by eliminating the vocals. The tone of the vocals and the type of voices sprinkled throughout the album definitely gives a limitation to the impression of some of the tracks.

The eleventh track, ‘My Gift’, mellows things off from the previous track by going more into a softer, delicate and emotionally potent number. It still has flairs of electronica sprinkled throughout each measure of the backing track, but the lyrical tone and the chord structure definitely makes it more sentimental, which I’m sure is done on purpose to have thematic consistency within this track. One of the stars to me in this track is actually the bass. It’s not necessarily the main star of the track, but it ties it all together- being the middle ground between the electronic motifs and the slightly more acoustic influences. The little motifs sprinkled throughout the track are also significant from the perspective of sound design, as it helps to give the song some metaphorical sparkles.

Finally, the album closes with the track ‘Epilogue’, an intense and powerful track to end the album with. It definitely bears a drum ‘n’ bass background, but it has dimensions by adding influences like tribal house and breakbeat to it as well. The rogue vocals in the track also remind me of the frenzy behind the track ‘Smack my B—- Up’ by The Prodigy. In a weird way, this track feels like a complete zeitgeist. It’s chaotic, but not sporadic, it has a direction. It fits the uncertainty and the level of intensity behind things these days. I think this song definitely has universal appeal, with its fast pace and dynamic motion. It almost reminds me of a more cyberpunk version of the premise of Crazy Frog’s Axel F video. The bass is also extremely significant in this track, softening the punches of the percussion without dulling its essence at all. The track is also very well-mastered.

Even though some of the tracks on the album do sound dated, the production and intent behind all of these tracks definitely make it where all of the songs still stick out and have their own merit to them. Milad Nazeri once again displays his proficiency to make commercially appealing music without sacrificing experimentation and musical variability, with stellar mastering and very interesting musical choices. He’s definitely an artist that keeps you on your toes, and this quality is quite apparent throughout the course of this album. In a way, if this is his last release for a while, it makes me quite sad. We need more people like this to take risks and push the edge of music without sacrificing any level of proficiency. The songs play out vividly, with all of them having ‘mini-movies’ play out while you listen to them. Extremely immersive, as if the songs were meant to be used in tandem with virtual reality.

Score/Excellent: Milad Nazeri returns with a wonderfully immersive and artistically diverse album, called ‘ArtLESS’. You will definitely go through many journeys within this release, as it entirely encapsulates you into each and every subtheme within each song. It’s wonderfully mastered, fresh and filled with more musical goodies as each second goes by. A release that will definitely keep you on your toes and never bore you.

[We rank singles, EPs, and albums on a scale of Poor, Mediocre, Good, Excellent, and Outstanding]

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Where to?

I don’t know yet.

These were the first thoughts that crossed my mind as soon as I heard the new Brendan Blake’s Zipline Series No.4

The Irish Musician Brendan Blake, who currently lives in Western Australia, has finally debuted with his first project that is clearly inspired by dance hall, EDM & house music. Brendan’s ability to create a new and exciting adventure has swiftly immersed me in his venture, but was it able to hold me all the way through?

Let’s take a look at what it is;

From the beginning, when we start listening to the record, we are immediately into the story of Blake’s adventure.

The first time I turned up the record, I was biking around my city and seeking some sort of inspiration, and truthfully, this is what this album is for. It is a long ride where you start from the more or less common ground just to be elevated into the eerie sound a few minutes later.

What I instantly noticed about the Zipline Series No.4 is how seamlessly it transitions from one idea to another, creating a fascinating and unique narrative for me. The album only features the music accompaniment without any lyrics, leaving the rest up to your imagination in the way you would want to imagine the environment of the soundscape.

It is not your standard record that could be divided into something more simplistic, rather; it is the experience of being around it. Whether it is the cinematic synths that will immerse you in the futuristic world or the electrifying dance loop giving you the feel of adrenaline hinting at the exuberant nightlife, both work pretty well.

For example, the particular narrative that I created in my head during the record is that we all have the same start, but we all have different endings. As even the artist himself shares:

Back in 2000, I left San Francisco after having a great two years of fun and dance, going to music clubs and gigs around the city. Then Came the first introduction to DAW’S. Now, I had a sound built in my head that could be brought to life. It has taken 10 years since then to create a series of an album.

There might have been plenty of people that were at the club that day, but this journey of the artist has led us to this exact moment, which, for me, personally captures the whole idea of the record.

During the album, you will be introduced to plenty of the ideas, and with some being exceptionally executed, such as at the initiation of the record, some closer to the middle might signal a lack of proper implementation. The sudden abruption of some pieces demonstrates a certain lack of structure within the record and seldom resembles the raw pieces that were blended together.

I truly liked what Brendan did in the first part when the dynamic EDM took over the melodic and more classy jazz house sound, which is set to be further developed into a bizarre and spacey sound bolstered by illuminating synths.

Despite the great presentation of Blake’s ideas, sometimes it may become too monotonous. Blake frequently uses one melody as the base of the sound to build up on it, but occasionally, it feels like the build-up was either too early or too late.

Blake’s motives are primarily showcased within the span of 20 minutes, highlighting his exceptional use of synths and blending of house and EDM genres with a subtle touch of psychedelia. However, after the 20-minute mark, it starts to get slightly repetitive and blurry in terms of where the author wants to go.

The clear lack of structure from track to track is quite evident, and despite the outstanding implementation on the first third of the record, Brendan starts repeating himself unintentionally.

I found Blake’s ventures to use the jazz influence in house music to be the most ambitious, as they add another layer to an already multidimensional sound. However, the problem is that these start to feel too prolonged.

Whereas at first, the mysterious and futuristic atmosphere added certain ambiguity to it, after a while, the path of the record began to become much more predictable.

I must say, I enjoy the overall soundscape of the album, and the feelings that it has evoked within me, but I am quite doubtful about the record’s re-playability and length.

Zipline series No.4 doesn’t feel like one certain unit. It is a mix of ideas that all got together into the same environment, with each one trying to prove that it is better than the other one.

Whether it is a more laid-back atmosphere or more striking, it is simply a matter of time before one is replaced by another. With a quiet stretched-out run time, the record cannot let multiple ideas shine as brightly as one.

Score/Good: Overall, I relived an interesting experience with a record. It wasn’t a mind-blowing reinvention of my view of electronic music, but it certainly evoked some positive emotions in me. I personally think that the record would have been better if it were shortened by half of its runtime. This way, it could have included most of the captivating soundscapes while avoiding excessive repetition, making it more enjoyable to replay. So, if you are looking for a record to accompany a long drive or a late-night brainstorming session, Zipline Series No.4 could be a perfect choice for that.

[We rank singles, EPs, and albums on a scale of Poor, Mediocre, Good, Excellent, and Outstanding]

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The charisma radiating off ‘Erotica’, an Indie/House song that champions CAROLYN’s skills in lyric writing and composing, immediately feels like something that should be expected from an artist already practiced and well-versed in their music style, not from a musician taking their first step into the industry. It is impressive then, that CAROLYN sounds so self-assured and comfortable on this track, which is a quality that makes ‘Erotica’ even more enjoyable and mesmerising to listen to.

As soon as ‘Erotica’ springs to life, the listener is transported to a faraway setting as melodious vocalisations pleasantly greet their ears and a sprightly dance beat steps innocuously into the mix. CAROLYN’s vocals are no doubt the highlight of this dreamy ambiance; her soothing yet seductive voice inviting listeners to bask in the wistful charm of this track. The starting lyrics also seem somewhat otherworldly: “Erotica, I am so exotica…” which CAROLYN sings in a moody, yet mellow tone that instantly succeeds in captivating audiences from the beginning of the track.

The song’s instrumental is both stimulating with its integration of a steady dance beat and undeniably ethereal; the groovy bass guitar riff beneath the vocal mix adding a light and airy quality to the track that is wondrously addictive. The song retains an even tempo throughout; its subtle incorporation of key elements of House music into an Indie base lends ‘Erotica’ a simple and unique elegance that is just too good to ignore.

The verses are decidedly more stripped-back; CAROLYN’s versatile and resounding voice is omnipresent over the playful bass line. Her delivery of the lyrics “You wanna touch me, you wanna rush me” is suggestive while still maintaining a melodiously soulful presence that diffuses throughout the track.

The appeal of ‘Erotica’ lies not only in the charm of its catchy minimalistic instrumental or the smoky voice of CAROLYN, but in the pairing of lines such as “Your hands on my skin, think about me” and the compellingly evocative tone that CAROLYN achieves through the smooth timbre of her vocals. During the song, listeners will be tempted to sink into this serene ambiance while still swaying to the lively beat.

The song brilliantly illustrates the speaker’s attraction to a love interest; expressing the strong desire she struggles to contain for him (“I don’t know Mama, he’s a problem”). The understated composition of the song really contributes to the tone of maturity and intimacy, with only CAROLYN’s vocals at the forefront of the mix.

‘Erotica’ soon branches out into even dreamier territory as CAROLYN exquisitely croons “I clear my head, on the beach of Marbella” over the soft strums of an electric guitar. The tropical, beachy feel of the track is amplified tenfold by the arrangement here; a quality that will unquestionably tempt listeners in with its sound of early warming summer vibes.

Finally fading out with some sunny vocalisations and a faint acoustic guitar accompaniment, ‘Erotica’ suitably ends on a celestial note; the echoing of the vocals allowing the atmospheric allure of the track to linger on long after the song is drawn to a close.

Score/Excellent: CAROLYN has superbly showcased her skills both to charm and attract audiences with her expert songwriting and bold voice. From the very first listen, ‘Erotica’s dreamy summer ambiance will appeal to listeners far and wide; effortlessly compelling audiences to submit to the song’s cool fusion of Dance and Indie. This may be the first time CAROLYN steals attention for her captivating voice and smooth music style, but it certainly will not be the last.

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[We rank singles, EPs, and albums on a scale of Poor, Mediocre, Good, Excellent, and Outstanding]

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In today’s review, we will explore Milad Nazeri’s newest release, titled ‘Sounds Like Mi’. You can probably infer from my initial paragraph that he is truly a multidisciplinarian as well. He bears expertise through dynamic contributions to TV and film soundtracks, as well as the virtual reality gaming world. An esteemed music composer and producer, ‘Sounds Like Mi’ marks his debut as a house artist. He has spent his career crafting soundtracks and music for high-profile clients such as ‘Ghostbusters’, ‘Grown Ups 2’, ‘Texas Chainsaw Massacre’, ‘Keeping Up with the Kardashians’, and ‘Zookeeper’.

A step aside from his repertoire, this album marks a milestone in his career as a culmination of his multidimensional level of creativity and deep connection to dance and electronic music. It also pays homage to his musical roots, going back to the vibrant Dallas rave scene of his youth. Through garnering sheer experience from performing live sets at underground raves, formal piano training, venturing into the advertising realm as well as innovating in virtual reality gaming at Google, he accumulated a creative base that sprawled out into this groundbreaking album.

Milad Nazeri describes the album, as quoted, “This album is not just a collection of tracks; it’s a personal story, a manifestation of my artistic journey. I’ve always been passionate about dance music, and ‘Sounds Like Mi’ is a tribute to the beats that have inspired me throughout my life. The album is energetic, funky, melodic, and embodies the essence of my musical identity.”

Thus far, these aspects look promising. Let’s dive into the album and find out if it is true to its description, and immerse ourselves in the world of multidimensional creativity.

The album starts off immensely promising. The first track, ‘Fabulous’, instantly puts me in the mind of house tracks from ’07 – ’08. It truly has a very all-rounded late 00s house feel, which is quite interesting to hear in this time and age. Very reminiscent of the house soundtrack from the computer game ‘Jojo’s Fashion Show: World Tour’, which to me, was an introduction to house music in my young and impressionable brain. It also bears a lot of similarity to works by Benny Benassi. It starts with a very funky musical motif, as well as existential chords that give the song a lot of character. The bass in this song bears more musical variability and motivic variation than most house songs as well. There are elements of glitch in this song as well, which gives it an edge and a unique musical scope. I absolutely adore how there are aspects of 80s funk as well, to contrast the otherwise 70s funk. The addition of piano trills as well as tambourines in the background give this song an extra layer of excitation and ingenuity. In terms of the synthesizers, the saw leads have variations at the end of certain measures. Surprisingly, towards the mark at 2:50, I find the piano also reminiscent of salon/ragtime piano. The track is definitely dynamic, with various pieces and influences merging in a stylistic and sophisticated fashion. Highly recommend.

The second track, ‘Beyond’, also follows the same time period influence the previous tracks bear. The bass in this particular track is definitely deeper, giving the listener a more immersive feel. In terms of harmony, it is extremely rich and almost ventures into deep house territory. The horn instruments in this track give this track a neo-70s feel, which transports the time influence to the 00s as well. I find the addition of the squaretooth wave very calming, if I had a colour to describe it, I’d describe it as a cool, neon-blue. The melodies in this song bear some similarity also to the hyper-vocoder quirks of Hausa music, with a backdrop of a soundscape with unique filters. The use of filters in this song is prominent, with one reminiscent of white noise and the other possibly being a high-pass or a band filter. The save from the breakdown of the song is extremely poignant, with the recurrent piano notes, variation in beat and willingness to be unique in terms of manipulation of synthesizers. Another highly recommended track.

‘Flying High’, the subsequent track, to me sounds like a combination between the old and the new when it comes to electronic music. It starts with an almost pentatonic melodic trill, with an 80s feel to it. That paints the picture of futurism itself. It then bears horns that remind me a lot of 70s music, specifically the horns that Fela Kuti used to use. I presume the techniques used in this song relate to sidechaining as well as ducking when it comes to synths. The emotional tone of the song is also quite rich in emotion, due to its harmonic structure. Some of the harmonic inflections are reminiscent of Bobby Valentino’s ‘Slow Down’. It bears very, very deep emotion, be it intentional or not. The arpeggiation towards the middle of the song bear a call-and-response between sawtooth waves and sine waves. Some of the beats and claps used in this also give it a slight element of 90s house music, all within the ascending and descending soundscape. Interestingly, I also hear the use of a strong bass guitar with a dynamic bass pattern. It truly is a unique song.

‘Boogie’, the fourth track, starts off very strong with a dreamy and hyperfuturistic soundscape. The combination of airy, choral vocals with the chords chosen give it an almost dreamy and out-of-world experience. The inharmonic inflection on the bass makes it definitely more experimental, but it gives the track such an outstanding quality. The descending nature of the main melody throughout the song gives it a very definite musicality. The phaser with what I assume to be an electric piano makes the song even more dreamy, and the strings in the distance give this song a slight tinge of space-age music. The elements of the effects give it more of a glitch feel as well, and is reminiscent of late 2000s house music. I’d say this is one of the most existential and futuristic tracks of the entire album. It is almost too overwhelming to analyse, because of how deep the framework of the song sounds. The choral vocals in the background descend into sheer delightful cacophony, with the effects drawing you in and out of a mental loop. It definitely puts me in the mind of the song of ‘Maram Kothiye’ by A.R. Rahman, but more advanced and musically competent, in my honest judgment. Definitely recommended.

The fifth track, ‘Just Us’, has a very strong funk and urban samba feel to it. It definitely blends a lot of aspects of early 2000s house music with funkier elements. The dots of synthesized sounds give it a futuristic edge, but it complements the timbre of it. Its harmonies are extremely soothing as well as dynamic. There is also a very prominent funky bass in this song, which makes me feel like as if one of Michael Jackson’s works from the late 70s was reworked. It also has the feel of ‘ascension’ towards the entire song, as it builds up and then descends continuously. It gets more jazzy towards the end, and the chord progressions are impressive. Highly recommended.

‘Butter’, the sixth track, starts with an almost tropical feel as the synthesizers remind me of a steel pan. It is quite upbeat and upfront, with an impressive buildup due to the hard beats as well as the funky bass. The main melodic synthesizer maintains quite a light tone throughout the whole song, that gives it quite a ‘cute’ feel. This aspect of the song reminds me of a lot of disco-house or electronic music in general from the mid 2010s. However, towards the middle of the song, that aspect of the song gets switched up a little bit with soulful chords that detract from purely interpreting the song as lightweight. This is honestly a cute song. It also bears more of a resemblance to Latvian deep house, specifically ‘Blood Grooves & Kikis’. It is a unique track that emphasizes the musical variability between the bass, chords and the ‘steel pan’ type melody.

‘Flippin’ Out’, which is the seventh track, starts with a completely different feel from the previous track. It almost has elements of a tribal house, counteracted with hyper futuristic 80s house. The synthesizers in this definitely have a unique filter. The various instruments in this also sound like they have a portamento. That gives the instruments in this song a ‘gliding’ feel, between the notes and the pitch constantly shifting. Due to this form of sound manipulation, it gives the song almost that of a ‘rush’ feel. Definitely true to its title, of course. This song also puts me in the mind of a more dynamic version of ‘Jet Lag Slave’. The quirks in the bass also have melodic resemblance to some funk tracks. In terms of sound design, this is one of the more impressive tracks.

The eighth track, ‘Pump and Dump’, is slightly more industrial. It starts off with very sassy and inviting notes, but the vocoder used in this gives it a very hyperfuturistic and interesting feel. This song also ventures more towards the glitch aspect of house, with the way the instrumentation is set up. The harshness of the song oddly complements both the vocoder aspect and the rest of the subsequent melodies in the background of this track. I love the breakdown of the piano in the middle, as its tenderness balances out how harsh the rest of the song is. The juxtaposition of these two aspects give it a sort of musical balance in its theme. The way the song ‘warps’ at certain measures of the song is also very innovative. Other clips of glitch sounds are added throughout the instrumentation, with more sprinkles of other instruments and a funk influence. I find it interesting how the artist manages to add a little bit of funk in every single track, regardless of stylistic theme. Quite a delight!

The ninth track, ‘Pressure’, starts off strong with more of an industrial and futuristic feel. I can hear the lyrics, ‘Pressure’ emanating from the vocoder, but the cadence makes it part of the instrumentation itself. The hyper saw in this gives it the feel of a large sports arena, and the tempo as well as the steadfast beat honestly gives this song more of a ‘sporty’ feel. Once again, a very ingenious use of juxtaposition is invoked with the use of a tender, tingly sound that almost goes into a sixteenth note triplet that reminds me of the ‘segment-to-rap’ part in the music video of ‘Black or White’ by Michael Jackson. It is a very hard-hitting and soothing track at the same time. The chord that comes in at every eight measures makes it dreamy. This song reminds me of a more militaristic version of ‘Thottal Poomalarum’ towards the end of the song. Recommended.

The tenth track, ‘Bang Bang’, reminds me of a combination of dreamy 80s tingly inflections combined with the vocal chopping techniques employed by Art of Noise in their earlier works. It is contrasted with a trance-like futurism and even elements of acid in this track. It definitely is very hard-hitting, but has elements of tender musicality throughout. A quite unique technique that is frankly employed throughout the album. Some of the synthesizer sounds in this track oscillate between Kraftwerk traditionalism and early 2010s futurism. I like the way the song descends into almost pure acid house towards the end of the song.

‘Mess Around’, the eleventh track, starts off with a melodic tune that once again, if used in isolate, reminds me of old Hausa songs. Almost pentatonic at first, it expands upon itself. It then descends into a circular easy-listening-like chord structure, that also has elements of lounge. I can hear the tinges of funk pumped into this song, with the steady groove of the song frankly being the glue to the rest of the elements of the song. The horns used at some aspects of this song give it a little bit more of a flair, and I hear slight tinges of acid as well as German-influenced house music. This song portray’s the artist amazing skill at chopping up little elements of different genres that may seem like they may not go together into one cohesive art form. Truly, even though it still falls under the scope of electronic and house, I find this song to be very truly multi-genre.

The twelfth track, Better Late, begins with tender chords and instrumentation that really reminds me of some of Vikter Duplaix’s work. It definitely is very jazzy, and sombre in the best way possible. The arpeggiation gives this tender song the forward technicality it requires to fit the rest of the album stylistically, and the slight inserts of vocals and piano give it musical variability. This song truly is a treat to the brain. It also reminds me of a lot of Frankie Knuckles’ works. The dance between ascending, descending, arpeggiation and chromaticism work in a tango in this particular song. This song definitely sticks true to the house genre. I really love the solo improv of piano towards the end, it reminds me of Mark Garson.

Lastly, Uncover ends the album with horns that remind me of samba and a whole lot of flair. The piano in the background holds a very constant pattern, while the synthesis in the midst of all of these musical aspects is extremely unique. The infusion of funk, once again, is truly apparent, with a 70s feel to it. In the middle of the song, it switches up and the intervallic structure starts to emulate trance more than house actually. It also has a feel of eurohouse to it. It is quite upbeat, peppy and some of the percussive elements contrasted with the funky bass also remind me of darbuka patterns.

All in all, this entire album has truly been amazing to listen to. Usually I’d point out certain critiques with aspects of the song, but as a cohesive album it does stay true to its description and does have a consistent musical theme (even if experimental) throughout the entire duration. Much like Milad Nazeri’s multidisciplinary nature, songs throughout the album have various aspects of multiple genres that gel well. Throughout the entire scope of the album, the choice of musical synthesis, arrangements as well as compositions have been quite excellent and not to forget the elephant in the room- all of the songs have been mastered well. All aspects of instrumentation managed to shine, even if it didn’t seem like they could gel. The only tiny critique of this album that I do have is the fact that funk is infused in almost every single track- it is musically very interesting, and I do like it, but sometimes it can overshadow the track and make it sound like it does have a 70s house influence. Perhaps with further refinement and melodic variation, these aspects of funk could be re-engineered to avoid this potential pigeonholing bias a listener might have.

Otherwise, a solid body of work.

Score/Outstanding: It definitely is one of the better pure house albums out there. With the artist’s inevitable ability to be unique, and infuse quirks from various different genres into a cohesive house song, it definitely delivers on what it intended to do. As an album, all songs have great replay value and gel together perfectly. Besides being an outstanding house album, it is a great ‘album’ in of itself.

[We rank singles, EPs, and albums on a scale of Poor, Mediocre, Good, Excellent, and Outstanding]

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