Daniel Maze – »Red After Image« (Serein)

Refreshing Electropop Psychedelica // Daniel Maze is a name you stumble about every now and then. Despite his new record for the Welsh Serein Netlabel, Vancouver-boy Maze has an opulent discography in the back including releases for Test Tube, EKO, 12rec. and many more. His electronic music incorporates diverse genres from glitch to Pop. “Red After Image” is Daniel Maze’ masterpiece.

While some of his former releases were either a bit too poppy or a bit too noisy for me, his full-length debut is just right. Not only well-balanced and “quality music” in terms of craftsmanship, slippy Maze can’t be hold to any style conventions. “Delightfully strange”, as Huw Roberts puts it on the liner notes.

Warm in tone and texture, Maze mixes processed instruments like flutes and strings with a lot of crackling noise and programed beats. His melodies are splendid and lush and create an artificial 70’s Progrock-feel that goes along with the analog sound very well. The idea seems to resemble Jan Jelinek’s approach to Krautrock on Kosmischer Pitch.

It is hard to pick certain songs as the whole album works best at full listen… my personal favorites are the first three tunes: “Steampunk” for it’s wishful slide guitar, the flutes and the wafting beats, “Nested Companion Template” with it’s cut-up vocal samples huge tonal synth-pads and finally “Subtropical Blasting Officier” which is just an incredibly weird piece of, well, Maze muzak. Yummy.

<img class=”alignnone” src=”http://serein.co.uk/music/ser016/artwork/c-spread.jpg”

Don’t forget to check the delicious artwork!