Red Nebula EP
By
Mazzini
Dropping today on Live From The Groove is the latest
offering from Mazzini, the Red Nebula EP. Mazzini is described as a Hip Hop producer who draws inspiration and influence
from the world of television and film. Obsessed by vintage cinema, giving an
insane attention to detail when crafting his often complex and meticulous
projects. A keen purveyor of the obscure, flipping from the screen to the
MPC; Mazzini builds soundscapes with running
themes exploring everything from space travel to the escapades of the New
Jersey Mafia.
As with anything from the Live From
The Groove label, we can expect some high grade Hip Hop vibes mixed with
whatever Mazzini chooses to bring to the table, and to give you an idea of what
to expect at this juncture, the EP is described, in part, as a futuristic
trip, a spaced-out beats odyssey that journeys light years through soulful
loops, edgy electronic elements and raw organic drums. Cinematic in the
extreme, Mazzini experiments with effects from home-made guitar pedals and
painstakingly carves samples from forgotten film and tv soundtracks, 90s
computer games and a plethora of his own nostalgia to create a cosmic
soundscape.
Not only that but, the EP also
features appearances from Dweller, Scrabble and Kansul, guitar and bass from
Rolly and cuts by DJ Simon C. So, this one really ramps up the expectation of
something different and possibly way out there?
If you really want to get an idea of
what’s in store for your ears, then join me as I take you on a journey through
the EP as it comes through my ears and then filters through my consciousness…
As the sound of drums, electronic
vibes and sonic sounds, of Lazers envelopes you, you find yourself on a
launchpad with a brief sensation of expectation before being launched into the
vast reaches of space, surrounded by some intricate lo-fi vibes carry you past
the point of no return and on into orbit around the earth; you catch your
breath as the beauty of home planet comes into full view, lit by the light of
the sun. It’s not long before your attention is drawn to the cosmos beyond the
earth and for a brief moment the thoughts of the universe merge with the image
before you on the computer screen, brought to you by Lines In A Code.
The electronic vibes and heavy drums make the veil between realities blur and
the voice of crew mate Scrabble invade your scrambled awareness, his words
bring thoughts of the digital age and how computer code seems to rule our
lives, making it harder to distinguish just what reality we live in, is it a
3-D world or just a simulation that is generated by the lines of code in the
matrix…
As your mind whirls, almost out of
control, you blink hard and suddenly realise that the pounding drums,
electronic vibes and sampled sounds have taken you beyond the earth’s orbit
further into the galaxy beyond, and as you head ever onward you wonder just
what comes After Earth? It’s not long before a head nod drum beat clears
your vision, with guitar notes and some sampled sounds take you back to 80’s
with electro vibe. The sound comes from crew member Dweller, a Robot, as
his words seem to drift in and out of your awareness, you begin to question you
existence once more; this time his words seem to twist your mind to the point
where you consider the fact that you yourself may be a robotic entity,
programmed to journey beyond earth, looking for a safe haven for those left on
that, and in spite of its beauty, dying planet you just left.
Leaving the orbit of earth, you have
seen much already, your head nods to the beat, guitar, electronic and sampled
sounds of Satellites. These things come in many forms, from the manmade
mechanical devices that surround the earth to the moons and space rock that
orbit other planets. Your journey gives you time to think and you realise how the
satellites and space junk that orbit earth and slowly becoming such a danger to
the planet but, this is a passing though as your mind is drawn away from that
dark thought to the wonderous visions of the satellite moons that you pass by.
The sounds of piano notes draw you back to your journey and the realisation
that your parabolic trajectory has brought you Intra-Venus and as things
heat up, you are joined by crewman Kansul as the beat kicks in with horns and a
multi-layered sound that makes you marvel at the sight before you. The
extra-terrestrial vocals take you into hyperspace, beyond the confines of our
solar system and on into the galaxy beyond. The final track of the EP takes us
to a place that was only thought to exist in the computer game ‘Half-Life’, the
borderland, which is a meeting place of dimensions, XEN, and now we find
ourselves Walking on XEN. Pounding drums echo your foot falls as the
electronic and sonic vibes mirror the strange sights before you on XEN and the
mind bending thoughts that have you questioning, one last time, am I really in this
3-D reality or have I transcended reality and become with the digital universe,
as those questions float by your consciousness, you wonder if they will be
answered or perhaps an answer is now inconsequential…
I have said it many times before and
will probably do so again but, instrumental music really does allow your
consciousness to drift off into places that the world beyond, just does not
allow you to go to. Red Nebula is no exception, even the three tracks
with vocals from Scrabble, Dweller and Kansul, still have that element that
allows you to find new worlds to explore.
What Mazzini does with Red Nebula is
to blend so many elements seamlessly into a Hip Hop based journey that opens
your mind to an almost infinite number of alternate realities, each of which
can blend the borders of reality into a something new, even interstellar, and
yet at the same time, strangely familiar.
The use of live instruments alongside
a plethora of forgotten, and some not so forgotten, samples is stunning, as it
brings a blank canvas to your imagination, taking you anywhere you want to go.
The appearance of Scrabble, Dweller and Kansul, adds an extra dimension to
thing as their vocals bring a focus for your mind to be guided to as you create
your own visions upon the canvas that Mazzini places before you. The other
thing about Red Nebula is that Mazzini seems to bring you a sound that not only
spans across space but, also time as you are transported back to the eighties
from the present and on into the future in the space of less than 25 minutes,
it is a journey that is like no other, or is it?
Red Nebula is one of those EP’s that
has to be heard to know where it will take you and Mazzini has done an
absolutely stellar, or is that Interstellar, job here. It is definitely one I’m
gonna enjoy for a long time to come.
Red Nebula by Mazzini is out on Live
From The Groove today so, grab a copy (the digital version comes with an additional track, Keep Lookin' Up) and drift off beyond spacetime.
I’m gone,
Hopefully I’ll be back for next time…
Steve.
LINKS
To get you copy of the EP and all LFTG links:
https://linktr.ee/livefromthegroove
VIDEOs
The Red Nebula EP YouTube Video (Full EP):
No comments:
Post a Comment