It seems, that iO (Mulen) stopped holding himself back, like, totally, because his new release on his own Mulen Records sounds like a banger even according to his standards. Having started with the minimalistic sound he was slowly moving into the territory of belters long ago – look at Whiteloops/Blackloops labels, at least. But all of that was just like elements – the mood was usually minimalistic. But this one – oh, boy…
So, “Ecstasy”. The main banger in the history of Mulen Records and, probably, the best image of the evolution of this label. 0% of minimalism, hard kick from the first seconds instead. Don’t even think about some mellow vibes – rave chords will be stabbing you during the whole 8 minutes. A parade of additional samples and additional background noises will make these 8 minutes the fastest in your life. Altogether it could seem like some kind of post-irony, but that’s only if you don’t know Alex personally. It seems, that he found a perfect formula of retrofuturism and will implement it into all his future releases. The only thing is whether you like that sound or not (I do).
But, that was just one of the four. The hardest one, but not the only banger on the record. “Deep In My Soul” is not THAT bold, but could still do a lot of damage. Some Man/ipulate vibes are definitely there and it can’t be a bad sign.
Probably my second favorite track here is “Edge Of Infinity” at the B1. With that just perfect bassline on the back and that touch of some classic Italian house vibe (on some stimulators, though). Still, my favorite moment is only at 5:15, when the bassline is coming at the front. Would love to hear some remixes, focused on it only. “Air Gap” is finishing the EP with some more rave chords, blended into some different melodies. Like every single one here, worked on the crowd perfectly. Tested. This whole B-side, by the way, was written during the war period, definitely worth a mention.
Mulen Records is waiting for your pre-orders, so if you want to see that spinning roulette on your home players – you better go to Juno, Deejay, Decks or wherever you’re buying your wax.
More information on iO (Mulen)
Trommel| Facebook | Resident Advisor | Soundcloud | Bandcamp | Instagram | Discogs
More information on Mulen Records
Facebook | SoundCloud | Discogs
This article was written in Ukraine. Ukraine is in the middle of the war with Russia right now. Would be great if you could donate to the biggest Ukrainian volunteer fund here. Also, you can pick any music initiative, that is also trying to help from our list here. We’ll be stronger together.
