Review: Agents Of Time return to Afterlife with the 'Midnight Drive In Santiago', EP following on from their debut Forest Of Lies in 2018. Though they fit well within the Afterlife oeuvre, the Chilean trio nonetheless channel a singular sound, bringing synthy, Miami-vice-gripped arp builds to a downtempo pace, amounting to a no less than composed but exciting take on the vintage sonic sublime. Most of us haven't been to Santiago to experience what it might be like to night-drive there; but we're more than sure that this EP will still survive the car test and provide a worthy vicarious alternative, with the toothy cascades and chromatic synth swells of 'Midnight Drive' and emergent arps of 'Chain Reaction' making for a compelling second-best.
Review: Given that it was undoubtedly one of the highlights of the 2021 Stephan Bodzin album that shares its name, it is genuinely great to see 'Boavista' finally get a single release. Nestled here on side A, Bodzin's original version is utterly gorgeous - a smooth, life-affirming slab of picturesque house bliss full of rising and falling synthesizer lead lines, trippy mid-range motifs, drowsy chords and crispy drums. Innellea wisely chooses to focus on the more hypnotic and uplifting elements on the accompanying flipside remix, wrapping elements of Bodzin's original version around a trance-inducing groove. Throw in some bold, rush-inducing, progressive trance style riffs, builds and drops, and you have a genuinely terrific remix.
Review: Afterlife Recordings' latest debutante Coeus is left to wonder what lies 'Beyond Dreaming', using the mode of progressive house to peek beyond the veils of both reality and the astral plane, sonically pondering the metaphysical planes that subtend them. Or, in layman's terms, this four-track EP is dreamy and cool, and would work all too well when dropped on both real-world dancefloors and those in your dreams. All slow burners, but channelling a fascination with scenery and buildups, the likes of 'Horizon' and 'Momentum' evoke trawling endless deserts and somehow pulling of free parties in parched middles-of-nowhere.
Review: Tale Of Us's Afterlife label has been out in front when it comes to melodic techno for the last couple of years. It was the first to push the style heavily and continues to find the best new artists to help develop it. This new one-sided 12" brings tithe Kevin de Vries and breakout talent Mau P for an epic main room prog cut 'Metro' that its lit up with pixelated chords and spraying pads, icy drum fills and grandiose arrangements that place you at the centre, gazing on in awe at the scale of the techno that unfolds around you. It's effective, to say the least.
Review: Kevin de Vries collaborates with rising stars Y do I on his latest EP and it is a three-track journey showcasing the signature Afterlife sound. Merging emotionally charged moments with driving basslines and electrifying energy, the duo strikes a balance between light and dark while cooking up grooves that resonate deeply. Each track embodies the label's ethos of fostering close dancefloor connections through rhythm, emotion and vibration. This is evocative, painstakingly designed melodic techno with pristine synth work and sleek drums that carry you into all new worlds.
Who's To Say What's Real (Mind Against & Colyn remix) (7:38)
Never Looks Away (Radio Slave remix) (7:18)
Letters (NTO remix) (6:05)
Vtopia (Chris Avantgarde remix) (6:24)
Review: Kas:st is known for an array of music from uplifting jungle to cavernous techno. But on this remix bundle of their most recent EP 'A Magic World', every producer contributing their own interpretations to Kas:st's masterworks leans towards the latter. 'Outomorrow' gets an stairway-to-heaven style deep house remix from Anyma & Kevin, while our favourite has to be a loose tie between Radio Slave's deft rework of 'Never Looks Away' and Chris Avantgarde's version of 'Vtopia'. This is a wax slab of deep, emotive club cuts for the emotionally scarred.
Review: While Tale Of Us may have established themselves in the field of tech house, co-founder Mrak is happily exploring techno-trance on his Afterlife label in no uncertain terms. The lead lines on 'Manifesto' and 'Equilibrium' are absolutely embracing the kind of emotive, bombastic composition and sound design more commonly found in the hard trance scene. What Mark does is refigure those tones for a deeper kind of techno rhythm section, keeping all the drama while softening the attack of the tracks and creating some powerful dancefloor moments in the process.
Review: MRAK impressed recently with his acclaimed EP 'The Pledge' and backs that up here with another fine two tracker on the Afterlife label he co-founded. He is an artist who serves up sounds rich in musicality and is in emotive form here. The first track, 'Reserva,' is a collaboration with 19:26 that features lush strings that highlight MRAK's poetic style. On the flip side, MRAK joins forces with Aimee Sophia for a darker, more atmospheric track. Aimee's haunting vocals elevate the breakdown and infuse the melancholic electronica with a touch of humanity. This release continues MRAK's journey into deep, emotional soundscapes that make a real mark on the dancefloor.
Review: MRAK's The Pledge EP on Afterlife is a dynamic journey through modern trance with a nod to the past. The highlight track, 'The World Is Yours' (feat. Braev - extended mix), merges industrial grit with neo-trance influences, delivering a powerful and popular club sound. 'The Process' (extended mix) is pure mainfloor techno, designed to keep the energy high with its relentless drive. 'Portal' (extended mix) stands out with its polished techno and trance fusion, featuring a nostalgic piano break that evokes the golden era of trance. 'The Flame' (feat. Braev & Wasiu - extended mix) keeps the energy flowing, while 'Never Ends' (MRAK & Omnya remix) dives into a 90s trance feel with progressive house elements, offering a blend of nostalgia and modernity. This EP is a well-crafted homage to trance and techno's evolving landscape.
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