- The Maghreban's trio of EPs on his own Zoot Records label, all released last year, are enthusiastic experiments in self-limitation. Where his previous releases fashioned an austere space into which naked, sometimes vulgar-sounding Casio synths would intrude, "Green Apple" is an unexpectedly slick six-minute ride.
Named after a '90s pirate radio station based in Slough, Green Apple is a seamless merger of that era's UK hardcore and contemporary styles of dance music, though The Maghreban's signature is always clear. The track's lilting, church organ synths tiptoe around the perimeter of the track, letting the crunchy drum programming and bassy pads ease into the centre. As an homage, "Green Apple" feels especially sincere because of how The Maghreban dials down his natural sonic exuberance—presumably for fidelity's sake—and nothing significant feels sacrificed in the process. It's a tribute both to the guile of "Green Apple" and the period it references that music like this still feels so vital.