- A breakthrough EP from an exciting young producer.
- Marco Gomez emerged as part of New York's #KUNQ crew, where he was known for exaggerated, hardstyle-inflected music. He's since moved towards contemporary techno, but his music still bears that hardstyle influence. Last year's In The Dark EP, inspired by the Brooklyn scene, was techno on steroids, every sound big and musclebound. Now living in Los Angeles, Gomez has released Red Curtain Daybreak, an EP that tightens the focus of his experiments within techno while continuing his explosive tendencies.
A lunging beat and outrageous chord progression make "Red Curtain Daybreak" feel engineered for festival stages. It's hulking and catchy, striking an unusual balance between techno and EDM. (That's not a bad thing.) "Devil May Cry" has a steelier four-on-the-floor rhythm, but the chords are as outsized as ever. Henning Baer gives that track a German-sounding techno makeover with a planet-sized kick drum.
Red Curtain Daybreak's most intriguing track is beatless. "Cruel Optimism" highlights Gomez's ear for melody and build-up, which can sometimes get lost amid his thrashing kick drums. This one is fuzzy, beatless emo-trance, like early James Holden updated for 2019. "Cruel Optimism" rounds off a 12-inch that feels like a breakthrough for this young producer.
TracklistA1 Red Curtain Daybreak
A2 Cruel Optimism
B1 Devil May Cry
B2 Devil May Cry (Henning Baer Remix)