- Detailed rave tracks on Mall Grab's label.
- We don't know much about Maruwa, except that she's a classically trained pianist from Saint Petersburg who makes detailed, retro-tinged house and techno. Her debut release is out through Steel City Dance Discs, the Australian label run by Mall Grab and his old mates Jarred Kennedy and Jackson Fitzsimmons. It launched during the peak lo-fi house craze, but has since moved towards headier rave bangers. Maruwa's debut couples the raw warmth of the label's early output with alien sounds you're meant to get weird to.
Saint Petersburg has a rich music history, from classical composers to a golden age of raving. You can hear Maruwa's classical training, as well her rave roots, in the subtle intricacies on this EP. "Freeze," a wiggly acid track with IDM undercurrents, is as detailed and meticulously produced as you would expect from someone who grew up reading sheet music. Choral vocals build and decompose while various synth parts chug along. "31 Seconds" is all breaks, deep bass and rave rhythms that get lifted by twinkling synth arpeggios. The hardcore-tinged "Borderwalk" doesn't have much going on besides a twangy bassline, until off-kilter synth echoes, faint cymbals and a barely-there rewind catch your attention. Maruwa wants you to listen closely.
TracklistA1 31 Seconds
A2 Freeze
B1 Borderwalk