- The Copenhagen techno artist follows up his breakout EP.
- The Danish producer Kasper Marott broke through last year with "Keflavik," a stomping Italo-techno hybrid that was huge in clubs and festivals. Courtesy, the DJ who runs the Kulør label releasing Marott's latest EP, also had a great 2018, cementing her place as one of Europe's most inventive techno DJs. The first release on Kulør was a superb compilation of emotional, high-powered tracks, a great introduction to Denmark's distinctive style of modern techno.
The Forever Mix EP shows a different side of Marott's and Courtesy's tastes. "Drommen Om Ø (Forever Mix '19)", while still functional, is mellower than anything on Kulør 001. Marott's strengths include the way he builds and layers harmonies. Based around dreamy arpeggios and looped melodies, the track doesn't follow a conventional structure of tension and release, but instead continuously moves and evolves. Layers are added and subtracted, but the shifts are almost imperceptible. The progression is so gradual that when sharp changes arrive, like big sweeping chords, it feels like you're being woken up. This track is easy to get lost in.
The euphoric and textured "Sky Dreams" is an emphatic rejection of subtlety. Shimmering, high-definition synths combine with cymbals and 16th-note claps. Compared to the delicate A-side, it feels like there's a lot going on. Forever Mix has the irresistible energy of "Keflavik," if not quite the same replay-ability. It's a solid EP that shows welcome development.
TracklistA1 Drømmen Om Ø (Forever Mix '19)
B1 Sky Dreams