Picks Of The Week (25.02.

1. Myselor - Soul Power EP [Blackout Music]

Recommended if you like: Finalfix, Mefjus, Culture Shock

I know, I know. Not only is the Dutch Neurofunk Forge Blackout basically the overall most featured label on here, we also had a review of one of their releases only 2 mere weeks ago. I honestly did not plan on talking about them again so soon, but everything changed when Myselor came along. Again. With one of the most interesting and unique sonic journeys of not just his whole career, but of the whole genre in general, the now Basel-based producer changed my mind in a heartbeat. You don't remember and/or have never heard of him? Don't worry, I've got you covered! Well, past-me does. Just go check out my earlier write-ups for his Evolution & Need double single and the wonderful Rebirth EP, that should cover it. So let's jump into the EP then, shall we?

We slowly slip into the first of the five grandiose soundscapes that Myselor has created here for us, with the title track Soul Power. With cinematic quality built from some wonderfully dramatic brassy sections and excellent fluttery synths reaching the heights of the genre's greatest classics and its inspirations, Myselor quickly establishes that this is a different kind of project. One that is more meticulously crafted than ever. Soon enough, an ominous triplet bass rhythm appears on the horizon, pulling us out from our dream world and dragging us towards the battlefield that is the drop. While said trio of bass stabs, now fully formed into spears of piercing energy, is busy fighting against short bursts of growling basses, they are soon absolutely blindsided by a guitar riff that's so sick and so fast-paced, you can't help but have a physical reaction to it. Throughout the track, these forces keep at it, sometimes with the trio having the upper hand, sometimes slowing down into a funky groove, always switching its drumwork up to fit the current battle being fought. Breaking with genre tradition even further, Myselor then smoothly transitions back into the beautiful world established in the intro, putting a bow on this opener with an absolutely stunning outro.

Next, we've got Universalis on the menu. Like its predecessor, this one is in no rush to get to the drop and instead slowly builds up a gorgeous guitar-driven intro atmosphere, reminiscent of Pendulum's earliest, more liquid classics. Unlike those, however, Universalis then changes gears from this more measured tempo into a more Dancefloor sound, channeling his inner Culture Shock (to keep up with the comparisons). A set of really groovy drums bouncing along becomes the foundation for Myselor's unique synth work to flesh out the rhythm even further, with the occasional pew piercing through every now and then, before everything gets overtaken by the fantastic atmospheric guitars again.

Moving on to Inner Outer, we've got yet another really interesting approach to a Neurofunk buildup: While the outer layer of the buildup goes into an almost synthwave-y direction, the inner layer is comprised of the tiniest little bits and bops crawling through your ear canals, resulting in quite the unique sensation. Headphones recommended. As we approach the drop, the outer layer is transforming into a hugely hype-inducing wall of bass type of thing, but the inner pieces keep their high-pitched uniqueness going for a little while longer. Until the drop, that is. Instead of occupying different frequencies while playing at the same time, this particular dynamic is transferred onto the plane of time itself. Huge walls of bass moving like molasses are contrasted with fast-firing, high-pitched synth responses, resulting in an absolute banger of a drop. Myselor could have just ended it right there, or simply repeated the pattern, but instead he chose to explore every remaining inch of the world he has created for this, with a most wonderful, more than two minutes long outro.

I probably don't even have to mention it at this point, but our next stop, Everything, continues the trend of incredible auditory worldbuilding in the introductory one and a half minutes. After being serenaded by soft choirs, dream-like synth melodies and serene string sections, Myselor pulls the largest drop of the EP out of his beanie. This time we're lobbed back and forth between an disgustingly dirty distorted funk-laden riddim on top of a hard-hitting metallic snare and an euphoric explosion of energy in the form of some truly outstanding, powerful synths. As always, we go through a whole bunch of variations of this, first going into an even murkier, steppier direction, and eventually ending this first half with a goosebump-inducing, extra melodic version of what we've heard so far. I love this part so, so much. Instead of a longer outro, Myselor gives us another batch of variations to experience in the second drop, each more interesting than the other, while also reducing the energy one by one, slowly but surely getting everything to a stop.

Lastly, we've arrived at the Center of this whole experience. It might just be my brain playing tricks on me, but it feels like Myselor assembled little pieces of each of the preceeding tracks for the intro of this grand finale. I swear I could hear Soul Power's guitar riff at one point. But I digress. Instead of going even bigger and even more cinematic, Myselor keeps things concise and to the point on this one, by focusing his energy on creating a unique spin on the anxiety-inducing you're-being-chased type of Neurofunk banger. While the slightly syncopated one-two synth stabs are the main driving force of this particular feeling, everything from the unique bass being rhythmically linked to said stabbing to the continously driving drums adds another layer of energy to it. While the main idea might be something that you could probably hear on one of Myselor's earlier tunes, it's all the little details, all the unique sound design choices and just the overall clarity of the mix down that make this one stand out from what came before.

Myselor has always been one of the more interesting Neurofunk artists out there, but he really stepped up his game this time around. Impeccable production, attention to detail that is out of this world, absolutely outstanding cinematic quality and heaps of unique ideas, all expertly weaved together for one hell of a Myselorsterpiece.