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Premiere: Yelzin – NOStalgia

Yelzin, one half of Copenhagen duo Lyra Valenza, cuts out under his own solo alias for warp-drive EP ‘Now That’s What I Call Yelzin‘. Landing on the pair’s Petrola 80 imprint, the EP might well owe its name to the classic pop mega-compilation CD’s, due to the hyper-pop synth lines rife throughout.

However, the often saccharine-sweet blasts of synth play are the only passing similarity between this and the ‘NOW‘ CD’s of old. Yelzin’s updated rave sound catches the ear just as quickly as a Lyra Valenza track might, albeit using perhaps slightly different techniques; Valenza’s twists on the UK rave sound are still present in Yelzin’s voice, with breaks popping up on the backbeat, but the solo output takes on an almost latex sheen in the throwback rave synthesisers.

NOStalgia‘ perhaps hits the hardest. The intro rolls out almost lackadaisically, seeming to assimilate a groove out of latent space in the track rather than burrow into an effort-filled attempt at generating one. The effect is addictive, with the gaps between sounds diminishing as the fills become more elaborate, the syncopation more engrossing. By the time we’re at the dramatic trigger-finger kickdrum outerlude, detuned vocals purring out like ghosts, the sway of the track has you gripped by the soles of your feet.

‘Now That’s What I Call Yelzin’ is out 23 October via Petrola 80. Order a copy from Bandcamp.

TRACKLIST

1. Hammertone
2. NOStalgia
3. Gasper
4. Basic Instinct