Part of synth-pop band Stabil Elite and nu-disco project The Kloom – responsible for the excellent ‘40 Gram Beton‘ last year on Malka Tuti, while also half of BAR duo alongside partner in crime Christina Irrgang, it’s fair to say Lucas Croon has practiced his talents quite a bit before finally engaging for a solo release on Düsseldorf’s premium platform Themes For Great Cities.
‘Schlachthof Aufnahmen‘ (literally ‘Slaughterhouse Recordings’) kicks things off on a straight up cozy cosmic vibe. Caught in zero-G-like suspended motion, ‘Urania‘ is an invitation to escape and daydream with its serpents of lithe synth modulations and painstakingly inlaid drums and percussions beating a serene, relaxing pulse.
Interestingly the finesse of Croon’s textural arrangements shines bright on a variety of levels, and from the alluring kosmische-imbued opener to the Brian Jonestown Massacre-flavoured psychedelia of ‘Flötenmelodie‘ is but one step. Lysergic keyboard lines interlace in a psychoactive trellis of chromatic riffs and trippy harmonics.
Closing Croon’s multi-layered melodic parade, ‘Türkischer Tee‘ may firstly flex its spaced-out synth arpeggios, it rapidly turns into a proper multi-channel jam blazing with feverish percs, middle eastern strings and ad hoc rousing jazzy rhodes to complete the intercontinental roundup. A gem of a floor-heater that rubber stamps Croon’s versatility whilst showing a special knack for morphing complex instrumental buildups into beguiling ear candies.
Schlachthof Aufnahmen is out now, order a vinyl copy from Juno.
TRACKLIST
A1. Urania
A2. Flötenmelodie
B1. Türkischer Tee
Discover more about Lucas Croon and Themes For Great Cities on Inverted Audio.