Carefully bridging the gap between electronic sound-play and organic musicianship, Zeanix crafts a conceptually poignant yet musically wonderful collection of tracks, for the immersive and ethereal album Square^2.
Noting a strong mathematical undertone, the building blocks of this album showcase the unique presence of the number four. Each and every track is four minutes exactly, with sixteen in total (divisible by four). The BPM’s are all divisible by four, with four-to-the-floor grooves exclusively. But in all honesty, this hits well as an impressive afterthought, because the music is such a simple joy to let fill the room.
Zeanix has put an immense amount thought, preparation, and detail into Square^2, and the sheer embrace and melodic lightness of the project, the seamless nature in which each track meets the next, all highlights a producer at the very top of his game.
Forward into Twilight is a stunning instrumental highlight, and thus the perfect opening track for this album. It also leads us faultlessly into the grittier hip hop tones and intentions of Put Some Pants On.
We’re into the action of the party – the underlying concept for this project being the true story of a group of friends heading out for a night of raving. The first half of the album rightfully celebrates the togetherness and shared escapism of that experience, with the likes of The Caterpillar and Emerald City shining a cinematic light upon the intricacies and bass-led stylistic qualities of the electronic realm in a brilliantly euphoric manner.
Things are far from simply optimistic though, and in time, the project takes a turn down a much darker and more heart breaking pathway, as we begin to learn the true events of this fateful night out.
Classic house energy and synth-led serenity intertwine throughout the likes of a powerful Violet Light District – another featured vocalist adding a lyrical aspect that intrigues and humanises the progression. Then there’s a twist of playful positivity, for Blue Dolphins, before we enter the higher-octane EDM pace and power of Pink Lightning; followed smoothly by the hypnotic Neon Rain.
There’s such an engaging level of diversity between these tracks, such an unusual mathematical connection between them, and yet even with these seemingly non-artistic aims, the music feels incredibly well-rooted amidst the excitement and unpredictable appeal of the all-night rave.
Highlights during the latter half include the somewhat stripped-back uncertainty of a vocally soulful Glow in the Dark – something like Billie Eillish intertwined with classic nineties dance – and the eerily poignant, excitable to haunting and warped Black Candy. After this, Dark Red Pulse maintains the darkness, the weight and lostness, the longing, throughout a breathy and mildly eighties-esque journey.
Lights On (Dysphoria) softens the mood again, briefly mellow and awakening, but later starkly confronting and disconcerting. The heavy and inescapable shock of reality slams into view. An unthinkable result for a night designed to be one of pure positivity and good memories, represented quite faultlessly by our composer and creative Zeanix.
Orange Slices follows with further artistic prestige and mesmerising layers of expression. And all of this is wrapped up, concluded somewhat, with the delicacy and unorthodox meeting between darkness and light, for The Gravity of Dawn.
This is undoubtedly an album I’ll be revisiting. A phenomenal collection of electronic dance tracks and genre-fusing originals, recapturing the essence and freedom of purposeful production, whilst leading with a unique and intoxicating level of both realism and strict numbers-based creative craftwork. Zeanix composes with purpose and honesty, with realism and unrivalled skill, and as such, is driving on a level of his own right now, and the results are spellbinding.
Download or stream Square^2. Find Zeanix on Instagram, Facebook & his Website.
