Contrary to many of his past releases, Pascal Terstappen's latest offering as Applescal blends his melodic approach to electronic music with a number of peculiar samples. Referencing what he refers to as "world music" and "meditation music" in these samples, many of the works on Mirage are of a distinctly Eastern flavour. Noting himself that "sometimes you have to change the way you make music to keep things interesting," Applescal's five original tracks on Mirage are created through a different approach than much of his previous work.
"The Veil" laces Terstappen's dance floor tendencies with odd, meditative female vocals, creating a dark and brooding work of heavy melodic techno that blends moody pads and a huge stuttering lead with his vocal manipulations. A definite highlight of the EP, though, is the more understated sound of "Drowning Souls," which evokes a similar emotion to Tensnake's brilliant "The Then Unknown," but takes the listener on an abstract journey guided by more introspective, and less optimistic, melodies. Applescal's consistent efforts to challenge himself creatively have resulted in the young Dutch artist slowly morphing his sound from traditional melodic techno into more experimental electronic music; and for that, the Mirage EP is a commendable effort.
(Atomnation)"The Veil" laces Terstappen's dance floor tendencies with odd, meditative female vocals, creating a dark and brooding work of heavy melodic techno that blends moody pads and a huge stuttering lead with his vocal manipulations. A definite highlight of the EP, though, is the more understated sound of "Drowning Souls," which evokes a similar emotion to Tensnake's brilliant "The Then Unknown," but takes the listener on an abstract journey guided by more introspective, and less optimistic, melodies. Applescal's consistent efforts to challenge himself creatively have resulted in the young Dutch artist slowly morphing his sound from traditional melodic techno into more experimental electronic music; and for that, the Mirage EP is a commendable effort.