Grey Fades To Green

Oscar Mulero

Record label
Warm Up
Catalog Number
WU26LP
Release Date
February 28th 2011
Genres

Tracks

playpostitleartistsduration
A1Under the street lights 5:14
A2Taken to the wrong way5:45
B1Same shoes different streets5:15
B2Seleccion natural5:22
C1Road to pleasure5:19
C246 (re-work)5:29
D1Repeater5:45
E1Letters from Madrid6:26
E2Dreams of happiness5:46
F1After all5:48
F2The darker days5:10
G1Last regrets5:07
G2Grey fades to green5:48
H1Silent Air7:13

This is the first album Oscar Mulero has released under his own name, after two acclaimed LPs under the moniker Trolley Route. Well known for his skills as a hard-edged, raw and floor-orientated techno dj, his productions go far beyond, digging deep into the intricate landscape of intelligent techno, floating moods, reminiscent atmospheres, harmony and detail. Grey Fades To Green is the affirmation of his maturity as a producer, using both hardware and software in the pursuit of a highly coherent and diverse album. The concept is split into two parts: The Grey and The Green, each one with its own character. The first part is rougher and meant for the dance floor, although pays full attention to detail and complexity. The second part is quieter, has a slower pace and is best enjoyed at home. The Grey opens with 'Under The Street lights'. An academic techno track with FM bass, heavyweight drum programming and an evolving structure that builds up to a melodic and mental ending with an unforgettable synth line. 'Taken To The Wrong Way' slows down the bpm a bit in order to get that fatter sound. Berghain style bass drum, clever 303 bass lines, complex synth arrangements and dark atmospheres. Watch out for the dreamy ending. 'Same Streets Different Shoes' starts with field recordings from many of the world cities he's seen during his world tour, leading to an abrupt hypnotic sinusoidal sequence on top of a 909 shuffled beat for the lovers of the techno of the future. 'Seleccion Natural' is pure Mulero sound. Powerful broken rhythms, industrial feel, power and crunchiness add a sweeping drone. A full-on analogue workout. Can you feel it? 'Road To Pleasure' is in the same vein. Out of this world drum programming, scientific labours on the synths and again a complex and mutant arrangement for this floor filler. '46 (re-work)' and 'Repeater' are the soundtrack to a post Blade Runner futuristic city, where everything is hidden under the acid fumes and the sunlight has never been seen. The sound of asteroids falling on a deserted city. Pure techno from outer space. In The Green Oscar goes deep into the intellectual side of techno music and is heavily influenced by the post rave sound emerging from the UK in the nineties: Aphex Twin, Gescom, B12, Plaid, Autechre.. but with a contemporary approach. This part of the album brings you melodies, harmonies, endless atmospheres, and hours of studio work. Each sound has been carefully constructed, nothing is left to chance: Every stereo panning, every change to the synth's parameters has been meticulously designed for your listening pleasure; just what you want when you listen to techno on headphones. Futuristic music made with the utmost care. The Green starts with 'Letters From Madrid', a dreamy and melancholy track, where an introspective melody leads to a slow-building drumbeat. Broken rhythms and distorted drums go side by side with the piano riffs and analogue bleeps: intelligent techno by definition. 'Dreams of Happiness' is a sci-fi soundtrack where pads and the different atmospheres are the main stars, and where subliminal drums add flow to this tune from outer space. 'After All' departs from calm dreamy territories with its grounded beat, complex 303 programming and micro synth sounds. A track which is as good for listening at home as it is for the dance floor. 'The Darker Days' uses a similar formula. Slow bpm, fat drums and weird 303 lines that make infinite layers of sound. 'Last Regrets' shows how melancholic harmonies can be a perfect match for abstract beats and a dub-step reminiscence. A fine piece of sci-fi techno. 'Grey Fades To Green' makes a clean break by offering us an industrial drum'n' bass piece with a techno approach that mutates as the minutes tick by. A dub-step melodic track. Futuristic breakbeat for the decades to come. The final track of The Green, 'Silent Air', picks up the homage to the intelligent techno sound of the beginning and returns to random grooves, crunchy samples, impossible hi-hats and massive synthesizer and step sequencer routines. A perfect ending to this sound journey from the heart of the dance floor to the core of your mind. A mature work that confirms Oscar Mulero as one of the most qualified studio animals on the techno landscape.