Wednesday, May 24, 2023

Review: Miro - Forever And Ever (Planet Phuture)


During his PCP/ACA era, Miro produced in a wide array of styles. He is probably best known for his work as Stickhead/Jack Lucifer/The Kotzaak Klan (and more) for Kotzaak Unltd., delivering vicious and merciless Hardcore and Speedcore that's darker than the devil himself.

There were also projects like Steve Shit and Billy the Kid, with their cheeky, hit-the-dancefloor type Gabber anthems full of hoovers and rave stabs. Or the more restrained but very powerful Techno of projects such as The Overlord or Reign. Yet there was also another thing that stood out very much among his creative output. Tracks like Purple Moon, Blue Sun, Inspirit, Rizing High...

And if you were longing to hear some tracks in that vein again, I have some very good news for you! Because I think it's safe to say that this new release by Miro on Planet Phuture is a straight continuation of that style. Titled "Forever And Ever," it consists of two tracks, "Golden Dawn" and "Forever And Ever" (just like in the old days when releases like this "just" had 2 tracks - an A side and a B side).

"Golden Dawn" starts with a 909 drum going on as new elements are introduced and the drum gets put through further distortion. Then, in the breakdown, a synth melody slowly builds up. And it's an epic melody... dreamy, melancholic, poignant. In my opinion, definitely on the level of the melody work that can be found in classic tracks like Purple Moon. We are informed that "this one's designed to open your mind," the bass drum kicks back in, and surely this is the moment when all ravers will hit the floor and dance into ecstasy... The track goes on and introduces variations to the harmony and rhythmic elements and never loses its tight emotional grip on the listener.

"Forever and Ever" follows a very comparable structure: a mixture of Hardcore and Techno elements, beats, percussion FX... with powerful energy. While I prefer Golden Dawn by a notch, this is a fantastic and stunning track too. And again, the melody is of stimulating, hypnagogic, euphoric quality.

With this release, Miro and Planet Phuture unleash two monsters of the sonic kind again, which are tantamount to the legendary releases on PCP and AKA (and, in my opinion, take things even further ahead) and are bound to become future classics.

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