For anyone to say, categorically, that they’re not into “xxxxx” genre is effectively closing yourself off to a plethora of great music. For any genre, there is a spectrum of material that goes from hard to soft, traditional to experimental. I’ve always been pretty far removed from the traditional techno sound, but the mau5trap variety has always appealed to me — somehow, I just find it more accessible. To his credit, C.H.A.Y. has found a happy medium that gets me excited about techno and also ready to explore the deeper side of the genre.
C.H.A.Y.’s new EP Travel Far out on mau5trap spans four tracks and 22 minutes of glorious techno goodies. The first and title track is nearly 9 minutes and sets a good tone for the EP as a whole. The poppy synths and pounding kicks are right in tune with his core sound and the heavy bass sounds incredible even with your speakers turned all the way up.
The second track, “Into The City,” might be my favorite release of the day. Blending Wolfgang Gartner’s penchant for orchestral melodies and deadmau5’s inclination toward analog synths, it weaves between a beautifully arranged piece of art and a deadly dancefloor weapon.
Travel Far wraps up with “Crime” and “Floxen,” pitting the heaviest techno track on the EP against the only vocal track and the one with the heaviest similarity to the head mau5. That classic intro rhythm on “Crime” sets up the rest of the track perfectly as the drop comes in with a distorted synth and pounding bassline, serving up expert level techno at beginners’ prices. One criticism though, and this is really just me… I know the track is called “Crime,” but I hate any song with a car alarm sample. Coming from someone who lives in a major city, it’s very irksome.
The EP is rounded out with one of the most energetic and complextro tracks, “Floxen.” C.H.A.Y. lends his own voice to this one, giving it a deeper, more personal vibe while still pushing a hard and raucous sound in the drop. Apart from “Into The City,” this is my second favorite track on the EP.
This is easily one of mau5trap’s strongest releases of the year, and I’m so happy that I don’t have to keep it to myself anymore. Listen below!
