Maceo Plex, born as Eric Estornel, is an eclectic American DJ and Producer known for his extremely diverse approach towards producing tracks that combine elements of house and techno as well as darker tech house. He is longtime favorite amongst many Ibiza-based clubs such as Space and Amnesia.
After a long wait, Maceo has finally released his newest concept album titled “Solar on June 16th, 2017. The album boasts 11 tracks and is a captivating journey through a dark while also simultaneously uplifting soundscape – the album is named after Maceo’s son Solar and according to Resident Advisor, he ays that it tells of his journey as a father so far – “the ups and downs in the first few years”.
The album opens with “Sparks Of Life”, which itself begins with a simple and repetitive riff which is emphasized by multiple synthesized sounds that fade in and out. After a playful introduction, a powerful drum pattern comes through that is coupled with a heavily syncopated fat bass line.
Sparks of Life is a perfect track to transition into the dark dance floor hit “Polygon Pulse”, which contains an extremely catchy vocal hook and an effective syncopated drum accompaniment. Maceo manages to convey harmonic depth and also introduce breakbeat style patterns.
“Eternal 808” establishes itself as one of the more ominous tracks of the album quite immediately which is accentuated by the dark and breathy vocals and haunting melody. “Wash Away My Tears” has a prevalent arpeggiated synth part as well as vocal exploration, while “The Tesseract” manages to build a lot of musical tension that culminates towards the end of the song as a definite space-inspired theme.
This concept album is truly an amazing feat – it’s a a deep exploration of his own thoughts, emotions and experiences. The album’s dark tone is consistent with Maceo’s signature style, but this album sees a more adventurous approach towards experimenting with different musical concepts and fusing genres.
Be sure to check out the album below!
