Jonas Saalbach, a talented resident in the city of Berlin, has been making waves for some time now, and in having far more than a respectable year in 2014 with releases on big guns like Einmusika and Click Records, he’s now moving into 2015 with increasing speed.
This year has seen Jonas produce a bunch of high quality EPs, which all hit the internet and record stores in very close proximity; we’re a bit spoilt for choice, like a bunch of guys with beards, denim and top knots are in a micro brewery.
You’ve got Gaia, another on Einmusika, there’s Am See out on Subjekt, Don’t Tell The Lions on Percep-tion and the absolute beast that is the Peyote EP on Marc Poppcke’s Crossfrontier Audio.
It’s the Peyote EP that’s the mother-load IMO, and only adds further fuel to the fire that is both Jonas Saalbach’s and CFA’s very strong back catalogue of records! The artwork on the project is done by the always impressive Stella Gelesh, her work has been a mainstay throughout the CFA catalogue and remains a refreshing treat for those that are fans of art in the digital era.
Art aside, every moment on this EP is phenomenal, it’s time well spent listening to it. The title track rings like the bells on the Berlin Carillon, before rumbling into a deep bass and meditative tech vibe. With plenty of layers and a steady flow, it’s very easy to get lost in this track, a clock in the consciousness, the literal translation of musical peyote.
Vineta comes in at just over 8 minutes and it’s a whirlwind from the get-go, eerie motions creep into a disturbed vocal that roars RISE UP, jumping the track into sonic euphoria. Pure exhilaration driving the rhythm and melody forward, and it’s this kind of music that’s turning people on the dance-floors into spasms of ecstasy, Jonas has produced a beast in aural form with Vineta and it’s definitely the stand-out on the EP.
Luc Angenehm takes up the remix duty on Peyote, except it’s not really a duty; he’s fully turned this cut on its head and morphed it into a powerful monster in its own right. A promising young artist, Luc is full of talent, with some great production techniques and some exceptional releases on Subjekt and Traum to boot.
Can anyone stop Jonas or Crossfrontier Audio this year? We’re not too sure! Take a listen to his latest offering Gaia below and check out more music from him on his SoundCloud here. Peace, love and hippy shit!
Words @GentCollective
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