It’s hard to believe his upcoming EP, Call to Mind, is Black Owlz’s first on Blackout because his sound is so well-suited to the label. That said, the diversity in this new release could really fit in anywhere, especially on the dancefloor. While fun with synths seems to be the name of the game in a lot of neuro releases this year, Black Owlz once again stands out from the pack with lots of tempo and syncopation play as well.
“Dat One” has been released as a teaser already so fans can get a taste of Call to Mind, due out on October 21. The lead single is a straight up and down slapper with twisted, techy synths, a beautiful network of near-perfect snares and a rumbling ambient bassline outlining the whole track with a heavy, grounded feel. But fans shouldn’t expect this to be the only style on the EP.
Bassrush has the exclusive premiere of another highlight of the EP, “L.E.N.,” which really shows the diversity and experimentation contained within. Probably the most syncopated and heavily fiddled with beat structure on the EP, the track starts with a minimal sort of backwards breakbeat and then has a long, beatless synth windup before the first drop. After that, a seemingly standard D&B beat comes in, also minimal, and possibly a sped up version of the breakbeat in the intro. The kick on this beat is really unconventional and makes the whole thing sound searingly fast while also maintaining that minimal space.
Interestingly, a lot of the syncopation in “L.E.N.” comes from the ravey, old school techno-inspired synths. While the melody is recognizable as such, this synth is definitely not techno. It’s scattered along the trajectory of the track and sort of juxtaposed against the main rhythm. The ambient space in the track is filled with more old school vibes in the form of a classic techy sine wave sample which swells in and out and serves to help connect the synths to the beat. Needless to say, there’s a lot going on in this track but it’s not so experimental that it’s undanceable.
Black Owlz has definitely stepped it up with the new Call to Mind EP, evolving his sound once again and creating new sounds out of classic rave style. He’s more than worthy of Blackout and both artist and label have got to be really happy with this release. It stands to reason the dancefloor will be happy as well.
The Call to Mind EP releases on Monday, October 21 on Blackout Music. Click here to pre-order or pre-save.