Jonathan Ortiz
Pressing play on a new Scatz EP is like starting a new video game or cracking open a really good book for the first time. You’re ready to be pulled into another world, to get lost in its narrative and watch its themes unfold into an absorbing, mind-blowing climax. It’s an experience you never want to end, but when it does, you’re grateful it exists. Life will never be the same.
Scatz’s latest project, “Radiate,” is that type of experience. The WUMP Collective co-founder weaves 5 tracks into an engrossing adventure with ups and downs that take you through worlds you never thought existed.
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/playlists/1009833832″ params=”color=#ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true&visual=true” width=”100%” height=”300″ iframe=”true” /]One such world unravels in “Phantasia.” The grand, dramatic piano intro puts Scatz’s multi-instrumental talents on full display, before dropping into an intense architecture with eerie undertones. This is a really creative composition, setting the bar high for the rest of the EP. But don’t worry, it only gets better from here.
“Lowlight” takes things into a much more atmospheric territory. Melancholy strings billow as if caught in a melodic wind. It’s almost scenic, as if the song’s structure calls to mind a vast, unearthly landscape. “Lowlight” carves its place as a pensive peace before the grooving movements of the next track, “Boiling Point,” take hold. This one turns the EP into a party, flaunting funky stylings held together by rhythmic hand drums and distorted synths.
The party continues into “Crystal Sisters,” with distinctly heavier Rezz-type vibes. Dark, computerized wubs power this tech beat forward, crafting a dystopian vision measure by measure. It’s around this time you begin to wonder how one producer managed to create such a diverse portfolio of sounds within a single project. But then you remember it’s Scatz, and it all makes sense.
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The concluding track, called “The Getaway” is a blast. Rock ‘n’ Roll vibes seem to arise out of nowhere; a fun guitar lick shreds through the beat creating a Stones-meets-bass sound that we’d honestly love to hear more of.
As with any great story, it’s hard to believe it’s over. If you’re anything like us, you’ll go back and listen to your favorite tracks once or twice more. It’s just the start of 2020, so we’re sure there’s more Scatz on the horizon. But the way “Radiate” has us feeling, we want more, like right now.