When Ameli and Paul’s paths crossed in 2016, they immediately felt the urge to fuse their approaches of making music – the succinct and intricate productions of Paul, with Ameli’s sentimental voice and inherent songlike musicality. Constantly honing and evolving their live performance and studio output ever since, the duo now stands for a stirring electronic sound that ranges from abstract cinematic excursions all the way through to more pop-leaning song structures.
Following the critically acclaimed release of their stunning three-part Beyond Reason EP on MEIOSIS back in February, the Berlin-based electronica duo now looks to end 2021 in emphatic fashion, pulling out all the stops with their remarkable new Mycelia EP. Released via Drosssel, the seven-track opus features four brand new original productions from the in-form duo, together with a dark, trippy music video and a selection of remixes from two Berlin-based outfits – Curses and Brigade.
Inaugurating the EP with the mind-bending opener, Voce, Ameli and Paul come together for one of their most absorbing sonic offerings to date, delivering a captivating amalgam of warped, atonal synthesizers, despondent vocal samples and chugging, syncopated bass guitar riffs. Setting a tone for the remainder of the package with organic beats and complex analog effects, the arresting starter is further complemented by a macabre, somewhat sinister music video, created by Stuttgart-based director and filmmaker Harry Delgas. Featuring a satanic set of cameos from Ameli and Paul, inspired cinematography from Dan Trautwein and mind-altering art direction from set designer Angelina Häuser, you can check out the trippy four-minute audio-visual representation in its entirety here.
Entering an altogether different dimension with the second original, Dry Cough, Ameli Paul’s sophomore offering on the package pulsates with a more affirmative midnight disco energy, as throbbing basslines, stripped-back percussion and retro synth-lines come together in perfect accord, to bring the listener into a more lucid realm of consciousness. Ebbing and flowing with deliberate juxtaposed intention, the package is then brought into another abstract, almost soporific state with Pilze, before Ameli Paul conclude their creative contribution with the spell-binding, ethereal ending, That’s The Problem.
But that’s not all. First up on remix duties, adding his unique double-sided twist to the record, is none other than Italo-American artist Curses. Known across the industry for his inimitable blend of Post-Punk and New Wave – punctuated with flashes of 80’s EBM and New Beat – the New York-born, Berlin-based talent delivers his dark-oriented soundscape across two raw, unbridled remixes of Dry Cough – one for the digital release and the other an exclusive ‘Dysto Beat Mix’ for the vinyl release.
Last but by no means least, capping off their most extensive body of work to date, Ameli Paul hand the reigns to close friends and compatriots, Brigade, for a funked-up, four-to-the-floor finale. Also based in Berlin, where they developed their unique brand of idiosyncratic electronica, they step up to the plate as only they know how, combining keytars, drum machines and slick riffs to close out the EP in style.
“Unbeknown to human eyes, it slowly spreads and spans across the soil. Well guarded from sunlight it grows inside until it comes to fruition in its whole glory. Have a taste, don’t be shy. Mycelia are interwoven with forest floors and provide a most subtle form of communication. Under the veil of darkness words are not important anymore, our feelings will lead the way through doors of deception into a world that’s strangely parallel to the one we accepted as the real one for so long. What is real anyway?
Well. Honestly we don’t know any more than you. But what’s definitely real is the feels we get from this beautiful collage of sounds, carefully crafted to perfection by Ameli Paul. The Berlin based duo has already made quite the name for themselves with their enchanting live performances and releases. Just like the universe, their catalogue and ours alike (and maybe soon even your vinyl collection) expands with Mycelia.” – Drosssel
Ameli Paul – Mycelia EP (including remixes from Curses and Brigade) is out now via Drosssel. Vinyl will follow in January.