Following an enchanting inaugural offering from German electronica outfit Ameli Paul back in April, burgeoning Berlin-based imprint MEIOSIS now returns for its eagerly anticipated sophomore outing, welcoming Juan Hansen and Pablo Bursztyn – a.k.a. Forma – for another mesmerising label debut.
A stunningly crafted four-part package, replete with hypnotic modular soundscapes, ethereal toplines and succulent analogue experimentation, Hollow EP is the first extended body of work to be released from the Buenos Aires-based duo, and comes complete with a brace of eclectic remixes from esteemed house producers Nandu and Santiago Garcia.
Christening the release with the evocative title track Hollow, Juan and Pablo make their intentions known from the off, as they take the listener on an emotive and harmonic smoke-screened journey, accented by warped synthesisers, haunting vocals and a playful mixture of subdued four-four beats and elastic rhythmic triplets. Toying with aural imperfections and melodic disarray throughout, Forma’s work honours emotional ambiguity and harmonic dissonance, cultivating a sound that can be equally euphoric as it can be melancholic.
Within this ambiguity, Forma find a place to liberate themselves from instrumental boundaries, creating landscapes that value coincidence, intriguing sound choices and a degree of sonic unpredictability. The second original, Everytime, portrays an unusual kind of music that will, in its abstract layers and polyphonic structures, balance both the familiar and the surreal. Combining disputatious organ chords with avant-garde vocoders and arpeggiated instrumentation, Juan’s electronic sound experience merges with the experimental spirit of Pablo’s musical quest to create an eclectic journey that exhausts one mood at a time.
The flip sees the introduction of two of the most exciting producers on the underground house circuit, as Nandu and Santiago Garcia each step up to deliver their own unique interpretations of the formidable title track. First up to the plate is Argentinian-born, Valencia-based Garcia. Following a wealth of critically lauded releases on the likes of Innervisions, TAU and Exit Strategy over the past few years, the classically-trained producer digs deep to deliver the artier, more introspective of the two remixes, before handing the reigns to iconic Danish stalwart, Nandu, who closes out the remarkable package with a deep, melodic dancefloor groove, primed for the early hours.
This seminal EP release follows Forma’s remarkable recent live performance for venerated Montreal-based digital festival MUTEK. Always expanding its limits to subvert the expectations of the listeners, this spellbinding live show was in fact the first presentation of the Hollows EP project and marked the premiere of the four songs released on July 16. Check out the full live performance here.
Forma – Hollow EP (including remixes from Santiago Garcia and Nandu) is out now via MEIOSIS.