Oscar Mulero ‎– Grey Fades To Green

First I saw Oscar Mulero as a great DJ, then a fine producer of strong Detroit-style techno grooves, but now with "Grey Fades To Green" I recognize that he is an incredibly talented composer in his own right. CD 1 "The Grey" sounds solid and fresh, where techno should be in 2010/2011. "Same Shoes Different Streets" sounds like a current Jeff Mills creation, and that is indeed a compliment. This disc has a variety of sound yet still holds true and consistent.

What drove me to write a review, however, is CD 2 "The Green". WOW. Can Mulero venture out of his usual techno dancefloor stompers and touch IDM/abstract and pull it off? Hell, YES. From the first track "Letters From Madrid" I thought I was listening to early Autechre or Arovane... amazing. Then track 6 "Grey Fades To Green", the very theme of this release sounds like early Jega! Amazing. Tight production and fresh sounds, I highly recommend this 2 CD set; properly separated discs for your musical mood.

An absolutely astounding album by the high & mighty Oscar Mulero. A fantastic gatefold quadruple LP, with the grey side presenting the familiar off kilter madness he's been known to churn out for years now. Compulsory for fans of the BMB/Counterbalance sound. The green side has mr. Mulero diving deeper than ever before; two sides of immaculate complex noisy electronics, ranging from downtempoish IDM, through to minimal acid (the flawlessly ticking After All), adding organic build ups, lengthy harmonic passages, totally abstract electronica (Aphex Twin like title track - just check that beat out!), high frequency hisses from the abyss, rounding it all off with the swooping broken beat cut, the grand Silent Air.

The first two sides are wonders in their own right, walking that tough balance between Sandwell District and Downwards, with resonating experimental complexity which never loses the term 'techno' out of focus, well thought out drum programming and charging acoustic fury, there are seven gems here which deserve their place in any self respecting DJ set throughout the season. Intensity wise, the whole album peaks with Repeater, a five and a half minute bass line air raid assault bound to please any purist and then some.

However, for those like myself who have been widely familiar with the man's work, the real surprise is the green part. No cookie cutter formulaic easy listening lounge stuff here. More edgy and tongue in cheek than its grey counterpart, these two sides slant more in the direction of his recent efforts such as "Thin as christ" or the new collaboration 12" with Exium, "1996/Nothing to prove". It is as challenging as it is satisfactory and ear pleasing to the respective listener. It really does sound like Oscar is chasing new musical interests, and seeking out new ways to explore his musical hunger. I must admit, he does so with the amount of self confidence a lesser artist could not have pulled off. After years of ferocious techno artillery like "The nine", "46" or his phenomenal "The damage done" series with Christian Wunsch, he shows it's time to pursue new and unexplored territory. The "dare do" philosophy I often miss in techno these days is really saturated to the fullest here, as Oscar absorbs years of musical experience, building upon, and unleashing it on this album.

Basically, if you've enjoyed some of last year's most anticipated albums like Robert Hood's "Omega" or the elusive Sandwell District full length, then you seriously have no excuse. This one is released on three sound carriers, so obtaining a copy should be easier than leaving from work on a friday afternoon. It has seriously been a while since an artist displayed so much craftsmanship in techno. Through fourteen tracks, Oscar Mulero provides something for the darkest and toughest parts of a club night, through to high quality listening material to the most demanding living room heads, chilling out after that same party... In brief: miss at your own peril. You have got to hate everything from techno, be it back to basics four on the floor or harsher industrial injected off beat sounds, back to more uncategorizable electronic gravy and everything in between if you don't treat yourself to "Grey fades to green". More than just a stalwart producer aimed at the dance floors, he proves that he's as stentorian of a musician as he's a peerless DJ. Most important of all is that Oscar Mulero has soul, plenty of it, and it shows throughout this album.