Reviewed by Ian Phillips.
By Colyn, Rose Avenue Records, 2020.
Dutch musician/producer Colyn is making a name for himself in the dance/trance scene and his fourth EP, Concepts Of Love will only further enhance this reputation.
The EP contains four tracks but only two songs – Concepts Of Love and Running. There are two different versions of each song on the EP.
Colyn says of the release: “This EP is a very special release to me as it features a long-desired collaboration with my brother, Maurits.”
He continues “The EP bounces between two emotions. The happiness and joy of a newly found love that is showcased in Concepts Of Love. On the other hand, Running features the feeling of losing something very dear, something that once meant everything to you but is now drawing to an unavoidable end.”
Colyn’s music is quite mesmerizing – Concepts Of Love is an instrumental while Running contains limited but hypnotic vocals.
“I keep on running, running from the pain, I keep on running, running from the shame, I keep on running.”
Although the lyrics are sparse, they are remarkably effective in capturing the mood.
Running opens the EP and sets the tone with a dark and moody feel set to an insistent beat.
Colyn provides plenty of space in the mix – this is vitally important to allow for the building of tension and to allow the songs to travel on a journey.
A lot of dance/trance music fails in this respect because it is shackled to a constant, and sometimes persistently annoying, beat necessary for the disco floor.
However, Colyn’s expertly creates and releases tension, giving the songs a life.
I prefer the uncut version of Running to the shorter mix because of the additional length – we get more time to immerse ourselves in the experience.
With more than a decade of experience under his belt, Colyn is regarded as a leader in the melodic-techno genre and, even for the occasional listener to this genre, you can sense that there’s something special about his creations.
