M-Run - Live Session Album

[Trance2MoveU]

Artist: M-Run
Title: Live Session Album
Label: Cronomi Records
Date: March, 2020

1. Live Session 1 - A Trip to Andromeda
2. Live Session 2 - Technosonic
3. Live Session 3 - Spiral Cloud
4. Live Session 4 - Chronos (Live Version)
5. Live Session 5 - The Magic Mug
6. Live Session 6 - The Redeemer
7. Live Session 7 - Hexagon
8. Live Session 8 - Oxigenated Seal

 

What's this?

A new M-run album?  Sure, I'll dig into this.  Let me get a cup of coffee first to keep focused.

 

Hold my calls.

Ahhh...that's the stuff.  Now let's see...M-run for those that don't know is Mario Matakovic from Croatia and this is his second album.  His first Some Run Just For Fun was a revelation in the goa trance scene.  Easily a classic chock full of butt shaking grooves that took goa into directions never before seen.  If you're a fan of goa trance it is mandatory listening. 

So with his second album for the Cronomi label he embarked on a very ambitious project, giving us a behind the scene look how he creates his music in the studio.  So he created his tracks, practiced and rehearsed shooting for a recording in one take.  Do you realize how difficult and extraordinary that is?

Easy?  Sure, maybe for an octopus.  But to control an entire track and play it flawlessly in one take?  And each track had a different hardware setup?   I wonder how much F word was uttered during those takes.  How many cats were kicked because he messed up one little bit and had to start all over again?  I wouldn't be surprised if he was sick to death of playing these tracks.  If I were you Mario I would be looking over my shoulder for PETA.  They don't take kindly to cat kicking.

"Ok Mario...take 76.  F*cking hell."

So what's the music like?  First I'll say this is not Some Run II.  Yes there are plenty of grooves and his production is second to none.  Each track is its own tale and it is super easy to get lost inside.  While his first album was an atom bomb with one jaw dropping moment after another this one is more laid back.  It's not so much a "get on the dancefloor album" (although you could certainly dance to it), but more of a cerebral relaxed vibe.  There are plenty of head bobbing beats and space age sound effects and even some times where it is powerful (Spiral Cloud, Hexagon).  His production is second to none (love me some kicks without hi-hats to start a track) and I can honestly say it grows on me with each repeated listen.  The all important first track sets the tone, bringing an organic and mysterious allure.    Technosonic with its vocoded speech brings a down and dirty groove.  The Magic Mug is like sitting in a groovy cauldron during an Egyptian summer. The Redeemer carries such a funky swagger while continuously building on its foundation that it is instantly one of my favorites.

I would say this is another triumph for Mario.  His two albums are distinctly different, but share equally impressive music.  I heartily recommend this album.

Cronomi Bandcamp

 

[HappyHorse]

On 6/8/2020 at 3:21 PM, Trance2MoveU said:

 

[...] So with his second album for the Cronomi label he embarked on a very ambitious project, giving us a behind the scene look how he creates his music in the studio.  So he created his tracks, practiced and rehearsed shooting for a recording in one take.  Do you realize how difficult and extraordinary that is?

Easy?  Sure, maybe for an octopus.  But to control an entire track and play it flawlessly in one take?  And each track had a different hardware setup? [...]

 

Haha! No we don't!!!

Thanks for the splendid review; happy to read you appreciated our out of the box move on this one - but than again, that's the m-run & cronomi trade mark: doing the non obvious, keeps us suprised and our minds'n ears fresh and open

 

 

On 6/8/2020 at 6:22 PM, AstralSphinx said:

Very nice review, got me more curious about this album for sure. The album artwork is lovely, it's very original. And hits home with any coffee and synthesizer/drum machine aficionado. As those go so very well in hand.  It's refreshing seeing more mundane sources of inspiration on album artworks. I like the vortex in the coffee cup, must be some stellar coffee hehe.

Yeah, some disliked the art work, BUT didn't read the whole story behind it BUT than again, @ cronomi we try to mantain the suprises in the music & in the album covers #original

[DoktorG]

Great concept. This is entertaining and quite mesmerising to watch as well as listen to. One of the problems with software in my opinion is that it can make the sound metronomic and robotic in its timing and that robs it of human spontaneity. "It don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing". That ain't a problem here. This is some funky space music, starting with  prog trance and slowly morphing into psytrance/Goa tunes. Stoked to see the Axiom, Tetra, and a Roland in the home studio. There's some great playing too. However, sometimes there is the opposite problem of too many mistimings and I don't think that all the tracks quite come off, especially the prog ones. "Chronos" for instance - great moments in this song but it gets a bit uncoordinated. On the other hand, I enjoyed "Spiral Cloud" which goes more Goa than prog. Another Goa track and for me the magic track on the album is "The Redeemer"; this is beautiful! I really love the gentle rhythm section in this masterful track that is both bubbly and floaty. I sorta think that maybe M-Run do Goa better than prog, or maybe it is that I prefer Goa? ~*~