Maze 28 & Rockka – Mirage | Solid [Clubsonica Records]

Clubsonica opens the month of May with a new collaborative project from Maze 28 and Rockka. Hailing from Albania, Mario Zefi aka Maze 28 has emerged as one of his country's most hotly tipped progressive house artists. In just three short years the Durres resident has earned support from genre tastemakers Hernan Cattaneo and Nick Warren, while his melodic creations have found a home on Juicebox Music, RKP and Mango Alley, the latter of which operates as his primary home. Clubsonica has also been a landing spot for the talented Albanian, with December of last year marking his label debut with a well-received remix of 'Azul Profundo' by Giovanny Aparicio. Meanwhile, hailing from Sri Lanka, Rockka aka Lakith Adikaram has been releasing his own unique style of progressive music for the better part of three years. First emerging on the strength of a 2021 offering via Mistique Music, a single recorded alongside fellow countryman VegaZ SL, Rockka was immediately touted as a new talent to watch. Although younger than most of his contemporaries, the Nugegoda resident impressed going forward, quickly landing projects with Balkan Connection, Droid9, Mango Alley and Yomo Records. Having previously collaborated on EP's for iNU and Mango Alley, Maze 28 and Rockka now add Clubsonica to their joint discography with 'Mirage | Solid', alongside remixes from Juan Ibanez and Mauro Aguirre.

Maze 28 and Rockka continue to showcase their growing creative synergy on selection one 'Mirage'. Full of rejuvenating dancefloor energy, the cross-continental duo expertly blends robust kick drums and electric grooves with flashing percussion and crunchy effects. Deconstructed vocals and spiralling arps steal the air leading into the break, casting a darker monochrome over the journey, before an effects-laden build cues a rush of pyrotechnic synths and melodic alchemy. The companion piece 'Solid' continues the duo's main room assault but with greater atmospheric depth, all while maintaining the darker tone set by its predecessor. Complete with ultrasonic qualities, it's an energy rush for ages, one where Maze 28 and Rockka's creative attitude shines, as roller coasters of undulating basslines, metallic melodies and astral effects unite for an exhilarating peak-time journey.

The lone interpretation of 'Mirage' is provided by Juan Ibanez who returns to the label for his third appearance. Hailing from Argentina, Juan Ibanez has been touted as one of his country's rising talents since first appearing in 2019. Support from world class DJ Hernan Cattaneo, along with releases for Freegrant Music, onedotsixtwo, Or Two Strangers and Nick Warren's The Soundgarden have etched Juan's place amongst progressive music's top talents. Also finding a home on Clubsonica, the La Rioja resident made his label debut in 2021 with 'Haumea', a track co-produced with American artist D.J. MacIntyre, before returning later that same year with a contribution to the inaugural edition of the Sampler Series. Now, following an appearance The Soundgarden's Winter Collection, Juan returns to Clubsonica with an inspired rendition of 'Mirage'. Bringing a progressive state of mind, Juan carefully balances the themes from the original with his own melodic groove-centric sound. Timely effects and commanding drums steal the air atop thunderous beats, rippling grooves and evolving atmospheres; while a trance-inspired break seals what is the ultimate dance floor bomb to complement an already huge original.

The release concludes with Mauro Aguirre returning to the label for the lone interpretation of 'Solid'. As a fixture of Colombia's nightlife for the better part of three decades, the Cali resident has performed at the city's premiere venues, while also landing radio shows on La Super Estacion 100.5 and La X 96.5 FM. As a producer Mauro has been a frequent collaborator alongside fellow countryman and progressive music star Kamilo Sanclemente. The duo's creative synergy has seen them land releases on Nick Warren's Hope Recordings and Guy Mantzur's Plattenbank Records. Clubsonica however has been Mauro's primary home in recent years, with two originals and two remixes recorded over a four-year stretch. With a recent debut on Balance Music getting 2024 underway in fine fashion, Mauro now returns to Clubsonica for his first solo remix of the year, taking 'Solid' into his own world of melodic progressive house. Opting for a dubbier and more groove-centric approach, Mauro aims squarely at a peak-hour dancefloor here, with rolling rhythms and panning melodies creating a smooth yet energy inducing first act. Looking to bring greater emotional depth, poignant chord changes emerge across the main break, slowly rising against a backdrop of rich textural colour, before segueing into a hair-raising finale; one that's complete with muscular grooves and a fragmented take on the melody. A remix which is not only ideal for the astute connoisseur, but closes the release out as one of Mauro's most accomplished productions to date.

Buy: https://tinyurl.com/3huzdabs

Release Date: 10-05-2023

Release Promo: http://releasepromo.com

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