Buy Link: beatport.com/release/starchild/3553389
As Meanwhile Horizons continues to establish itself as a prime vehicle for electronic music and a considered alternative sound, co-founder, Matter, provides a career highlight with his debut full-length album, “Starchild“.
In development for over two years, with a stellar cast of powerful and innovative tracks, Matty Doyle continues a journey that has seen him light up the electronic music industry’s finest imprints with a distinctive sound via his Matter moniker. A veteran of such esteemed labels as Proton Music, Black Hole and, most recently, on Nick Warren’s The Soundgarden with Dutch talent, Alex O’Rion, Matter has consistently served up a plethora of high quality original and remix material in both solo and collaborative guises.
Opening the 10-track magnum opus, the “Starchild” title track is an opulent blend of emotive chord changes and textured soundscapes. A 4/4 kick and hi-hat percussion at the mid-point provide a rhythmic anchor before the club-friendly “Chemical Therapy” warms with its ethereal vocal phrasing and upbeat melodic flow. Originally appearing on Meanwhile Horizons‘ first release, “Beyond the Horizon“, the pulsating “Air Sand” finds its rightful place in the Matter canon as the laid-back rhythmic groove and effected vocal cuts of “So it Goes” maintains a fluid dancefloor character.
Pausing for a moment of serenity, “We Will Fade” reveals a kaleidoscopic array of layered textures that sit beneath a wave of free-flowing guitar sequences, before giving way to the chunky beats and rolling groove of “Lost in Seasons” that are juxtaposed against an evolving and multi-faceted sonic tapestry. “The Search” immediately impresses with it its heavily effected and side-chained phrasing, while a cavernous bassline paves the way for gloriously flowing and floating melodic sequences to reveal themselves in glorious depth at the stripped back breakdown.
The shifting cadenced groove of “Sundial” is the perfect vehicle for sun-kissed synths to wash over the 8-minute piece in blissful waves amidst imperceptible vocal hints. “Lucid Academy” continues Matter’s penchant for opulent sonic textures woven in golden threads around a deep kick and offbeat hats; the resultant effect is a glorious sonic melange and diaphanous motifs. The closing track sees the beautifully arranged “Pacha Mama” take centre stage with its outstanding melodic sequencing and sympathetic bassline poise. Counterpoint melodies shine through and the result is a 24-carat reminder why Matter remains at the vanguard of the modern progressive house scene.
Looking upward into distant skies, “Starchild” is a reminder of the incandescent glow with which Matter lights up the dance music universe through a galaxy of musical innovation.
Release date: November 5th, 2021.