Buy link: bit.ly/3FFC9yo
MANTRA opens the new year with a much anticipated two-track showcase from label boss Rona. Beloved for her transcendent vocals and afro-melodic sounds, the Israeli artist is coming off her best year to date.
The prolific twelve-month campaign saw the Haifa resident collaborate with fellow electronic music contemporaries Golan Zocher and Rafael Osmo, resulting in standout releases for Clubsonica Records and UV Noir respectively. Also enjoying success in solo capacity across the year, Rona presented well received projects for Manual Music and UV, while also having her work re-imagined by progressive music stars Analog Jungs, Navar and Stereo Underground.
Now beginning 2022 in style, Rona returns to her comfortable home of MANTRA with the double a-side offering ‘Be/Choice’. Played out over eight magical minutes, it is the tranquil sounds of ‘Be’ which lead the release off. A framework of flickering percussion and meandering nature motifs set the backdrop for Rona to deliver a hopeful message with her spiritually infused vocals. As the narrative evolves, dulcet pianos cascade gently under the surface, with cinematic pads and bubbly arps emerging in a timely fashion, infusing the journey with goosebump worthy moments, onwards to an enlightening apex.
Sitting as a worthy companion and rounding out the release are the melancholic undertones of ‘Choice’. Possessing an alluring undercurrent, its wavy synth phrasing and broken beats unite for a charming glow from the outset.
Emotive chord changes and delicate arps add to that narrative, as sheets of dusty percussion and Rona’s thoughtful chops gently push the storyboard forward, before tactfully building to a colourfully charismatic finale. A reflective piece which caps off a heavenly EP from Rona, an artist who continues to push her creative scope and gets 2022 off to an auspicious start with ‘Be/Choice’.
Release date: January 7th, 2022.