Maor Levi was a bit all over the place this past year. The producer who got his real first break off of Above and Beyond's legendary imprint, Anjunabeats, took 2016 to kind of explore all options available. Maor is involved in a few side projects now, such as Bad Royale, a trio who truly claims ‘fuck genres' having had releases off both Anjunabeats and MAD DECENT. As last year came to a close Maor decided to make all of his early fans incredibly happy by returning to Anjunabeats to drop a beautiful EP.
Aptly named ‘Returning/Universal', the two track effort is absolutely stellar. Let's first take a look at the A side of the release. ‘Returning' starts off as most Anjuna releases do – with a powerful high intensity intro of mashing chords . ‘Returning' soon evolves with pitched vocals that ease into a melodic break. Quickly though the break starts to build tension. A small synth riff is introduced as the track continues to evolve. The back beat works tirelessly at bringing the listener to a heightened sense of awareness as it progresses and evolves for over a minute. Soon the pitched vocals return signalling the drop is near and wow does it not disappoint.
The B side of the EP ‘Universal' is hauntingly beautiful to say the least. The intro is a perfect transition from ‘Returning' and then quickly turns down the intensity from the A side. The break in ‘Universal' is filled with light piano, atmospheric chimes, and a shimmering effect that will leave you in wonder. A vocal effect melds with the dreamy background making for a euphoric build that will leave you with sweaty palms and tears in your eyes. When the track finally does release for a drop, it will make you want to jump around the room.
We missed this side of Maor and his return to Anjunabeats and progressive house and progressive trance is more than welcome. This was truly one of the best releases off the label last year. Check it out below.
