Krystal Klear - The Division EP

Krystal Klear
The Division EP
2018
Spotify

One of my favorite things about this EP is how I cam to it. I follow quite a few of my favorite DJs on Twitter, trying to snag little tips and unreleased gems. I follow Jacquese Greene and He posted a video of the crowd going bonkers during his DJ set and the song that was playing was "Neutron Dance" from Krystal Klear. The record had not officially come out yet and the only way to hear it was snip-its online and the occasional Youtube or SoundCloud mess up. Now however The Division is hear with the Irish DJs new set of tunes. The record sparkles and shines from the very first moment "Neutron Dance" is dropped. It's the perfect title for the song because it really captures this environment of techno dance. You can sense that there are some pretty techy things going on at the outset of the record, but it still maintains this sense of pure fun throughout it's over six minute run time. The highs swell and consume while the beat keeps your feet moving on the floor. You can feel yourself letting go as this album progresses, getting lost in the beats that move and shift with each new house movement. This record clearly has it's roots deeply placed in the history of House Music, but from there Krystal Klear doesn't allow history to hold him back. He pushes the pace, pushes the volume and employs elements from acid, disco, deep... you name it He is bound to find a way to tie it into this record. You can really sense that Krystal Klear wanted to leave politics behind and really dig into a record that was more fun to listen to. The tones are bright, energetic and sometimes frantic just trying to get this harnessed movement out on to the floor. It's pretty magical for anyone who has appreciated a DJ who just brings you thunder from the moment they step behind the turntables.

The EP is short at only four tracks, but Krystal Klear packs a hell of a lot of punch into this small package. The songs also run quite long allowing the DJ to really move them around. The songs never quite end up where you thought they would and the journey to get there is always an extremely pleasant one. "Moonshake Miner" begins with this rather basic beat, hitting a deeper note than the rest of the album to the point you think we are finally getting something heavy on the record. Instead the song explodes into bright synths and smooth transitions. This feels like grown up house music, pulling on the vast history of the genre while still creating something new and fully exciting. This record is built far more for the DJ set than the casual listen even though it could easily work in both venues, but these are tunes you want to have space and time to branch out, touch other tracks and come back to a center point. In the end however this record is simply so much fun, you can't deny it. You'll find yourself dancing along at all hours of the day, wanting to throw this on anytime you have friends over. The Division is the dance EP we've needed for awhile, even if we didn't know it.

8.8 out of 10