MUMBAI: Rotterdam’s finest Eelke Kleijn has been hard at work cooking up some very hot material in his studio of late, and we’re now treated to the first taste of the follow-up to his stunning 2018 album ‘Moments Of Clarity’. Drawing on his career DJing on dancefloors around the world, he effortlessly blends club sounds with the melodic integrity required for home listening. Releasing ‘The Magician’ on his very own label DAYS like NIGHTS, is the perfect example of his talents.

"The Magician is all about the bassline” he says of his hot new concoction. “In a lot of my songs, I usually start with an idea and then add all kinds of small things, and the concept grows like that. In ‘The Magician’, it was very different. I started out with the idea of using my modular for Sample and Hold filter modulation. It’s a well known trick from some of the classics, think Depeche Mode or Kraftwerk. From that the rest came naturally.”

Airy vocals and pads warm things up as the twanging lead motif teases in the intro. This modulating, resonating pulse forms the crux of the track, imbuing it with tinges of early progressive house. The bassline doubles up underneath, while snappy, shimmering percussion drives the track forward. FX swells and clap fills add urgency, with pads rising up and an urgent hi-hat added as the lead emboldens and resonates further. The arrangement suddenly strips back, the lead filtered teasingly, allowing the whole affair to slowly engorge again. A restrained build-up leads us back to the meat of the track, the buzzing main motif cutting through the mix beautifully.

“The Magician is definitely one of my personal favourites of the upcoming album” he says. “If you apply my melodic background to a slightly more dance floor focussed approach, ‘The Magician’ is the end result.”

With the live show that came off the back of ‘Moments Of Clarity’ winning plaudits at festivals including DGTL Amsterdam (where it premiered), Extrema Outdoor (Belgium) and hard ticket shows in Paris and Berlin, the potential for its next iteration is hugely exciting given this first tease.

‘The Magician’ is part of Eelke Kleijn’s fourth studio album out on September 18th!