A Mosaik of Distilled Beauty: Leandi EP by Mosaik (Review)

Do you remember that we wrote about the lush and incredible co-lab between Planet Boelex and Lisa’s Antenna last year? If you don’t then I can tell you that we fancied it very much. Very much indeed. The relatively new netlabel Soft Phase has continued to churn out quite a few impressive releases, the last featuring the Swedish demomusic guru Mosaik, with an EP titled Leandi.

If you’re new to the demoscene, Mosaik is a good place to start, as he’s not only one of the artists who’s been at it the longest; he’s also one of the best. If you’d like to find out more about the beautiful world of Mosaik, read on.

Mosaik is better known as Radix in some circles. He started out making music on the old soundtracker in the days of the amazing Amiga computer system. The demo and tracker scene was a very vibrant undergound phenomena for computer-interested youth which fostered a lot of great musicians. He has been affiliated with a lot of demoscene groups; the most famous being Tpolm, which is an acronym for “the planet of leather moomin.” Just head over to YouTube and type in Radix and get a feel for his work and a free history lesson.

Unlike the strong focus on rhythm which is very prominent in electronic music, Mosaik is all about emphasis on melodiousness and soft, dreamy textures. If you’ve been listening to one too many a’ pumping house beat lately, this can be your antidote. There is always a very personal touch to Mosaik’s recordings, and this is no exception. He seems to have the rare ability to let his songs evolve in a way which creates an enormous sense of replay value. You might find yourself just like me, pushing repeat and listening to the songs all over again, just one more time.

The man himself explains that this is his most sincere and straightforward production in a long time. The artist’s own fatherhood and the warmth he obviously feels for his son gently shines trough. To quote John Paul Young: “Love is in the air.” Experimentalism and the more abstract landscapes of ambient take a back seat and the songs make strong references to what is known as demostyle. The music flows like water down a gentle stream until it finishes: leaving you and the atmosphere behind with a sense of encouraging warmth.

All the tracks are instrumental, and although it would be exiting to hear what Mosaik and a talented vocalist could pull of, the lack thereof does not detract in any way from the quality and strength of this work. He has gotten help from fellow producers though with the ever so lovely Planet Boelex and Niklas Nummelin, collaborating with Mosaik on one track each.

If I had to pick my favorite track, it’d be the title track, “Leandi.” It has a sense of optimism embedded in its melody which is very uplifting. It is very well balanced and the percussive elements only seem to underline the general movement of the song’s melody. Also the arpeggio-ridden hymn, “melo,” oozes of ethereal quality and seems to evoke a sense of unlimited possibility and freedom. And this my friends is something which this world should do well to cherish.

With just an ounce of the world famous Scandinavian trait of melancholia; just a little bit, the songs also somehow have more then one emotion going at the same time. High quality is seemingly a trademark of Mosaik, and there’s not a single song here that disappoints. So what are you waiting for? This one is both free and favored by OSV. A download should therefore be as imminent as sunrise on a cloud-free morning.