Author: Christopher Hoffmann Jacob

Lush, expansive, mysteriously nostalgic – Zer0 れい‘s latest full length project BLACK MAGIC is all of these things and more.

Propelling forward into interesting sonic territory, Black Magic feels like taking a slew of concepts and throwing them in a haunted blender – producing some sort of thick coffee sludge that is heavenly and rich. Zer0 れい does a magnificent job swirling together influences from Vaporwave, Mallsoft, Industrial Techno and Dark Ambient – crafting something quite unique and energetic.

One thing I immediately appreciated about this record was the attention to flow between tracks. After spinning it down twice I was noticing how fluid everything felt – much more than just a collection of tracks, attention to the detail in track listing and connections between the pieces gives me some kinda bizarre satisfaction!

My personal favorite track has got to be Smokescreen – the raw stoner guitar riffing behind absolutely massive atmospheric pads, percussion swirling all around – creating such an amazing vibe! I have found myself in traffic with this riff in my head, swooping in to fill in the spaces of my mind.

The whole project has a darkness to it – but it’s almost nostalgic, leaving the listener removed to an extent – allowing appreciation without over-saturation. Sometimes a producer will attempt to force gloom and doom down the listeners throat – which is not always in tune with how I am feeling emotionally, leading to some sort if detachment – but Black Magic finds a way to ride the melancholy wave with just a suggestion of existential dread.

It’s always thrilling seeing a producer grow and expand – this being Zer0 れい‘s first vinyl release – and it is the perfect candidate for wax in my opinion. The concept of the long-playing album is alive and well, look no further! You can grab the digital or physical copies via BRC30 Productions Bandcamp page.