ContirbutorCelebrating the launch of his Mishbaka label, Fireberg delivers Call of the Phoenix, featuring three tracks touching on transformation and renewal. Like the myth referenced in the title, each track is reincarnated as traditional radio edits or remixed into new evolutions.
Speaking about the release, Fireberg says “Call of the Phoenix is a celebration of all that is renewed and reborn, and the sometimes scary, sometimes exhilarating, and sometimes tragic process of transformation required to emerge into a new being. House music here evokes an honoring of tradition and cycles, while subtle elements of jazz and Latin music intertwined with synesthetic melodies and rhythms light a metaphysical candle for the virtues of individuality and diversity.”
‘Bloom’ arrives first in its jazzier original version, the chopped vocal samples winding around dynamic synthesizer arrangements. A slower dub edit foregrounds the lyrical treatment alongside evocative synth soloing. The EP’s title tune is a statement of intent in Latin house form: an extended original unfurls in fine drama over nine minutes; on remix duties is Prince of Queens, an established figure in NYC’s tropical scene with acclaimed releases on Names You Can Trust and Second Hand Records. His interpretation emphasizes the already-present Latin percussion and a new rude bassline as centerpieces to kaleidoscopic detailing, illuminating a multitude of atmospheric layers. The moving ‘Within Your Arms’ uses melodic bass alongside arcing vocoder harmonies held back in the mix to weave around brassy leads and dreamy keys. Well respected in the UK house scene with a 10-year discography to prove it, Scott Diaz focuses on the groove, paring back parts while foregrounding the vocals and a new, stronger house feeling for the floor.
Fireberg arose in the early 2010s as Dan Berg’s vehicle for the expression of cybernetic sound. His early work from 2014-2017 charted a slow approach to dance music, sometimes alongside collaborators, as the project solidified direction while keeping his roots in jazz and keyboard improvisation audibly intact. An ambient collaboration with visual artist Basia Goszcznska, ‘Passage from Gaumukh: Music for the Rainbow Cave’, emerged in 2020, deepening his thematic outlook and experimentation while engaging ideas concerning ecological and social purity and contamination. 2020 also brought his strongest solo work to that point, the ‘Undoing the Future EP’ on Eyedillic music, which cemented his forays towards the dancefloor with flair to spare. Now with his own Mishbaka imprint, Dan Berg seeks to synthesize his personal and musical ideas into one holistic vision for himself
and the future.
Fireberg – Call Of The Phoenix EP with Scott Diaz + Prince Of Queens Remixes is out October 28th on Mishbaka
Pre-order it here: https://www.beatport.com/release/call-of-the-phoenix-ep/3877312