'Born Into Fire'
Ross Tregenza certainly
has a fire inside him. The third in a series of solo EP releases
since January, 'Born Into Fire' shows of the composer / vocalist /
producer / sound designer's diverse skill set. He has, since putting
Goteki on ice, showed that he can pretty much turn his hand to any
genre and add his unique mark to it.
This time round the
focus is very much on a blend of dark electro augmented by decadent
neoclassical strains set to a martial drum beat, which sets 'Born
Into Fire' apart from his previous offerings in a big way. There is
always a melancholic strain to Tregenza's solo output, but no more so
than on the opening version of the title track on the EP. The second
'Electronic' version is more in keeping with his previous output by
juxtaposing the sombreness with a catchy drum beat and infectious
lead synth melody. 'Burning In The Dark' continues the dark
atmosphere of the opener but once again some more playful sounds to
create a nice mellow centre-point. Visage's Logan Sky provides a
minimalistic remix focussing on deep percussive sounds and exhibiting
a fine balance between the electronic and orchestral elements. 'Moons
Of Saturn' is a decadent instrumental in the vein of an opening
credit score to an, as yet unreleased, sci-fi blockbuster. It's
expansive sound mixes all of the elements heard so far on the EP and
reworks them into something rather grand. The final track is another
instrumental, this in the form of 'Temple Of The Sacred Heart', which
returns to Tregenza's tried and tested formula of addictive, dance
orientated electro.
The EP releases get
better and better. The production is excellent and the song-writing
and composition continues to evolve in unexpected but very pleasing
ways. This is the strongest and most confident release to date, and
if Tregenza continues along these lines, the inevitable full-length
début is going to be something to watch out for.