REVIEW: Bas Dobbelaer and Vand - ZL2 [SoHaSo]

One of the most exciting collaborations on a scene, Bas Dobbelaer and Vand are back on SoHaSo with the ZL2 EP, continuing to shape the intriguingly poignant universe they created on Laren EP almost two years ago. 

Both Bas Dobbelaer and Vand are gifted producers with individual recognizable styles; joined together, they craft insanely palpable and amusing deep soundscapes. No matter at what setting it hits, once it’s there, you are in a terraformed realm, surrounded by a lavishly detailed, fully developed atmosphere where all obscure surfaces reflect, and all senses are activated. Dancing within is like exploring a fantasy land using echolocation under flickering lights, feeling every element in its supernatural beauty.

As Laren sets in a seductive, distinctly tropical, elusive sultry,  ZL2 is in an airier, more secluded, reverberating territory. All four tracks on ZL2 are built on the same assertive melancholic palette, each transporting into a different spatial corner. 

Picking up from Laren’s ‘Void (Pulse Mix),’ the opening track ‘Nomansland’ defines a mood with an energetic stride of subdued percussion, warm pads, and shape-shifting bassline. Gradually inhabiting a space devoid of any familiar barriers, a vast elevated plateau facing an endless horizon. In ‘Reflect,’ it comes down closer to earth, guiding a grounding ritual, little by little washing it over daydreaming. 

‘Story of Blade’ launches into outer space by deploying a synth-induced cosmic breeze, acid blips, and navigating hi-hats to master momentum of technogenic intensity. (where it goes next -  check on Carl Finlow ‘Displaced’). ‘Runner’ closes the journey as a fast-paced spiraling platform floating above the starlit mountaintops. 

ZL2 EP is out on SoHaSo on February 5, 2021