Introduction
Artist: Mystic Crock
Title / Release Page: Reef
Release Date: 2015-03-27
Genre: Ambient / IDM / Psybient
License: CC BY-NC-SA
Media: MP3 / OGG / FLAC / more
Pricing: Membership
Label: Magnatune
Rating: ★★★★★★★★
With the break for Netlabel Day well past, I’ve been digging into my back-catalog of review releases a bit. There was quite a bit I had been intending to get to before things got crazy busy. Mystic Crock: Reef is a release that I don’t even remember grabbing from Magnatune. But boy, am I glad I did! When it came on randomly today it was just the kind of release I needed.
Mystic Crock: Reef
Mystic Crock (aka Steve Crock) is an East German born DJ and music producer. He has been producing and DJ’ig since at least 2007 (possibly earlier). In 2013 he decided it was time to work out and record some of his own musical ideas.
The best way to describe the music of Mystic Crock would be to imagine a fusion of The Peace Orchestra and Tangerine Dream. Lots of open, spacious soundscapes with analog effects. His work intertwines melodic lines with slow bass grooves.
On Reef, Mystic Crock focuses on music that has a theme of the open seas, with lots of floating and drifting through the waters. Diving under the surface of the music reveals the plethora of life that is all around us, but hidden away from us by the depths of the oceans, and the unfamiliar terrain that is part of this planet.
This makes for a release that is as much an experience as watching a nature special on the ocean. It’s like discovering a whole world that you didn’t know existed, and yet it is part of your world. This is probably what it felt like to be an explorer in some respect. It seems the days of the great explorers of this planet are mostly over, except for those that delve into the depths of the oceans where there are still places that we have not gone.
Mystic Crock has taken a solid foundation from several musical styles and has infused it with his very special voice. You can feel Mystic Crock’s own sense of wonder, and sense of joy in the discoveries on this album. There’s a feeling calmness and relaxation that comes through with every piece, but there is still an exploration of what this music means and how it feels. This is a wonderful exploration to be able to go on.
Conclusion
This was a release that I didn’t even remember grabbing from Magnatune several months ago. But giving it a listen again, I am glad that I had the foresight to download it, and put it into the review queue. It’s a release that will make you feel at ease, and yet fill you with a sense of wonder, and a desire for wanderlust. It’s an exploration of the world around us that never ceases to amaze, and you will likely not want to end.
Reef by Mystic Crock
