Artist: Matt Rowan & Jaytech
Title: Pulse / Silver Cities
Label: Hope Recordings
By: Antonella Sirec | 6 August 2006
Tracklist:

• A: Pulse
• B: Silver Cities

Matt Rowan & Jaytech "Pulse / Silver Cities"

A duo that has been making people sit up and take note of late is Australia's very own Matt Rowan and Jaytech. Already responsible for one of the biggest releases this year with 'Tomorrow', the first half of the year saw the track, along with 'Blaze', signed to Hope Recordings and featured on Dave Seaman's 'Renaissance – The Masters Series Part 7' while from a live perspective it's been played by everyone from Desyn Masiello to Paul Van Dyk. In fact, I can't think of one DJ that hasn't played it at least once in their set. Their follow up release for the label, 'Pulse/Silver Cities', is set to further solidify their standing as part of the new generation of producers that aren't afraid to create interesting tunes that are happily dancefloor friendly.

'Pulse' opens surreptitiously with simple beats and then builds into a dreamlike melodic track heightened by the electro tinged bass which, while quite subtle in sound, changes in feel halfway through the track. The tension builds nicely with the richly washed synths and cheeky vocal samples that are used throughout in a sparing but concise manner. The varying dips and peaks in the tune's structure make for interesting hearing. This is a track that's not only beautifully produced but also has substance. 'Pulse' is one of those tracks that you hear the first time and think it's nice and you enjoy listening to it but it's on subsequent listens that it really comes into its own. All the different layers gel superbly and are only intensified whenever the predominant synths and melodic chords come into play. It's a track that grows at third intervals but only ever so slightly. Dramatically, it isn't until the last third of the track that everything falls into place and you appreciated the intricacies that were created to get to this point.

'Silver Cities' is a different type of number from it predecessor. While still remaining firmly meshed in the progressive sphere, it begins with a deeper more urgent beat and travels down a more sordid feel in sound even though it has a more bouncy feel to it. There are little glimpses of the frail elements that are inherent in 'Pulse' but these moments are very fleeting as the majority of this tune reminds me of walking down a dark alley at night. 'Silver Cities' twists and turns at the right moments while at the same time remaining in a lower key range. However, this is not to say this particular tune is dark because it's not as that bass keeps it on an even keel. While 'Pulse' has quite a dream like quality, 'Silver Cities' is more earth bound and has an obvious grimy appeal in its sound. It's a subtle tune that grows on you and the little musical innuendos that you hear within only makes it all the more appealing. There's something quite intriguing about it and as a result, it's my favourite on this release.

From an overall perspective, the one thing that strikes me the most about this release is that both tracks are quite different in sound while still fitting under the progressive banner. There is nothing pretentious about either tune as they are pure, unadulterated dance music. And that's how it should be! While 'Pulse' sounds quite ethereal, 'Silver Cities' is a quiet beast with its grimy quality and as such, their diversity only further enhances Matt Rowan and Jaytech's abilities to bring something different to the table each time they create a piece of music. It is that very ability to create diverse sounds that makes their releases worth taking note of simply because they're not rehashing 'Tomorrow' over and over again. More then anything, it's a fine example of youth and maturity combined to form a partnership that's going to stay around for a long time. And with releases such as 'Pulse/Silver Cities', this duo is going to be around for a long, long time.