After a couple of well-received releases on different labels (LevelNonZero, PV Records and Confused Records), Marc Miroir offers his debut album through his own Paso Music imprint.
Established in 2004 by Miroir, Sebrok and Jo Spallek, Paso Music has been a successful outlet for the minimal tech house from the likes of Maxime, Jochime Spieth and the label owners themselves. Aided by studio buddies Asem Shama, Ronald Christoph and Andreas Henneberg, Marc Miroir offers a diverse electronic album with a deeper edge compared to his previous releases.
On the majority of tracks on Hitting Home, the lead melody is subordinate to the rhythmic components. The album’s opener The Morning After is a laid-back track centered around a solid rhythm and some scattered vocal snippets and melodic stabs. It morphs seamlessly into the album lead single Eco Quest which picks up the momentum with its peak-time siren and swinging beat structure.
One of the album’s highlights is the discofied Fire. Fire stands out for its bubbly bass, driving rhythm and Italian Hard Ton on vocals (think Byron Stingily with a less high-pitched falsetto).
Subsequently the album heads into deeper territories with tracks like Maxid and Train. The former has a growling bass line laid over a firm 4 to the floor, peppered with some acidic squelches. Train features Chicks on Speed co-founder Kiki Moorse on vocals. Although the track builds up nicely around repetitive vocals and a melodic bass line, it fails to hold the attention to the end. The following track Sounds of the Barn is composed out of samples recorded in the barn of Miroir’s parents (watch the video for insight into the art of barn sampling). And the album ends with a blissful house track with Integer on vocals (Coming Home).
Hitting Home is a fitting representation of the deeper side of Marc Miroir’s productions. Although the melodies are a little too few and far between, the meticulously constructed rhythms and guest vocalists lift this album above average.
7/10 – Patrice Knap
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