So, today was just a terrible day. You know those days when everything goes wrong, and all you want is to vanish, to sink into a space where thoughts cease to exist? The only real rescue pill is the deep bass of future garage. And that’s when I stumbled upon Mauka, an artist from the US. His track, “Glimmer,” feels like an act of necessary contemplation.
The composition greets you gently, almost intimately. The first seconds are a melodic introduction where your attention is immediately caught by a curious detail: sounds similar to digital bird calls. They don’t sound natural; they are ephemeral. It’s an unexpected decision that reappears later, creating a surreal atmosphere.
Soft vocal samples lead toward the culmination. And finally, here they are—the drums, which open the path to a deep, almost physically tangible bass and melancholy synths. Mauka skillfully holds this rhythm in the percussion. It’s a familiar yet structurally intriguing foundation that grants a sense of stability of mood. This is exactly what I value in future garage above all else.
Later, something emerges that challenges me. I noticed that the electric piano sometimes sounds out of sync with the harmony. This is undoubtedly a deliberate technique. While I’m not a fan of this method, here, it works. It keeps the attention on the edge, preventing thoughts from completely dissolving, maintaining a slight tension.
This is exactly what I wanted to feel. A certain sadness that doesn’t feel heavy. The feeling when thoughts quiet down, and you stop being an active participant in the world, becoming merely its observer. This leads to a strange thought: is music the only thing that remains between you and the world?
P.S. If you’re searching for a similar experience of quiet, yet confident movement forward—much like the feeling of “Glimmer”—we also recommend taking a deep dive into Eceptas’s “Solstice”.
