Fabian Krooss Colorfuel

Following a cascade drop of singles that kept everyone on their toes this past couple of months, time has come to unveil Fabian Krooss' eagerly awaited debut long-player, 'Colorfuel'. A portmanteau word for the vivid colourful spectrum that infuses Krooss' blends and that role of energetic provider it plays, 'Colorfuel' oozes a vibrant mix of dance floor-ready dynamism and effervescing curiosity, packed with surprises at every corner. Completed and finished in the Autumn of 2023, Krooss' debut album takes you on a smooth journey from start to finish, showing the variety in his productions, spanning from melancholic to uplifting, playful to funky and deep to chill.

Starting with the soulful 'Oh Darlin', Krooss steers us on the path of laid-back Chicagoan rhythms and feelgood Afro soulfulness, weaving solar-powered sensitivity with vaporous floor dynamics to hypnotic effect. A further balmy slice of atmospheric electronica tinged with hints of dream-pop and balearic house, "Staring" cruises at its own tranquil pace across colour-shifting horizons and gently jagged reliefs. Pumping out an exquisite blend of sluggish house jack alongside archetypal Andalusian flavours and bass-driven manoeuvres, 'Phoenix' (feat. Frida Darko) ticks all the boxes of a festival season-ready chugger, whereas 'Move Your Booty' relies on a slightly more low-slung melody and further languid swing.

All in bounce and playfulness, 'Your Soul' pulls out a bass-heavy chassis mounted with EBM synths' firepower, nostalgic riffs and orient-flavoured melodic flights, injecting a sense of spiritual elevation to its solid club-focussed engineering. Drawing in a more subdued palette of rhythmic elements, sprinkled with an eerie melody and stripped-back synth funk, 'Inside of Me' makes for a perfect transition track, with 'Manaki' going a further jagged route, as Krooss draws further deep into the Italo style, infusing his stellar arps and brittle piano chords with a thick FX gravy. Contorting itself at the junction of straightforward jack and a more prog-minded construction that seem tailored for stadiums, 'Elasticity' (with Atish) finds Krooss at his most precise and adroitly versatile.

Beaming up unadulterated joy and sunrays across its six minute-ish ride, 'Coquin' bounces back and forth, ushering us into a jam-packed hacienda where the thick volutes of freshly lit havanas coalesce with the exhilarating scent of ron. A trippy ride down memory lane, 'Back To The Oldschool' conjures up images and components straight out the 90s, buzzing with that fun swash of hip-hop and tech-tinged hybrid. A delicate slab of balearic-informed deep house, 'Mtende' serves up a lascivious mishmash of coastal iridescence and sub-Saharan style polyrhythms. Topping off that broad sweep across house's manifold colour chart, 'Tied In Knots' (feat. Harry Charles) treats us to an elevating mix of Spanish guitars and 303-marinated acid bass, taking us from classicism up the modernist ladder in the blink of an eye.