Fabian Krooss - Colorfuel (2024)

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 showcases his aim "to have a smooth journey from start to finish, showing the variety in my productions", which spans a wide range, "from melancholic to uplifting, playful meets funky meets deep meets 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.