Yan Solo, the South African-based producer and DJ, just released his new solo EP titled Between Two Worlds. It marks his first solo EP release since 2023’s Level One which was succeeded by the collaborative 2024 EP Deeper Tales VI, which also included tracks by Seemon and Serrenti Bros, and a single titled Earned It that featured fellow South African-based artist Ava like Lava. Yan Solo – Between Two Worlds EP is released under the WE R Records label and presents a Melodic Techno portrayal of duality between its two tracks, a duality of inner conflict and the relief that comes when you can accept the changes that come from it.
The two tracks on the EP are Nemesis, which has a mysterious and dark vibe to it, and Symbiosis which is also dark but has more of a pedal-to-the-metal and action-packed thriller vibe to it. Nemesis opens by establishing its wheels-in-motion synth bass line with oscillating octaves and a four-on-the-floor kick drum that keeps the beat. Following the establishment of the bass line, the first of three competing motifs that are heard throughout the entirety of the track slowly fade in with a mysterious but compelling bending mid-ranged synth melody with quick portamento from note to note. The intensity builds around this first motif with the aid of crescendoing volumes and sharp-toothed industrial synth ambiance as the introduction reaches a climax. The second of the three competing motifs is first heard in this build-up section in the form of a quick acid-electronic melodic sequence. The third of the three competing motifs makes its first appearance just before the onset of the introduction’s climax with a fast-paced sequence of synthetic Blue Man Group-like boomwhacker pipes.
Following the introduction’s climax and the establishment of all three motifs, there next is a brief pause in the beat followed by a satisfying drop section that highlights the three motifs all calling and answering each other. At the track’s midpoint, a breakdown section occurs that continues its focus on the interaction of the three motifs with no beat other than an occasional hand drum rhythm. The breakdown increases its intensity as it once again builds back to the next drop of the beat bringing on a final grand round of interaction from all three motifs before making its way back to only the circulating bass line that the track began with.
Symbiosis is built upon a fast-paced repeating root note bass line and like Nemesis, it has competing focuses that come and go from swelling Axel F sounding synth motifs, to pitched percussion sequences and bending heart rate monitor-sounding melodies. Its mid-track breakdown section consists of an industrial-sounding ambiance with a focus on all of the competing motifs once again building up intensity toward another final drop of the beat to complete this joyride of acceptance within. Yan Solo – Between Two Worlds EP offers a great start to 2025 for revelers of Melodic Techno music and forecasts a great year to come for both the artist and the genre.
Stream the Yan Solo – Between Two Worlds EP on Spotify below!
