Secret Cinema "Minerals"

Secret Cinema AKA Jeroen Verheij releases his latest long player "Minerals" on the recently formed Netherlands based Gem Records. The album is released on vinyl and CD. The tracks on Minerals, are inspired by the hardness, color and material of various minerals.

The CD version comes with two albums disc one "Night On Earth" covers the tech/house vibes Jeroen is more associated with and then the ambient/experimental collaboration "Moving Earth" with Mental Youth..

Night on earth opens with "Exploration" a dreamy ambient intro before heading into the deep tech house of "Smooth Talc" its layered poly rhythmic groove and funky arpeggio's and swelling synth stabs and melodic organ refrains make this an blinding opener. "Crystal System" effortlessly flows in next, a bouncy and hypnotic deep bass driven growler that cruises along with some tastefully filtered and delayed cymbals, vocal stabs and shimmering Detroit-esque keys keep this emotive and deeply funky

The deepness continues with "Turquoise" with its solid house groove, filtered alien funk and a mutating yet incredibly infectious organ hook keeps it building. "Calcite Night" ventures into some serious tech-jazz.

Things get slightly sinister yet extremely deep with the off kilter afro tribal vibes of "Moms Scale" its a rather dark and hypnotic mantra.. "Star Sapphire" is an absolute killer techno track reminiscent of The Black Dogs "Bytes" period. "Smoky Quartz" takes us in a more minimal direction but its warped acidic bass line is almost psychosis inducing but with the help of sweeping cinematic swells it brings you back to a normal mind state.

Towards the end we have "Caught In Amber" another acidic bleep treat with an almost jazz like feel but never leaving the dance floor. we are then given a little breather with the beautifully haunting Interlude "Passage" before finishing off with the early IDM inspired "Ruby FM" which ends "Night On Earth" with a subtly melancholic vibe..

Disc two "Moving Earth" is an ambient mix created from the source material on the tracks off disc one, Dirk-Jan Hanegraaff and Robert Kroos also known as Mental Youth, collaborated with Verheij on this collection of deeply haunting yet futuristic ambient textures. For the maximum effect, this is one for personal listening in a horizontal position with the lights out.

Overall "Minerals" is a stunningly produced release, although disc one "Night On Earth" is extremely club friendly I feel its one of those techno/house music albums that will work for home listening, perfect for preparing for a night of clubbing or for long journeys with only your headphones to keep you company, because of its mixed format its ideal for parties, a guaranteed floor burner with an underground edge often venturing into the more darker/experimental side of club culture. The inclusion of a second ambient album will only further delight the more open minded music fans.. 9/10

Minerals is out now on Gem Records on Vinyl and double CD..


Stream the album here @128kbps
Secret Cinema - Minerals: CD1 mixed (128Kbps) by GEM Records