Laika EP Opal Sunn

Opal Sunn's return to Nick Höppner's Touch From A Distance is sort of a recap of 2019 - a year that proved pretty incredible for the duo of Alex Kassian and Oba Hiroaki. Their live show took them quite literally all over the world including Tokyo, Valencia, Ho-Chi-Minh-City, Hanoi, Fusion Festival, England's beloved Field Maneuvers and last but not least: Panorama Bar in Berlin, where they performed twice in 2019 as part of the Touch From A Distance labelnights. Their „Laika EP“ has been largely inspired by their first Panaroma-Bar-performance in january last year, which they - unassuming, yet assertive - took by storm. Eight months later their show in the Laika tent at the UK's best kept festival secret Field Maneuvers marked a second highlight in Opal Sunn's calendar. As a tribute, Opal Sunn have called the opening track to this record „Laika“. Their second ep for Touch From A Distance is picking things up, where their debut left off, meaning Opal Sunn's sound design is as pristine as a mountain spring and their arrangements are as tight and effective as ever. Having played numerous gigs in the meantime, there seems to be a new focus, though. All four tracks feel much more centered and balanced, aiming quite effortlessly at a heaving dancefloor. „Laika“, the ep's lead track, sees Opal Sunn at their most effective and peak time. A long build up and a rolling 303 bassline make for a total sureshot of a track. On „Minority State“, the duo let's their Electro inclinations run free, fusing razor sharp beats with icy melodies and abstract sound effects. On the b-side, „Holy Mountain“ is essential Opal Sunn: Glistening arpeggios, gliding melodies and floating beats create a psychedelic atmosphere predestined to lose yourself in. The ep ends with „Tangerine Blues“, an equally atmospheric and trance-y track embedded in a rather broken beat, going for a more cinematic vibe.