Artist: Paolo Mojo
Title: The Paris EP
Label: Oosh Music
By: Ryan Simoneau | 26 March 2008
Tracklist:

• 1. Paris
• 2. Home
• 3. Nightlaw

Paolo Mojo "The Paris EP"

I had heard a lot about Paolo Mojo from my house music aficionado friends over the last few years. They have been going on and on about Paolo being one of the rising new stars in electronic music and after his Balance 09 compilation came out, they were more convinced than ever. Having been impressed with his original tune, “1983,” I wasn’t ready to anoint him to such status just yet but I was looking forward to seeing what Paolo had up his sleeve for “The Paris EP.”

“Paris” picks right up with Paolo’s strong attention to melody, which immediately made my ears perk up. He also very smartly surrounds that melody with gorgeous atmospherics to build the tension as the track keeps driving along. However, the tune does get rather repetitive and could have used some more effects or a vocal sample to help spice it up. But it is pleasant to the ears and inoffensive although sometimes that doesn’t always mean a great dance track. I would classify this one as slightly on the “filler” side of the tune stratosphere.

“Home” wastes no time at all at establishing a tougher sound and is very different than “Paris.” With a thumping house beat as its backbone, “Home” builds and builds and builds. Even the casual dance music fan knows that an artist or DJ must create tension in order to build the listener up only to have that tension released in a massive way. That’s always been the formula. However, “Home” is all tension and no satisfaction. Just one giant building track that never takes off, which as a listener is one of the most frustrating things you can experience. I could see using a small portion of this track in a set or album but listening to it in its entirety is challenging and borders on boring.

The third track, “Nightlaw,” acts as a combination of Paolo’s more melodic work and the “harder” sound like the aforementioned “Paris.” Clearly, Paolo has a strong ear for melody and he should trust that instinct more. As a listener, it’s these melodies that swirl around your head for days. Here, the main melody is keeping in the retro trend vibe, displaying an 80’s Casio keyboard/ Atari-esque sound. And at around the six-minute mark of the track, it does indeed take off amidst old school rolling drum loops that takes the tune to new heights. Not as good as “Paris” but much better than “Home” – however, all pale in comparison to the complete package that was “1983” for this type of sound.

There’s no doubt Paolo is a very gifted musician. His tracks are technically very sound but what can separate him from the mass of other producers cashing in on the 80’s nostalgia train is his strong attention to melody. Tunes such as “1983” and “Nightlaw” are prime examples of that where “Home” loses focus and doesn’t have enough going on in it. While the “Paris EP” may be a mixed bag, there’s no denying the future is very bright for one of dance music’s rising new stars.