Artist: Yunus Guvenen
Title: Invasion EP (Part One)
Label: Bedrock Records
By: Simon Jones | 19 August 2003
Tracklist:

• A: Opus 34
• B: Mass Schizophrenia

Yunus Guvenen "Invasion EP (Part One)"

Istanbul producer Yunus Guvenen first came to people's attention with his debut release on the now defunct Fire Recordings. This was soon followed by a series of EPs for Regress Records as Mavi before developing both his sound and production skills via a series of singles for Silver Planet. Indeed by the time the 'Delta EP' was released, a deeper sound was predominantly evident in Yunus's work. As Pablo Cassall once said, "the most important thing in music is what is not in the notes". This idea could be applied to Yunus's work, as all of his tracks have hidden meanings or a personal influence, and the two part 'Invasion EP' is perhaps his most personal, yet inspired and influential to date.

Part One of this EP is opened with 'Opus 34', and the first thing that may strike you is the laid back mood of this track. Weaving together layer upon layer of deep tribal drum percussion, Yunus creates a deep and mysterious void which he then fills with filtered pads and bass stabs, building to the main classical melody, dropping the beats out and adding heart warming strings into the groove. Building back up section by section, it's almost as if each section of the track is like a section of an orchestra waiting for their moment to join in with the composition, ending in a fanfare of sound, delivered in delicate grandeur.

The b-side 'Mass Schizophrenia' leads in with a rumbling groove, upon which a subtle percussion line is placed, shifting the drums as they rise and fall. A swilring melody can be heard lingering in the background as the groove evolves, transforming not only it's pace, but the whole sound and intensity of the track. These gradual changes start off slowly, building toward a smooth bass driven section in the centre of the track. The melody melts into the bassline, and once a series of key changes have taken place, the track builds once more, this time culminating in a series of drops, before deep sweeping sounds and a piercing sound that rises out of the heart of the track change the direction once again. Dropping into a melody solo, the pulsating siren that has been lurking in the background now shifts it's way to the front, as kickdrums add a devasting hook effect to the bassline and vocal effects sound like a sea of tortured souls screaming in unison. Make no bones about it, this is a devastingly powerful track that will screw with your mind, at the same time filling the biggest room. Imagine this at a festival on a big system being played to thousands, and the name 'Mass Schizophrenia' is apt in more ways than one.

As only half of the EP, the diversity is already a major factor, with the energy and emotion poured into each track easily overlooked. These tracks are by no means obvious and require a few listens for you to understand the intricacies and perhaps the idea behind the EP, and even then, you will have only solved half of the puzzle. But on the other hand, you can appreciate these tracks and enjoy them for what they are, and that's two carefully produced and essential tracks.