Not so long ago, we had a chance to review one of Luke Tangerine‘s recent works where he collaborated with NDGE to deliver a catch tune called “To Be Yours.” It’s needless to say both nailed their duties in the song, offering such a pleasant listening experience to the crowd. If you’re familiar with Tangerine’s working ethics, then you probably already know he’s an unstoppable hitmaking machinery capable of publishing banger after banger. He proves my point with “Pastlife Mix,” such an incredible new track that shines with all those qualities Luke Tangerine is known for. Now, this is not just a regular track but the result of his collaboration with Kate Pending, alongside the amalgamation assembled by stacking bits and pieces from his collaborative works with Robson Darker and Ambitstream. Tangerine is known for his collaborations with equally creative and like-minded artists, but this track is his most ambitious piece of sonic art to date. It represents everything he worked for throughout the year, all the heats, soul, experience, knowledge, talents, skills, and ideas distilled into such an incredible composition. Also, it’s good to mention that this number is actually the latest single from “Tomorrow’s Dreams of Yesterday,” and a collaborative full-length album with Kate Pending. Therefore, brace yourself, because Luke Tangerine is more than up to the task of releasing another incredible collection of songs soon.
As usual, Luke Tangerine and Kate Pending packed this song with so many styles and elements, which comes as no surprise considering that this is a cleverly assembled mix of a couple of previous songs. The best part about it is that it doesn’t sound like anything they worked on before. It arrives with a fresh, unique, innovative, versatile, entertaining, fascinating sound achieved by stacking music genres like EDM, house, deep house, tech house, techno, synthwave, synthpop, and other sonic ingredients borrowed from so many electronic music subgenres. The result is more than surprising. At its core, “Pastlife Mix” delivers a danceable house mix where you’ll jump off your chair and start to move your body to those addictive rhythmic sequences. The rhythm section plays a significant role he, as it propels all other instrumentations to new heights, keeps everything in line, and dictates groove and pace. All those beats, breaks, fills, accentuations, and other percussive acrobatics are assembled in a tradition of many legendary house songs while simultaneously screaming with qualities that meet all those trends in modern music production. This collision of contemporary and retro elements sounds so pleasing, forcing you to spin this track over again. Yet, it’s more than clear that Luke Tangerine and Kate Pending aimed for a much more modern sound, so “Pastlife Mix” is undoubtedly leaning more towards those fresh qualities I mentioned before. And all those warm-sounding, powerful basslines lurking beneath the synths and guitars, they sound funky, soulful, and majestic in all possible ways. They deliver more heaviness, depth, and clarity while also contributing detail, groove, and complexity to an already intricate yet easy-listening song structure. The rhythm section reigns supreme here, navigating the remainder of the instrumentations with precision and finesse.
The interplay between synths and guitars is totally upfront. They dominate this soundscape yet allow other instrumentations to breathe. It’s nearly mindblowing how Luke Tangerine and Kate Pending stacked all these layers together, as they articulate all around but do not overwhelm each other. The comprehensive collection of synth leads, themes, melodies, harmonies, accentuations, and improvisations strikes from the above while the funky, soulful, choppy chord progressions deliver that flavorful funk, disco, and rhythm and blues vibe. Together, they act as a perfect backdrop for all the vocals to shine upon, and although these vocal arrangements are more accentuations and details that keep you motivated and guide you through the song, they play a vital role in enhancing the song’s output. There are vocal lines circulating around but the focus is more on the music and atmosphere. You’ll immediately get the feeling that you’re in a packed club where the DJ plays a mashup of house, disco, techno, funk, and soul. “Pastlife Mix” is a marvelous track that delivers all those best qualities of both artists. Luke Tangerine and Kate Pending prove once again they’re highly skilled, profoundly talented hitmakers. Their music will immediately get into your ear and refuse to let go. Therefore, head to your favorite streaming platform and blast this incredible track loud.
Thoughts Words Action 