Synth EP Review: “Aerobic drive" by Jessy Mach
by Karl Magi
Jessy Mach’s “Aerobic drive" takes listeners on an ear-pleasing trip to the French Riviera in 1985, bringing us into the life of a character who drives an iconic ’80s BMW and keeps herself in beach-ready shape at the Riviera Performance Gym.
“E30 morning cold start” is infused with the silky rip of a BMW inline-six starting while a hypnotic rhythm bounces in undulating, guiding motion. Like the acceleration of a powerful motor, guitar and synth trade off with flashing dynamism, evoking a winding road and early morning light.
Jessy Mach unleashes his guitar, howling and lush, like the complex note of a roaring motor bouncing off canyon walls. Now the track cruises like a car accelerating onto the autoroute, gliding down the blacktop as the landscape becomes a blur.
Thrilling strength drips from the vaulting synth as it spins madly, reaching high and crying out. An image of a classic E30 BMW carving up a canyon comes to mind as the track ends.
A moment of laid-back tranquility sparks to bring “Susan’s locker ritual” to life. Like a brilliant Mediterranean sunrise, it spreads as Jessy Mach’s guitar broadcasts undeniable peace. Exhaling, the notes float as though borne on aquamarine tides, intermingling like oceanic currents.
Hovering like seabirds on a breeze, tones glide before trickling notes drift like soft blooms on oceanic water. Percussion, like the rocking of waves on the shore, shapes and guides the rippling, fluttering synth. Easygoing, soothing motion fills the artist’s guitar, flickering and skipping, touching me with relaxation as it wanders. A diaphanous shimmer fills the track as it closes out.
“Aerobic drive” spins from a cassette tape in an urgent throb, exploding with action. Pumping motion, like legs driving into the ground with relentless force, propels the track as lambent tones flash.
Jessy Mach’s exuberant guitar captures all the intent and rhythmic strength of an aerobics workout with his signature polished intricacy. Tones like brassy horns glimmer, while the guitar solo is a minor-key blur, conveying a push to the max as the rhythmic underlayer thuds.
In an adrenaline burst, soaring notes climb as a percussive heartbeat thunders. Horns blare and cascade as a madly bending synth erupts with all the wild motion of the workout before the tape clicks off.
Azure, technological sensations broadcast through “Cannes bay cooling” as cutting edges shift. Building with insistently ticking cymbals, a funky flow fills the razor-sharp notes, contrasted by coruscating tones that shimmy and shake. Solar light grows while the heavy underlayer rumbles.
An image of lounging with soft sea breezes blowing past fills my mind, while the giant foundational pulse sweeps. Like watching a motorboat carve a wake through blue water, the glimmering synth reflects evening light. Diamond-sharp with clean sounds, a computerized synth and brightly bending tones carry the track to its end.
