In October 2021, Sam Paganini has released his brand new double album “Light + Shadow” on his own Jam label. The fantastic 12 track concept is his fourth full length after 2020’s Reflections and is split into two halves, Light and Shadow, with each showcasing different sides to his sound.
This fantastic new album is divided into two sections: six tracks for daytime use (Light) and six tracks for nightclub use (Shadow). This unique format allows the artist to delve even deeper and create different moods and grooves for various situations. It comes after nearly two decades at the forefront of the underground scene, headlining every major club and festival from Berghain in Berlin to Output and Cielo in New York, and Fabric in London.
During that time, the Italian has also released music on well-known labels such as Drumcode, Plus 8, and Cocoon Recordings, and has consistently ranked in the top ten of the Beatport techno charts. As well as club-ready EPs, he has always showcased his fine studio craft on immersive full-lengths like 2014’s Satellite, 2017’s Zenith, and 2020’s Reflections.
Those albums expanded on his signature percussive and harmonic sounds, as well as downtempo, breakbeat, and techno. ‘Rave,’ from the Satellite album, became an instant classic, with over 43 million views on YouTube and a stay in the overall Beatport Chart of more than 18 months after being number one for over two months. Next to making techno, he has toured Italy as a drummer with a rock band and had a UK Club Chart #1 ‘Zoe’ under his Paganini Traxx alias in 1996.
The Light + Shadow album
‘Bianca,’ the first single from the new album, is dedicated to Sam’s daughter, who was a newborn at the time it was written and is now seven months old, so the track is full of emotion. With airy pads and heavenly chords, as well as an aching vocal that floats above the silky breakbeats, it’s gorgeously uplifting. ‘Overdrive‘ then traps you in heavenly melodic loops that lift your spirits ever higher, ‘The Church‘ is a thoughtful downbeat track with lush ambient pads and ‘Revelation‘ is a harmonic soundscape with a percolating rhythm and rich chords filled with hope. After that, ‘Breeze‘ delves into a world of tropical cosmic ambiance, with serene pads and leggy drums, glowing keys, and a futuristic feel, before ‘Nocturama,’ which is another exquisite exploration of a cosmic jungle in the sky, complete with new-age keys, whimsical melodic leads, and bustling broken beats.
With deep techno rollers like ‘Starlight,’ raved up cuts like ‘One,’ with its fizzing bass and cantering drums, and ‘Flash,’ feat Ze, which is a pounding but warm techno track with percolating synth lines, the second half, Shadow, takes you straight to the club. ‘Mutron‘ is percussive and twisted, ‘Galaxy‘ induces trance with neon synth leads and unrelenting kick drum pressure, and ‘Heaven‘ concludes with the darkest mood of all, complete with bubbling acid and tripped out keys way up top.
This is a full-fledged artistic statement from one of techno’s most talented artists. Stream and download the album here.
