MARAL Vinyl & CDs

Review: Ground Groove is the third album from LA-based, Iranian-American producer and DJ, Maral. It begins with the sprawling, achingly heavy 'Feedback Jam', dense enough to distort reality crushed beneath the track's lumbering heartbeat and waves of distortion. As each wave recedes, samples trickle forward in the mix, voices and instruments rising and falling in uncanny reverse. 'Feedback Jam' serves both as an initiation ritual, and a thesis statement for the record that follows.
Composed largely on Ableton, Ground Groove features frequent 'live recordings from Maral on guitar, bass, and vocals - but to say it's a huge step up in mixing and audio quality is an understatement. The attention to detail is immense. 'Ground Groove's eleven tracks are 'grooves' in the obvious sense, each being driven by a persistent, propulsive rhythm, but the album's title may just as well suggest the glacial passage of time that standout voices like these emerge as landmarks.