Sam Goku
Yulun
Paryìa
Sam Goku is a machine. Over the past few years, the Berlin-based artist has dropped a slew of tripped-out house and techno records, including 2024’s Radiants EP for Dekmantel and three separate volumes of his Explorations series for Permanent Vacation. Yulun is his first outing on Marie Montexier’s Paryìa imprint, and it’s easily one of his strongest offerings to date.
Propulsive yet ethereal, the EP indulges in a mesmerizing strain of drum-heavy prog, swaddling its percussive pulse in hazy textures and dotting the landscape with reverb-kissed accoutrements. With its echoing wood chimes and occasional piano strikes, the record’s shuffling title track proves especially seductive, and while songs like “Irises” and “Fluor” notably step up the drum attack, they also both sound like the sort of thing you’d want to hear at a forest rave when it’s 7 a.m., the sun is coming up and you’re one of bedraggled few absolutely refuses to call it a night. Prioritizing warmth and pastel colors, Goku isn’t beating anyone over the head, but he doesn’t need to; the silken tunes on Yulun are capable of luring just about anyone onto the dancefloor.