Kiko King & creativemaze are the monikers of a Berlin duo who classify their music as “Airbendermusic”, blending styles from all genres. They’ve released a few songs via YouTube and bandcamp, but “Illusions of Time” marks their first official release. It seems as though the introspective, menacing track is poised to take the band to the next level, having been included on the soundtrack for Showtime’s hit House of Lies.
It opens with quick-moving acoustic guitar-picking. A heavy, dark sensation begins to settle as the backdrop. Then, a hoarse voice with a dramatic echo enters, dropping loaded words: Time… Air… Illusion… Passion… finally settling on repetition of “Fate” until his voice gets soft. The track truly takes off about a minute in with a rhythmic electronic beats, low urgent strings, and guttural vocals sweeping over the whole of it, with the melody holding an otherwise sensational, exaggerated quality at bay. That’s the engineering genius behind creativemaze’s distinctive work, and it provides a perfect backdrop for the mysterious Kiko King and featured vocalist Jorlyn Selina. The elements each provide together create a stronger blanket of some universal sentiment than each could on their own. They softly croon “I need more time,” but that’s as personal or explicative as it ever gets.
What the track lacks in focused, direct statements, it makes up for with interesting rhythmic movements within the music. Intent on building mysterious personas, Kiko King and creativemaze are all mood on “Illusions of Time” but keep listeners on their toes with disconcerting swings from simple to soaring.
Check out “Illusions of Time” below:
