Mystique By Michael Regina

 

Mystique

By

Michael Regina

Written by

Steve Sheppard

 

As far back as 2018 I came into contact with a fine electronic music artist, and enjoyed the reveries of the album entitled A Far Better World, this artist is the very stylish Michael Regina, and here some eight years later I get to review another gem of his called Mystique, this was a lush ride of electronic styled brilliance.

Mystique is a 10 track release in the electronic new age genre, and that very journey starts with the title track itself, I love it when artists start with the title track, it shows they are proud of their baby, and putting at the top of the stack only proves my point further, and I was to be proved right, this is a fine example of really classy electronic music, in an almost Enigma vibe, even with the Gregorian chants included too, in what is a vibrant and exciting start to the release.

There are some wonderfully rhythmic tracks on the album to like Here Am I, a piece that flows beautifully with the drum pads, and creates a fluent atmosphere, and then Distant, a track I soon fell in love with, a light electronic piano sound and percussion gift us a gentle narrative, but one that builds and progresses nicely into a more forceful creation.

Tales of Tomorrow has to be one of the most fascinating pieces off the album; I’ll give you a tip, listen if you can to this album, this specific track, with headphones on. Again an almost funky rhythm can be found here, then at times also reminding me of contemporary instrumental artist Holland Phillips with the emotive keyboard segments.

Cruising the Stars takes the listener on a faster paced journey of sight and sound; swirling keyboards are matched by driving percussion, and a rich melody line can be found within the weave of the song that makes it very credible as a possible single release also.

The slower side of musical matters is also addressed within pieces like the quite breath taking Lost Cities, a piece that reminded me of classic Medwyn Goodall in parts in its early stages, then we move onto the almost anthem like And There Was Peace, offering up a similar softer side to the album, again the melody is front and centre, and an almost seasonal feel can be found in this piece as well.

The deeper weave of the album is now upon us, with a sensitive arrangement called The Gathering, this is a gentle almost pristine offering, that is bound to bring a cheery feeling into the proceedings, whilst the penultimate creation is the outstanding composition entitled Memory Dreams, this was a spectacular piece and another favourite of mine, with the electronic wizardry firing on all four cylinders, and a compelling bass line to boot as well.

The concluding musical narrative is the illustrious A Place in Heaven, majestic keyboards, matched with a processional style, and a carefully played flute sound from the keys, manifest something quite beautiful to complete the album with, adding in some crescendos with powerful percussive elements to end the album in style also.

Mystique by Michael Regina is a colourful and rich album that fans of electronic music, on the more cinematic side of things should adore, and a great follow up to his 2024 Mothership album. Here the artist has elevated his status in the genre tenfold, the production quality on the release is some of the best I have heard from Michael, and the contents are 10 tracks of compelling electronic music, and as such I think Mystique by Michael Regina is going to become a bit of a fan favourite.