Younger Days by Juhasz Tamas

“Merging with ego, submerging in self-doubt as a haunted Irish castle slowly swallows you whole.”

—Juhász Tamás

“As a frequent performer and regular contributor to EXILES events and releases, Juhász Tamás is a close and long-standing artist in the label’s roster: he not only appeared on the early compilations such as ‘EX02’ or ‘Free​-​space Path Loss’, but also dropped two full-length albums (‘similar substance /// same substance’ in 2018, and ‘Sunken Keep’ in 2020 as Goliard). His visionary soundscapes and fast-paced beats became more and more refined throughout the years, exploring a new flavour of dub-infused techno with mythical echoes, fresh Mediterranean breezes and tiny, yet fast-paced, rounded kickdrums.

‘Younger Days’ starts with steady beats, textured glitches and dreamy layers of sweet electronics. But one thing you learn right here in the beginning is that you should not take anything for granted: ‘Looking through the Silver Mirror’ lets us imagine a point of view that takes our step to another dimension. Seeing the other side of the same sonic pulses, we quickly find ourselves in a world full of sinister, blasting horns and lurking phantoms. And there, the journey begins.

Melting into ‘كشف (kashf)’, a cascade of sparking wonders start to circulate around our minds. Thumping bassdrums define and show us direction through a dark, moist and weary night. Layers creep in and out all the time like nocturnal creatures: one can never see them fully, nor catch them. The speedy kickdrums eventually take a break, the atmospheres take over the track and fragments become ever-present. It is time to take a moment of introspection.

‘Renegade Runner 2’ fades in with underwater, dreamy drops of sweat, then welcomes a familiar icy synth pad. Juhász’s reflection on his past and early experiments culminates in this track, as the familiar sound is a specific, metallic patch used in his 2018 release too in ‘Renegade Runner’. Chapter two of the titular hero implies a frantic 8 min sprint through haunted memories, genres and epochs that left their mark on both the listener and the creator, unlocking even more layers of the meta-narrative (if you find yourself in self-referencing rabbitholes, it’s not my fault).

Like a child playing his toy piano, ’Refused Dignity’ opens with tender melodies and gentle progressions of clicks, crackles and soft noises. Shifting its perspective, the track then zooms out, displaying a world of faded violin-solos and dark rooms of tired engines. The track implies the corrodable nature of memory: even if we all have precious moments from our past, they all perish in the end, leaving behind nothing but faded fragments of ourselves and our lives.

The penultimate track may be the shortest, yet without doubt, it is the most majestic one. ‘Flow Deceiver’ operates with elevated, repeated strikes of a sublime bell-sound. The sound, dominating the track, centers our main attention to the decaying reverberation of idiophonic metal – then slowly, other participants appear. May it be a wandering analogue lead or frizzling chimes: they come together to join the center, ready for the last act of ‘Younger Days’.

The titular track closing the release implies, again, a glimpse to juvenile times, yet the bright outlook and confident steeldrums suggest a clear vision for the artist’s present and future days. The orchestra of buzzing synthesizers, bubbling resonances and precise basslines all suggest to arrive at this conclusion: ‘Younger Days’ takes the best ideas of Juhász’s previous endeavours, such as the raw, lion-like attacks of his early works or the meditative musings of Goliard. Facing our inherent mortality in contrast of our bright youth is a cruel and arduous experience: yet the journey ‘Younger Days’ takes us on is not at all a distressing one. It provides light, joy and a promising outlook on the world, on ourselves and on new quests, whatever our fate may be.”

—Nemerov