Velo Di Maya picks right up where Voices From The Lake's self-titular masterpiece from 2012 left off. Being a three-track EP, however, it cannot possibly provide the same engrossing atmosphere as the hour-long journey of the self-titled full length. The opening track 'Velo Di Maya' nevertheless acts as a nearly complete summary of the total package Italian producers Donato Dozzy and Neel delivered two years ago. Frosty microbeats dance over oppressive low-end surges while giving way to gradually increasing drums. Warning sirens echo through the mist and captivate the attention. The transition between the ambient start and depressed dancefloor approved ending is completely organic and convincing.
Having set the mood, Dozzy and Neel continue with 'Sentiero', a repetitive, minimalistic techno piece owing much to the likes of Porter Ricks and co. Seemingly going around in circles, the evolutionary traits from the title track are traded in for an endlessly looping drum pattern, keeping synthesizers that sound like the distant screams of a hundred tortured souls in check. "Oppressive", there's that adjective again. 'Sentiero' has no beginning, middle or end; no purpose or goal or direction. It just is. And it stays.
'Velo Di Maya' and 'Sentiero' were probably created as two sides of a vinyl 12" that perfectly complement each other. That leaves 'Respiro', in a live edit, as the odd one out. This track is an interesting inclusion, however, as it shows the ability of Voices From The Lake to create a mean warehouse stomper as well. A relentlessly dry kick drum and again the use of repetitive airhorns: the track is mostly a live tool to enthrall and hypnotize an audience; it loses some of its impact on home listening equipment.
