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“Transformation” Rising Artists Review

By Tyler Roberts

Beautiful and atmospheric, “Transformation” is the latest release from Auckland-based producer Mac Summer. Intricate production greets you right out of the gate and set the song’s high-energy. Female vocals complement and contrast the busy instrumental phenomenally, helping every different voice cut through the texture.

Between the break-neck drum groove and powerful synths, the energy is tangible – never once slowing down or even losing that defining momentum. Despite how busy the texture is, many of the different voices are drones or held notes helping making everything deceptive in how complicated it sounds. When paired with the passionate vocals the result will send chills down your spine. “Transformation” will keep you on the edge of your seat waiting to see what happens next.

Gorgeous melodies find different ways to entrance and envelop you. Whether the lead vocals or a synth in the background I loved how well the different voices and sounds carried the energy established in the beginning. The drive of the drums contrasted the otherwise atmospheric instrumental perfectly solidifying the intensity of “Transformation”.

From the first piano melody to the last synth pad, there’s always something interesting happening in the instrumental. Synthesizers of all sorts amp everything up and give the song its unique colors. When vocals first came in I was honestly surprised – as the instrumental was so diverse and interesting it could stand on its own. That being said, the contrasting vocals deepened and enriched everything about “Transformation”. An incredibly well made song that is totally worth the 4:22 it takes to listen to it!

“Transformation” by Mac Summer is available now on any major streaming services.

Written by Tyler Roberts

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Mac Summer mixes orchestral D&B with surprises aplenty

Mac Summer Web of Life review by Vince Leigh

Born and raised in Auckland, New Zealand, Mac Summer’s eclectic production style— ranging from soothing late-night trance to liquid drum and bass—has attracted worldwide interest.

With extensive production experience, including—as Malcolm Welsford—recording and producing three Shihad Albums, fans and critics have compared Mac Summer’s art to that of The Prodigy, The Chemical Brothers, Netsky, and many other celebrated artists.

Mac Summer has now released the first track since his 2020 single Hands in Our Tills.

Mac Summer dark pop hooks

The new track combines atmospherics with dark pop hooks and a compelling vocal performance. It ensures across the board impact on global charts and streams. It also firmly establishing Mac Summer as one of the most exciting and accomplished music producers in the world.

His experience working as a producer in Los Angeles has solidified Mac’s artistic skills, prowess and vision. This has enabled him to produce numerous stylistically different music artists. As such, the track’s seductive intro teases with allusions to a guitar-like sound, but the mood is quickly modified. The drum and bass rhythmic core enters, confirming the song’s heartbeat.

There are many more surprises. A series of soaring melodic lines and cinematic synths, lush pads, and string additions emerge. These combine to create a sophisticated yet uniformly emotionally potent mix. The backdrop of multi-layered sound is brimming with vitality. The track veers from a complex music amalgam of effective and sustained programming and multifaceted performance to developing into an electronica-based showcase of astute pop sensibilities.

The music seems to spur on the vocal and vice versa. But it is essentially the vocal that anchors these elements, providing a seamless transition from one section to another. This is of particular note after the second chorus, where a series of bridge sections takes the track to more exploratory moments.

Web of Life will undoubtedly attract plays and streams. Not only for its genre-defying style but for its ability to transpose these styles into a coherent, accessible slice of spirited electronica. 

– This article was originally created and published by BMA Magazine

MAC SUMMER RETURNS WITH EPIC NEW LIQUID DRUM AND BASS, RELEASING, ‘WEB OF LIFE’

By PARRY TRITSINIOTIS

New Zealand born renowned producer and artist Mac Summer has released Web of Life, a tour de force of genre-defying contemporary electronica. The new track combines evocative atmospherics with hooks and a compelling vocal performance, ensuring across the board impact on global charts and streams and firmly establishing Mac Summer as one of the most exciting and accomplished music producers in the world today. With a tenure working as a producer in Los Angeles, the experience solidified Mac’s artistic prowess and vision, going on to produce numerous stylistically different music artists, including—as Malcolm Welsford—three albums for legendary band Shihad. Fans and critics alike have referenced The Prodigy, The Chemical Brothers, Netsky and many other celebrated artists when describing Mac Summer’s extraordinary sound. Following Mac Summer’s 2020 hit, Hands in Our Tills, Web of Life merges dark and light, a sonic metamorphosis of kinetic energy laced with elements of alluring surprises and arresting musical motifs. The track’s seductive intro teases with allusions to a guitar-like sound, but the mood is quickly modified with the drum and bass rhythmic core, confirming the song’s heartbeat. But there are many more surprises, not the least of which is a series of soaring melodic lines and cinematic synths, lush pads, and string additions—all creating a sophisticated yet uniformly emotionally potent mix. The track veers from a complex music amalgam of thoughtful and effective programming and multifaceted performance to developing into an electronica-based showcase of astute pop sensibilities. The vocal performance anchors these elements, providing a smooth transition from one section to another, particularly after the second chorus, where a series of bridge sections takes the track to more exploratory moments. Utilising the emotional power of an enthralling vocal, Web of Life captivates with searing dynamics and undeniable hooks, all the while harnessing the realm of electronica and dance to its fullest.

– This article was originally created and published by Purple Sneakers

HUSH HUSH BIZ SINGLE REVIEW……… WEB OF LIFE

By Caroline Russo 

Born and raised in Auckland, New Zealand, Mac Summer’s eclectic production style— ranging from soothing late-night trance to drum and bass—has attracted worldwide interest. With extensive production experience, including—as Malcolm Welsford—recording and producing three Shihad albums, fans and critics have compared Mac Summer’s music to The Prodigy, The Chemical Brothers, Netsky and many other celebrated artists. Big names indeed. Summer is certainly operating in a similar realm to those artists, using an array of electronic-based sub-styles to create a dark pop coated form of alternative dance. Perhaps what is also similar is the method by which these artists became such notable music makers in the first place—they developed style by merging the fundamentals of one to the principles of another:

The Prodigy fusing their particular brand of electronica angst to a specific rhythmic essentiality and then sprucing that up with a top layer of quirky yet bold mini-hooks, one-liners, and a fizzing almost rock-like sheen, for example. This is not to say that Summer has gone down that path; his work is more subtle and restrained and relies on a track with all its parts in place, dynamics aligned, and emotional territory intrinsically marked out. Despite producing for many artists, Web of Life is Mac Summer’s second single release following his 2020 offering, Hands in Our Tills.

The new track combines a wealth of atmospherics with melancholic hooks and a self-assured vocal performance, as well as a heady conglomerate of rhythmic attributes. The track’s intro teases with allusions to a guitar-like slash piano sound, but all is not what it seems. The mood is quickly redefined with the drum and bass core, confirming the song’s pulse. But there are many more surprises, not the least of which is a series of those catapulting melodic lines but also synths, pads, and string additions. The backdrop of multi-layered sound is a palette bursting with colour yet also with a sense of tightened vitality, allowing the track to veer from a complex music amalgam of effective and sustained programming and multifaceted performance to developing into an electronica-based showcase of astute pop sensibilities.

– This article was originally created and published by Hush Hush Biz

MAC SUMMER ‘WEB OF LIFE’ SINGLE REVIEW -Gong Scene

The new track combines a wealth of atmospherics with melancholic hooks and a self-assured vocal performance, as well as a heady conglomerate of rhythmic attributes. The track’s seductive intro teases with allusions to a guitar-like slash piano sound, but all is not what it might seem.

The mood is quickly redefined with the drum and bass core, confirming the song’s pulse. But there are many more surprises, not the least of which is a series of those soaring melodic lines but also synths, pads, and string additions—all creating a sophisticated yet quite stirring mix. The backdrop of multi-layered sound is a palette bursting with colour yet also with a sense of vitality, allowing the track to veer from a complex music amalgam of effective and sustained programming and multifaceted performance to developing into an electronica-based showcase of astute pop sensibilities.

The music seems to spur on the vocal and vice versa. But it is essentially the vocal that anchors these elements, providing a mostly seamless transition from one section to another, particularly after the second chorus, where a series of bridge sections takes the track to more exploratory moments. Web of Life will undoubtedly attract plays and streams, not only for its genre-bending style but for its ability to transpose these styles into a coherent, accessible slice of spirited electronica. 

– This article was originally created and published by GONG SCENE

Searing dynamics and undeniable hooks -Vents Magazine

New Zealand born renowned producer and artist Mac Summer has released Web of Life, a tour de force of genre-defying contemporary electronica. The new track combines evocative atmospherics with hooks and a compelling vocal performance, ensuring across the board impact on global charts and streams and firmly establishing Mac Summer as one of the most exciting and accomplished music producers in the world today. With a tenure working as a producer in Los Angeles, the experience solidified Mac’s artistic prowess and vision, going on to produce numerous stylistically different music artists, including—as Malcolm Welsford—three albums for legendary band Shihad. Fans and critics alike have referenced The Prodigy, The Chemical Brothers, Netsky and many other celebrated artists when describing Mac Summer’s extraordinary sound. Following Mac Summer’s 2020 hit, Hands in Our Tills, Web of Life merges dark and light, a sonic metamorphosis of kinetic energy laced with elements of alluring surprises and arresting musical motifs. The track’s seductive intro teases with allusions to a guitar-like sound, but the mood is quickly modified with the drum and bass rhythmic core, confirming the song’s heartbeat. But there are many more surprises, not the least of which is a series of soaring melodic lines and cinematic synths, lush pads, and string additions—all creating a sophisticated yet uniformly emotionally potent mix. The track veers from a complex music amalgam of thoughtful and effective programming and multifaceted performance to developing into an electronica-based showcase of astute pop sensibilities. The vocal performance anchors these elements, providing a smooth transition from one section to another, particularly after the second chorus, where a series of bridge sections takes the track to more exploratory moments. Utilising the emotional power of an enthralling vocal, Web of Life captivates with searing dynamics and undeniable hooks, all the while harnessing the realm of electronica and dance to its fullest.

By RJ Frometa

– This article was originally created and published by VENTS MAGAZINE

‘Hands in Our Tills’ ft. MC Wasp is pure rhythmic magic

Mac Summer and MC Wasp have meticulously crafted a drum and bass banger with high-energy dynamics and explosive vocals.

Mac Summer has been a prolific producer for decades and his music breaks down genre conventions.

The New Zealand artist creates with the sole purpose of moving his audience and crafting hard-hitting beats with floor-filling potential. His debut single, Hands in Our Tills, is a worthy testament to this vision.

Hands in Our Tills wastes no time cutting to the chase. The track opens up with suspenseful synth jabs that lead into a spacey kick/snare beat and MC Wasp‘s feature verse. “Greed is ingrained; what does it mean to refrain?” raps the artist.

Throughout the track, an unfiltered focus on inequality and a socially conscious call to action is delivered. Just like the rapid-fire rhythm section, the lyrics propel and provoke. “I wanted a song that inspires people to do something themselves to bring change and balance”, comments Summer on the track.

Suddenly, the unrelenting chorus presents itself. The drum pattern plays double-time, while a belted melody cuts through: “We sit in the same boat, cast far from land”. Atmospheric synths enrich the texture, while a heavy bass infuses the mix with energy. The post-chorus presents some ominous minor chords, increasing the urgency of the track’s message.

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A post shared by Mac Summer (@macsummermusic)

It’s this constant fluctuation between tension and release throughout the runtime that reflects Mac Summer’s seasoned production skills. Summer masterfully maintains a listener’s interest with breakdowns, rhythm switches, and emotive vocals, ensuring there is never a dull moment. Only at the conclusion of Hands in Our Tills does he allow a chance to breathe and ponder on the track. Mac Summer’s long-anticipated LP is set to drop this year, and we’re holding onto our seats.

Listen to Hands In our Tills below:

– This article was originally created and published by HappyMag.TV and written by By Manning Patston