Do you feel powerful? Believing that you have reached the top? That everything that comes next has to be looked down and less up? Better still: that you are so expert in your art of living that you no longer need to give anyone a pass, because you are the pinnacle of what you do?
Think again.
We have all had our more arrogant moments. The feeling that we are the best of the best. And we’ve become blinded. Blind from looking in an extravagant way at our own navel.
But, as with everything in life, it takes care of giving us a reality check. Of realizing that we are not that good, that there is always something to improve, that we have to be humble and understand, in each passing moment, what we have been, what we are – and what we will be in the future. Always with a feeling of mutual help and belief.
Today we look inwards – and it is with a more raw, EBM and techno feel, that we set our soul free to paths never before navigated. Meet Regal and his debut album that will make you dance till you drop.
Remember Why You Started
Gabriel Cassina has Latin blood, coming from Spain and with an Italian rib. And it is by this rhythm that we feel his stage name, Regal, in our heads: eclectic, that moves quickly between Trance, Techno or more rhythmic melodies that we hear in our favourite disco.
His influences ride through many different dance styles, between Emmanuel Top, Richie Hawtin, Sven Vath, Amelie Lens, Hadone, Nina Kraviz or Len Faki.
His irreverent style led him to the mythical Berlin hall Berghain, being one of the youngest ever to make his non-stop debut. He currently has a residency in Khidi, Tiblisi, Georgia.
From 2012 until today, he has been releasing multiple EPs and distinct singles, each in his own way, each for a different audience. But it is now, in 2021, that he throws himself headlong into his debut album, “Remember Why You Started“.
More than music, it’s a message. A transmission of thought that starts in Cassina and spreads, fiercely, to the world: the idea the artist wants to convey is that we should always look to our roots, where we started – and where we are going. Where everything we do is influenced only and solely by passion. The passion we have for doing something we’ve always wanted to do.
And with this motto we enter the record. There are twelve songs of pure techno, that make us remember the best we danced in the last years, without lockdowns, pandemics and such: it was just fun – and that’s what Regal gives us.
We kick off with “Respect“, and multiple voices within us, like shots if you will, melding into a non-stop rhythmic melody. It reminds us, in a way, of The Prodigy. And we’re shaking our heads.
We move on to “Burning Old Idols” – and the idea that immediately springs to mind is of the soundtracks of 90’s video-games – more precisely of Wipeout, for the Playstation. Aural sensual aggression.
“She Dances Alone” is that trance passion we needed in our lives. As with the previous passage, we’re in the 90’s, and it’s with an eclectic drum that we feel ourselves pulsing at the highest level.
We enter the dungeons, and it’s with “Dungeon Master” that we have to pass the level, overcoming our biggest flaws and enemies. The kick drums are evident – and adding to this, we feel some laser effects from our dance floors of choice dancing over our eyes.
“Remember Why You Started“, the theme that gives face to the album, flows safely between acid bass-lines and ambient pads, in a nostalgic tone, as if it were an introspection. We hear an angelic sound in the middle of the beat, which allows us to review our soul.
In “Requiem For a Friend“, Regal embraces Fabrizio Rat – a pianist of excellence – who draws us in with a very fresh rhythm, something we could listen to while we’re on the beach, sunbathing.
We move on to “Dealing With My Pain”. And it’s with a more intense, almost demonic voice that denotes all the ills of our world looming over us. It’s growing inside of us. Growing to a point where we can’t stop dancing anymore.
In “Run“, the artist speaks with Z.I.P.P.O – and it’s in a more relaxed tone that we smile and dance to this combination of flows.
“Fearful Nights” has a more spaced out, slower pace – and it’s with this format that we revisit the demons in our head when we close our eyes at night. Interestingly, it’s one of our favorite songs on the album – so, so, surely, these demons won’t be the bad ones.
“Before I Die” introduces us to Pau Castro – and it’s the right voice to mess with our bodies. It’s incredible like a guidebook.
“The Last Dance” brings us a more glitchy format to the table, with lo-fi melodies. The rhythm increases throughout the track – and suddenly we’re sweating from dancing so hard.
We close with “Cult of Personality” – a song that goes over the other eleven tunes, where we are bombarded with a winning rhythm, proud of everything that was described before.
“Remember Why You Started” is just that: a review of Regal’s career, and of everything he’s done over the last few years. There’s dancing, nostalgia and a lot, lot of nostalgia. Because we all want to dance till we drop – and the artist has brought us just that: a vibrant moment where every room in the world is definitely a show.