Red Bull Music Academy alum and keyboardist Niels Broos released the Niels Broos EP last month on LA-based imprint Alpha Pup. The release is Broos’ first solo title and collects music recorded over the last two years. The writing process began in a transitional period of his life after relocating to the city of Utrecht, with Brainfeeder artist Jameszoo joining him for the recordings—adding to the body of work they both laid out on Jameszoo’s debut album, Fool.

To celebrate the release, and to give you an idea of the genius of their work, Alpha Pup has offered up “HAL,” a mind-bending cut featuring Jameszoo. The recording process of the track is as singular as the music itself, as Broos explains:

“Finishing “HAL” took me the longest. I think I made over 20 versions of it. I had this idea of making a tune that consists of one big buildup, with a lot of carefully placed layers of sound that build up really slowly throughout the track. Around the time I was working on this one, Mitchel (Jameszoo) and I did a long modular recording session. He helped set up this insane studio in his hometown in Den Bosch, which is filled with old analog radio testing equipment. It’s based in an old synagogue, that has been turned into a venue. Mitchel and his friend Rikkert also host the yearly electronic music festival FAQ there. First of all, it’s an incredible sight. Picture a full wall of NASA looking equipment with units you’ve never seen in any modular Instagram video. And it sounds amazing. It’s able to make frequencies you won’t even hear and it scares you sometimes when working on it because it can get really gnarly on the ears. But at the same time, the sound is so incredibly rich and warm you find yourself listening to the weirdest noises for hours.

Mitchel cooked up some nice patches on it and it resulted in a four-hour long recording. It took me some time to pick out the sounds for the track but it was an almost serene experience listening to the whole recording a countless amount of times. The modular formed a completely new layer on the track and after that, the track finally felt near complete. The biggest challenge in making this tune was also to keep it open and not make it too busy arrangement wise. I had to really resist the act of playing a solo or another theme on the last part. It turned out to be my favorite track on the EP. It needs some time to grow on you, though. Listening on a good pair of headphones or a really great sound system is recommended. “

You can download “HAL” (feat. Jameszoo) via WeTransfer below, with the EP available to purchase in full via Alpha Pup’s Bandcamp page.

HAL (feat. Jameszoo)