RUNNING / 90 % WASSER (EXCLUSIVE B-SIDE) (10I)

Tracklisting A1 RUNNING B1 90% WASSER (SINGLE EXCLUSIVE B-SIDE) Running can be a form of stress relief. It helps to clear the mind, catalyze emotions and refuel. It can even cause a rush of energy and make you high on endorphins. It is in these ways very similar to dancing. What sets both apart is the collective experience. While the former is rather seldom associated with groups, the latter almost always is. Moderat™s 2nd single »Running« has quite a unifying effect to it. It blends the isolated voice of melancholy with the collective excitement of a night at a summer festival. Their music is for the main stage: a highly emotive kind of pop, which is built to dance, but never simple. The sonic palette of »Running« spans intricate percussions, cascading, yet overtly recognisable synths, a driving kick drum and a whole lot of feelgood vibes. The rhythms are as compelling as they are deadly effective. At the same time the lyrics address feelings of impotence and powerlessness in a hyper-capitalist world, where each individual isnÙt striving for anything anymore but just repeats mechanisms that are out of its power to control: »Running is about being part of a mass. A mass that constantly needs to move to function, but one that™snot deciding directions by itself.« (Sascha Ring) In its endeavouring balance of self esteem and subtlety, the brightness of synth pop and the moodiness of UK house, this song will recharge your batteries much like a perfect workout. Its emotional juxtaposition emits a grandeur, seen seldom in current pop music. It depicts the torn feelings of today™s youth and is another fine example of how Moderat manage to unite the two worlds of the energy and the hedonism of the club and the thoughtfulness and delicate instrumentation of leftfield pop music. If »Running« leans towards the latter, »90% Wasser« the exclusive B-side of the EP, bows deeply to the undercurrent of contemporary UK club music. In this brooding track with itÙs big dubstep claps, the lyrics are reduced to a distant humming, reminding oneÙs self not to get lost in escapism but to immerse in the present.