MW032 - GMJ - Empty To Fill (inc. Door of Light, Stage Flight) by meanwhile published on 2022-07-08T06:17:26Z Firmly ensconced at underground dance’s top table, GMJ has matured into a powerful force. Returning to the Meanwhile imprint he founded with spiritual brother, Matter, “Empty to Fill” is an outstanding new offering. An artist who has risen to prominence in both the live and production arenas, Gavin Griffin finds himself at the centre of an ever-vibrant Melbourne music scene. Home to a host of iconic names and a sound that helped define the progressive house genre in the 2000s, his GMJ moniker has continued to shape the modern progressive sound. With over 400 production credits to his name, a century alongside long-term partner, Matter, GMJ has seen his music adorn the likes of Balance Music, Anjunadeep and Proton Music. Opening his solo account on Meanwhile with October 2020’s “Mood Medicine”, collaborative EPs with Matter have seen “Lost on Origin”, “The Path / Perfect Storm” and “Eldarin” light up the label, alongside remixes for Simos Tagias, Roger Martinez and Matter himself. Opening with the title track, “Empty to Fill” is a chunky, subterranean groove-fuelled monster. Bristling with menacing vibe, lighter moments come courtesy of floating synth motifs that glide to the fore in a stripped back breakdown of delicate keys and gloriously delayed sequences. A pulsating white-noise riser heralds a return of the club-friendly groove and gorgeous melodic flow in the latter stages. Continuing with the trademark rolling groove that watermarks the GMJ sound, “Door of Light” sparkles with arpeggiated backdrop and reverse-reverb vocal breaths. Evolving immaculately, stratified sonic layers flourish as they entwine together in organic fashion. Counterpoint motifs coruscate above pulsing white-noise swells as the aptly named track waxes and wanes in perfect dancefloor cadence, before reaching a rousing crescendo in an immersive sonic tapestry. The final piece sees the popping percussive vibrancy of “Stage Flight” sit atop a stereo-panned bass groove. Building over its 7-minute duration, syncopated synth riffs lock tightly into the driving framework that reaches its culmination with a chorus of breathy pads and a drop back into the rolling bassline and mirrored synth sequence. The resultant track is a powerful snapshot straight out of the GMJ production playbook. Chock full of rhythmic force and multi-faceted layers of sound, “Empty to Fill” displays a sparkling 24-carat hallmark of the GMJ sound. Contains tracks GMJ - Empty to Fill by meanwhile published on 2022-07-08T06:17:21Z GMJ - Door Of Light by meanwhile published on 2022-07-08T06:17:18Z Premiere: GMJ - Empty to Fill [Meanwhile] by Proton published on 2022-07-06T18:42:33Z GMJ - Stage Flight by meanwhile published on 2022-07-08T06:17:14Z