Music works in mysterious ways, sometimes only allowing you to conceive the brilliance of a set of tracks in hindsight. Enter A Space was on my playlist throughout much of 2019 when it came out, but I didn’t promote it much to friends let alone write something about it later on. Looking back, I feel that Enter A Space more than deserved both. So here I’m trying to make amends.
Marcus Gad and Tamal have both walked different paths but on Enter A Space their paths crossed and it feels like it was destined as the result is nothing short of pure magic. A portal to another dimension, escaping from reality to enter a space where the mind can float in a sea of serenity pondering on the past, present and future. Much of this feeling is due to the minimalistic approach and forward thinking arrangements while the largely live instrumentation makes sure the slow rhythm tracks come to life. However, the music is hard to fathom and the mystic nature puts you in a state of meditation sensitive to the philosophical hymns of Marcus. Most exemplary for this feeling are definitely the title track “Enter a Space” and the follow-up track “River”. The two definitely rank among the most powerful tracks on the EP where you can easily lose yourself. When you think you have just listened to your new favourite two tracks to add to your playlist “Live Up to the Day” completely transcends all expectations with a gorgeous solo on the Ngoni played by Youssouf Diabaté.
With Enter A Space Marcus Gad and Tamal pick up the torch and continue to push the boundaries of contemporary Reggae.