image courtesy of Exodus Music

Single Review of Electric Maestro: “On the Way Up”

I was doing a little new music exploration back in June when I first listened to the music of Electric Maestro, a musical identity of electronic funk musician Waynebo. Interestingly, he and I were members of neighboring – likely overlapping – musical spheres for many years back when I was publishing Geoff Wilbur’s Renegade Newsletter out of East Lansing, but we never crossed paths. That’s my loss, as this dude has serious talent.

Waynebo/Electric Maestro has been releasing a fair bit of music during 2020, much of it back catalog material. This seems to be one of his new 2020 releases, and it’s quite a compelling piece of music.

photo by Wes Stephens, Keep On Clickin’ Photography; photo courtesy of Exodus Music

An instrumental piece of classic-reminiscent, electronic, synth-driven, dance club dance music, “On the Way Up” reels the listener in initially with a sparse note, then a rhythmic hook, and next a beat. It’s a terrific slow-build, as the song forms element by element, engaging the listener each step of the way. As the song progresses, different beats, rhythms, and scenic aural landscapes come and go, woven in and out throughout a much-too-short six and a half minutes. Knowing its length at the beginning, it’s surprising how quickly the song flies by. You’ll hear a funky rhythm, some light, airy pop beats, and several rhythmic hooks throughout the track, such a variety that it’s amazing, in retrospect, that “On the Way Up” is able to feel so cohesive from beginning to end. It’s in part, I’m sure, due to repeating and recurring hooks, but mostly thanks to the mastery of Waynebo, the Electric Maestro.

“On the Way Up” is a welcome addition to my personal playlist; I eagerly await future releases from Electric Maestro. Based on what I’ve sampled of his recent and past work, this is an artist you simply must know about.

photo by Wes Stephens, Keep On Clickin’ Photography; photo courtesy of Exodus Music

More from Waynebo

There’s a lot going on at Waynebo’s website. You’ll find links to his various projects, free DJ mixes, a link to his podcast, The Afterglow, and more. You’ll also find him on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Most recently – just yesterday, in fact – Electric Maestro released “Dance of the Refugee.” I won’t do a full review, especially not based on a single listen, but the beats on “Dance of the Refugee” are exceptional. I’m a sucker for “radio edits,” but I can see spending the full seven-plus minutes on the dance floor to the full version and wondering how it went by so quickly. So be sure to check out Electric Maestro’s newest track, too.