FKA Mash EXITECHNO Review: A Confident Debut

<p><br /></p><h3><span style="background-color: #ff0072; color: white; font-family: Oswald; font-size: x-large;"><b> ALBUM REVIEW | THINK IN ELECTRONIC  </b></span></h3><h1><span style="color: #ff0072; font-family: Oswald; font-size: large;">Think In Electronic  | FKA Mash’s EXITECHNO Sounds Global Without Losing Home</span></h1><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><div trbidi="on"><span><h2 style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #ff0072; font-family: Oswald;"><i>FKA Mash’s debut album moves through deep house, disco, melodic and techno-leaning territory, with tracks that can work in a club, on a festival stage or as the soundtrack to an ordinary day.</i></span></h2><div><span style="color: #ff0072; font-family: Oswald;"><span></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlZWkIAMJl19tzY8NgvrSwsrbTTshxSB5tJpLa7hOfhS9GNiKkjC3DJy2z3-SjonrK3Fg4Krxv8VZES1Bf6NeTIThu_JTo-Qv7k3fMK9DKKP6qbelhZnuaq0HeU7u275Y72DPjxcYusnUXwlCgXn2bhTxS2WsLVYoMakzFe2zQRw0muvGI0gZ8K-NFhYkB/s2000/FKAMASH_EXITECHNO_REVIEW.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="FKA Mash EXITECHNO debut album review" border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="2000" loading="lazy" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlZWkIAMJl19tzY8NgvrSwsrbTTshxSB5tJpLa7hOfhS9GNiKkjC3DJy2z3-SjonrK3Fg4Krxv8VZES1Bf6NeTIThu_JTo-Qv7k3fMK9DKKP6qbelhZnuaq0HeU7u275Y72DPjxcYusnUXwlCgXn2bhTxS2WsLVYoMakzFe2zQRw0muvGI0gZ8K-NFhYkB/s1600-rw/FKAMASH_EXITECHNO_REVIEW.jpg" title="FKA Mash EXITECHNO debut album review" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><div><span style="font-family: times;">There is a lot happening across <i><b>EXITECHNO,</b></i> but it never loses the sound that makes it <i><b>FKA Mash</b></i>. The 13-track debut moves through different moods and influences, but the album never feels disconnected from the artist behind it.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: times;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: times;">The opening track, <b><i>“Ngwaneshu”</i></b> with <i><b>OKAY GOD</b></i>, immediately pulls you in. The opening has a familiar electronic warmth that could sit comfortably within the wider melodic electronic scene, bringing to mind the kind of sound heard across <i><b>Anjunadeep </b></i>and even a <i><b>Ben Böhmer </b></i>track. But once the vocals arrive, the character changes. The distinctly South African sound becomes clear, and the track starts to feel much more rooted in where it comes from. It builds slowly, keeping the vocal at its centre, before ending on an atmospheric note reminiscent of <b><i>HVOB </i></b>while remaining distinctly FKA Mash.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: times;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: times;"><b><i>“Mampatile”</i></b> with <i><b>Thando Zide </b></i>brings a softer, more sensual energy. It opens beautifully before settling into haunting vocals, humming and echoes. The repeated “decide what you want to do” feels almost encouraging as it circles back through the track, while the lower-level vocals keep things warm and understated. It is catchy without demanding attention, and there is a sensual quality to it that comes naturally.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: times;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: times;"><b><i>“Every Waking Day” </i></b>changes the pace again. It builds gradually and becomes playful, with the production taking the lead rather than a vocal. There is something distinctly Johannesburg about it, the feeling of the streets on a Sunday afternoon. It is one of the album’s more interesting shifts because it creates a sense of place without needing to spell it out.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: times;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: times;">That movement between moods continues through the middle of the album. <i><b>“Make Believe” </b></i>with <b><i>Samuel Miller</i></b> brings a strong jazz feel into the deep-house sound, with the melody and vocals fitting together naturally. <b><i>“Wonder”</i></b> takes its time before opening into the kind of peak-time track that simply makes you happy when it hits. <b><i>“Disco Bouncer”</i></b> moves between playful and calmer moments, while <i><b>“Our Thing”</b></i> settles further into the deep-house side of the album.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: times;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: times;">The album’s strongest moments arrive when FKA Mash allows the music to become more emotionally direct. <b><i>“Nights Alone” </i></b>with <b><i>LVN</i></b> is one of those moments. The vocals and melody blend beautifully, the production feels polished without losing its warmth, and the deeper house influence is clear. It is deep, haunting and one of the tracks that stays with you.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: times;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: times;"><b><i>“Love In The Air” </i></b>with <i><b>Biishop</b></i> is another standout. It has attitude, melody and a haunting vocal presence, with a deeper and more progressive feel. Alongside <i><b>“Nights Alone”,</b></i> it shows another side of the album without sounding disconnected from everything that came before it. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: times;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: times;"><b><i>“So Scared”</i></b> keeps that more delicate mood going. Soft and dreamy, it has a sound that feels distinctly FKA Mash rather than simply fitting into another genre or style.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: times;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: times;">The final stretch brings more movement without making the album feel as though it is trying to add one last surprise. <b><i>“No Walls”</i></b> with <b><i>Dave DK </i></b>has the energy to sit comfortably in an international DJ set, while <b><i>“Feel Redux”</i></b> with<b><i> Felix.N</i></b> pushes further towards a more tech-leaning sound while retaining its deeper house character.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: times;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: times;"><b><i>“Been So” </i></b>closes the album on an upbeat note, bringing the different sides of EXITECHNO together without needing a dramatic finale.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: times;"><br /></span></div><h3><span style="color: red; font-family: times;">South African, and proudly so</span></h3><div><span style="font-family: times;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: times;">The South African character is never far away, and nor should it be. It is part of what gives EXITECHNO its identity.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: times;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: times;">You hear it in the vocals, melodies and rhythms, but it sits naturally within the wider electronic production. “Ngwaneshu” makes that clear from the beginning, while “Every Waking Day” carries a feeling that is difficult to separate from Johannesburg.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: times;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: times;">What makes this interesting is that the album can sound at home in a much wider electronic landscape without losing those elements. The music does not have to choose between being South African and being international. It can be both.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: times;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: times;">And that is where EXITECHNO makes its strongest statement.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: times;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: times;">This is a debut album that can stand alongside electronic music coming from established international artists without needing to be measured differently because it comes from South Africa. The production is strong enough, the songwriting is memorable enough, and the range of the album is broad enough to hold its own.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: times;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: times;">At the same time, you can hear FKA Mash throughout it. That matters more than simply being able to place the album in several genres. EXITECHNO sounds like an artist who has brought the different sides of his music together rather than an artist trying on different sounds.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: times;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: times;">It is an album that can move from a deep-house groove to something more progressive, from a softer late-night mood to a track that belongs in a peak-time set. It can work in a club, on a festival stage or simply soundtrack a day.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: times;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: times;">For a debut, that is a strong place to start.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: times;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: times;">FKA Mash has made an album that can travel, and it sounds like him wherever it goes.</span></div></div></div></span></div></div></div></div><iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" frameborder="no" height="300" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/playlists/soundcloud%253Aplaylists%253A2289992475&color=%23ff0072&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true&visual=true" width="100%"></iframe><div style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Interstate, "Lucida Grande", "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Lucida Sans", Garuda, Verdana, Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; font-weight: 100; line-break: anywhere; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap; word-break: normal;"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/realfkamash" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="FKA MASH">FKA MASH</a> · <a href="https://soundcloud.com/realfkamash/sets/exitechno" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="EXITECHNO">EXITECHNO</a></div>

FKA Mash EXITECHNO Review: A Confident Debut

 ALBUM REVIEW | THINK IN ELECTRONIC   Think In Electronic  | FKA Mash’s EXITECHNO Sounds Global Without Losing Home FKA Mash’s debut album m...