ARTIST: MASTERING BLACK
TITLE: X
LABEL: MASTERING BLACK
CAT. NO: MB003
FORMAT: 12"
GENRE: WAPORWAVE, SYNTHWAVE, ELECTRONICS
RELEASE DATE: NOV 2025

PHOTOGRAPHY & ART DIRECTION: ILKER SOYLU
ART INSTALLATION: AFFAINA DE JONG
PRESSING & DISTRIBUTION: ZWART GOUD
WRITTEN, PRODUCED AND MASTERED: ILKER SOYLU

TRACKLISTING
A.1. RAPID EYE
A.2. FOR THE ROAD
A.3. TEN
B.1. ISTANBUL
B.2. BLACK PALMS II

Mastering Black returns with its third instalment marking a decade of Zwart Goud with a special edition EP titled X.—an introspective yet adventurous EP that blurs the lines between genres, time, and place. A cinematic odyssey of sound.

Opening with ‘Rapid Eye’, the A1 track sets the tone with a haze of shoegaze-laced electro. Dreamlike and driving, it captures the sensation of movement—forward, inward, unknown. Sliding into ‘For the Road’ on A2, the mood shifts. A trap-infused interlude with cinematic energy, it places the listener behind the wheel of a top-down convertible, chasing dusk down endless roads. A3’s ‘Ten’ keeps the top down but slows the tempo—melding smooth 80s grooves with sun-drenched electronics and sultry vocals. It's equal parts retro and futuristic, chilled but emotionally resonant. Flip the wax and ‘Istanbul’ welcomes you into deeper territory. Traditional Eurasian motifs weave through a modern electronic frame—unexpected, yet seamlessly integrated. Closing out the journey is ‘Black Pumps 2’ on B2—an aquatic dive into submerged rhythm and texture. Murky, melodic, and meditative, it leaves the listener somewhere between sea floor and dream state.

X is a carefully crafted passage through contrast and cohesion. From dusk-lit highways to underwater reveries, this third chapter from Mastering Black is both a continuation and an evolution