‘But I don’t want to go among mad people,’ Alice remarked. ‘Oh, you can’t help that,’ said the Cat: ‘we’re all mad here. I’m mad. You’re mad.’ ‘How do you know I’m mad?’ said Alice. ‘You must be,’ said the Cat, ‘or you wouldn’t have come here.’

For their second full-length, the infamous Berliners Channel X invite you to take a mad trip through their very own Wonderland. Inspired by Lewis Carroll’s classic psychedelic tale of Alice’s mind-altering experience in a colourful parallel universe, Miko and André Quasar offer a deeply euphoric peek down the musical rabbit hole. Thus, dance-floor tested tech house sounds meet tight deep house, dreamy disco numbers and funky downbeat passages, all crafted with a trained ear for detail, but, more importantly, a deep admiration for the party.

The album’s atmospheric intro, aptly titled ‘Arriving’, immediately draws us in thanks to swelling strings, cellos and, of course, a ticking clock. ‘Are you ready for an adventure?!’ it seems to be asking. ‘Arriving’ quickly makes way for ‘Feelings’, where a straight gut-hitting kick and disorienting wonky pads symbolise a free fall down the rabbit hole, until a short tick of the clock opens the door to a bouncy tech house groove and far-out guitar licks. As sirens usher in stretched-out female vocal samples and deep chords, we’ve become fully immersed in Wonderland. Things stay upbeat on ‘Headless’ due to shuffling percussion, an at times downright funky bass-line and jazz-infested piano volleys. In other words: the Queen of Hearts is urging us to get down for a boogie until our heads spin off.

In Channel X’s Wonderland, the intriguing ‘Cheshire Cat’ is given the space of an interlude characterised by heavy downbeat percussion and hip-hop sampling. We are granted a little breather, but Miko and André are, nonetheless, keeping the devilishly mad feel intact. Speaking of mad: ‘Maniac’ does exactly what it says on the tin as agitated percussive elements rub against Alice’s unsettled mumbles deep inside the shadows, while a classic deep house motif unfolds over ground. Next, the Queen of Heart’s army of cards is approaching fast as the reduced and skeletal ‘Evil’ builds heavy sub frequencies into a forceful groove, underpinned by sharp hi hats and a driving snare. During this peak time bomb at Wonderland’s core, Alice, it seems, is trapped on all sides. On ‘Scope’ our heroine is then being chased through her dream world’s most bizarre corners, where strange creatures lurk in the dark, prying with florescent eyes as Channel X create a tripped-out soundscape of hypnotic synths, jack saw bass and delayed vocal stutters.

Things take a turn as an enchanting birdsong introduces ‘Slowly Falling Leaf’: it is daylight and we are being treated to a sunny house groover, which sparkles with Natalie’s ecstasizing siren vocals, contemplatively stating ‘That’s who you are / That’s who you were’ – a true turning point in Alice’s narrative. ‘Elysium’, which features good friend Niko Schwind, continues with colourful vibes as rainbow-coloured lasers aim straight for the mirror ball and Alice finds herself in Discoland, throwing shapes to a slower BPM. We then enter the chill-out zone on the next interlude, ‘Teatime’. As jazzy samples shuffle over a mellow, underwater beat, one can literally smell the thick cloud of herbal smoke emerging from the caterpillar’s hookah pipe.

With ‘Cantrip’, Channel X ring in the narrative’s final chapters with a mysterious dance-floor highlight. The enormously deep and immersive bass-line embraces us together with Alice for a progressive techno ride, where scattered bleeps and otherworldly melodies work their magic underneath a slowly unfolding, harmonious vocal courtesy of Björn Störig. Standing in contrast with the brooding beauty of ‘Cantrip’, the upbeat ‘Delight’ is like a final party to see Alice off. Melodious, yet driving, the track is an extroverted treat that is deeply infectious due to its vocal hooks and disco edge. The same can be said of the mellower ‘Leaving’, the grand finale that releases us and our heroine back into the real world. But not before its sweet, tropical sounds gently kiss us good-bye, knowing all too well how hard it is to leave behind Channel X’s beautiful Wonderland. The good thing…? We can always jump down that rabbit hole again and join the party.

Catalogue number: SVT084