Review
Genre and Mood
Alec Troniq and Gabriel Vitel made Mind Doodles for the club, and with a singer. Discogs files the EP it opens under house and tech house, styles built on a steady pulse and long, gradual development, and the track runs close to seven minutes. Hypnotic and groovy is what those styles aim for; Vitel’s voice, from an artist Discogs calls an indie dance live act, is what sets it apart from a purely instrumental tool.
Song Summary
Mind Doodles opens Mind Mill, a five-track EP by Alec Troniq released by the German label Broque in June 2013, catalogue number brq092. The credits that come with the recording name Troniq as producer and co-writer and Vitel as singer and co-writer of music and words. The version here was released in July 2013 under licence to Universal Music, and runs six minutes forty-one.
Musical Breakdown
No published review describes Mind Doodles section by section, so this review gives the frame rather than a map. A house or tech house track of this length usually starts and ends in a way a DJ can mix, develops by adding and removing layers over a steady kick, and saves its few big events for moments when the groove steps aside. One credit stands out: Matthias Schleyer plays the hi-hat, a played part inside a produced track.
Concepts in Focus
Mind Doodles has gathered more versions than most club tracks. Mind Mill itself closes with a remix by DML of over nine minutes, and Monolink made a remix of under four minutes. In November 2014 Broque went further and released Mind Doodles, catalogue brq 100, with six versions of the song: the original and readings by Lakeside Legends, 2hot, Painted Desert, J.B. Gouthier with Vitel, and Disease Dominates, under styles from deep house to death metal and swingbeat.
That kind of release belongs to a particular club culture: small German labels, live acts and DJ sets rather than charts. Alec Troniq founded his own label, Ipoly Music, where Vitel released his debut EP; hear its darker side in Gabriel Vitel – Burn It Down. Two years after Mind Mill the pair made a whole EP together, The Aviating, which includes Alec Troniq, GABRIEL VITEL – Faces.
Artistic Context
According to Discogs, Alec Troniq is a live act and electronic producer from Dresden. Gabriel Vitel, from Schwäbisch Hall and now living in Dresden, has written songs since 2012 and performed as an indie dance live act since 2013, playing live together with Troniq; Mind Doodles came out in that first year.
Impact and Reception
Mind Doodles reached beyond its EP: Discogs lists it on DJ Zappi’s 2014 Ibiza compilation for the Cala Bassa Beach Club, and Broque built a whole release around it. Give it the full length, then try the reinterpretations.
