When Jason Klein branded himself “Monster Taxi” to start licensing his own tracks, the veteran Miami based studio jack of all trades (keyboardist, composer, producer, remixer, major label compilation re-masterer) opened a fascinating portal dedicated to a journey of intense grooving and dynamic and colorful sonic movement.
While the multi-talented artist – whose credits include Mariah Carey, Ricky Martin, Earth, Wind & Fire and his former remix trio Magic Sauce – made his initial splashes with boisterous, thumping dance floor jams like “Boogie Makes a Splash, “Groove” and “Miami,” he relaxes the tempo considerably for his latest single, the soulfully intoxicating, easy flowing mid-tempo tune “A Walking Stranger.” Monster Taxi opens with a wash of spacey, hypnotic atmospheres and a hip, intoxicating several note synth motif before grounding those sensual elements with the slow rolling movement of the raw, edgy and ever-intensifying drum beat.
About a minute in, as the groove continues its sly seduction, he introduces the infectious lead melody on synth, with chiming sounds popping in at certain points to add harmonic cool atop the main line. True to its title and his overall traveling aesthetic, “A Walking Stranger” is focused on movement, but in more of a slow simmering, sensual and even meditational/contemplative mode than his earlier pieces. The video Monster Taxi created is fascinating, with images ranging to time lapse freeway traffic, building construction, urban office workers, busy malls and a silhouette of a satellite dish to visions of sacred sculptures and glimpses of nature’s beauty (beaches, mountains, forests) during various seasons.