Narciss & Gerd Janson - No Maze Like Heaven [Running Back]

Running Back is pleased to present RB Studio Sessions, a new sub-label dedicated to music conceived, recorded, and performed entirely in Running Back’s in-house studio.

Built on the promise of unrestricted creative freedom—and serviced by convenient local highway connections in the Hesse region—the RB Studio Sessions project kicks off with work from Running Back founder, chief dreamer, and Geschäftsführer, Gerd Janson. For this first installment, he is joined by charismatic new-school house hero, good friend, and kindred spirit, Narciss, for a jam of memorable proportions.

Just as Running Back’s earliest releases dropped the needle to preserve timeless ideals of club culture, the four tracks on No Maze Like Heaven continue that tradition by turning back the sonic clock a decade or so. Imagine, if you will, a young Narciss frequenting clubs and inspired by the selections of Gerd himself, alongside other DJs who caused the blinds of Panorama Bar to slowly open with exquisite mid-tempo precision.

Immediately, a new light floods Chicco’s Chips, which captures many of those irresistible elements—Italo-tinged synths, catchy vocals, and perfect percussion—regenerated with the vibrant, wide-eyed energy characteristic of Narciss’s solo productions. Elka, meanwhile, is a deeper and more melodic dish, masterfully weaving multiple heavenly melodies under layers of optimistic analog fuzz.

Narciss and Gerd then look to the Netherlands to collaborate with one of electronic music’s most beloved vocalists—and a great producer, too: Coloray, who brings a poignant performance in the vulnerable synth-pop tradition to Look For You. Finally, No Maze Like Heaven expands on that same mood and melody to close with a track that finds the sweet spot between machine power and deeply human emotion.

With labyrinthine art by the mighty Gasius, on a cover that seems to fuse M.C. Escher with MC Hammer, No Maze Like Heaven is a divine foundation for the RB Studio Sessions. For Narciss, “a memory he will forever cherish.” For Gerd, a tax-deductible working lunch. For DJs and dancers: four future hits brimming with energy, sounding great, and meaning even more.