ZUUL — The Horrorway EP (incl. C.ru.z Remix)

Zuul — The Horrorway EP (Incl. C.ru.z Remix) is the second release on Life Enigma, a four-track 12-inch vinyl record that pushes into the darker edges of electro, new wave and bass-driven club music. Catalogue LE002 brings together three original productions from the London-based artist Zuul — “My Mind Is Mean”, “It's Hell In There, It's Horror” and “Ask Me” — with C.ru.z reworking “Ask Me” for the B2. The result is a deliberately shadowy record built around sub-heavy pressure, sinister synth work, eerie textures and a slower, mid-tempo approach to dancefloor music. Life Enigma returns with its second chapter in markedly dark form. The label's catalogue is still small, making LE002 a useful indication of its developing aesthetic: music that draws from electro and new wave while retaining enough low-end weight and rhythmic focus to work in a contemporary club environment. Rather than pursuing a polished or overtly retro interpretation of those styles, The Horrorway EP occupies a more unsettling space, where distorted atmosphere, ominous vocals and bass pressure become as important as the groove itself. The release is currently listed as a forthcoming standard 12-inch vinyl edition. Zuul is credited by Selected Wax as a London-based artist working under multiple aliases. On The Horrorway EP, that anonymity of identity is matched by music that deliberately avoids an overly bright or conventional house aesthetic. The record instead concentrates on the lower end of the frequency spectrum and on the tension created by sparse, dark electronic arrangements. Across the three originals, the vocals are described as sinister rather than presented as conventional song performances, giving each track an additional layer of unease. “My Mind Is Mean” opens the A-side with the most direct statement of the EP's character. It is a driving, sub-heavy track built around menacing synthesizer work, with the production allowing the low end to establish much of its physical presence. The title is reflected in the musical attitude: rather than using aggression through sheer speed or density, Zuul creates pressure through weight, darker tonal material and a deliberately threatening atmosphere. The track's combination of propulsion and restrained arrangement gives it a natural role at the beginning of a darker club sequence, where a DJ needs tension without immediately moving into full peak-time intensity. The second A-side track, “It's Hell In There, It's Horror”, changes the emotional balance without abandoning the EP's darker identity. Selected Wax describes it as more melodic and upbeat than the opener, with eerie textures and an ominous undercurrent. That contrast is important because it prevents the record from becoming a one-dimensional exercise in darkness. The track introduces more melodic movement while retaining the unsettling character established by “My Mind Is Mean”, creating a useful progression within the A-side. For a DJ, this difference between the two opening tracks is significant. “My Mind Is Mean” establishes the heavier, sub-led side of Zuul's production, while “It's Hell In There, It's Horror” provides additional melodic information and a somewhat more energetic feel. They can therefore be used at different points in a set even though they belong to the same stylistic world. The record's strength is not simply that it sounds dark, but that it uses different forms of tension — low-frequency weight, melody, atmosphere and vocal presence — across its four sides. The B-side begins with “Ask Me”, a slower-burning cut that moves into haunted, mid-tempo bass territory. The track represents perhaps the clearest connection between the EP's electro and new-wave influences and its contemporary club function. Rather than depending on rapid percussion, its hypnosis comes from the interaction between bass, repetition and atmosphere. The result is a track that can create a significant change of pace inside a DJ set, particularly when moving away from faster house or techno material into something more restrained and sinister. The placement of “Ask Me” on the B1 also makes sense as a vinyl sequence. After the relatively driving character of the A-side, the track pulls the energy inward. Its mid-tempo character gives the DJ more room to work with space and mood, while the darker vocal and bass-focused production preserve the physical connection to the dancefloor. It is less about an obvious peak and more about creating a sustained sense of tension. C.ru.z's remix of “Ask Me” completes the record on B2, taking the original material further towards the dancefloor. The remix retains the darker character of the source while introducing a nastier groove, giving the B-side a stronger club-oriented conclusion. This is a particularly effective choice for a four-track EP because the remix does not simply duplicate the original; it provides a second interpretation of the same composition and demonstrates how the track's darker elements can be pushed into a more overtly functional club context. C.ru.z is a producer with an established connection to electro, EBM and synth-driven electronic music. His previous work has appeared on labels including Griffé, where his 2024 La pasión paga EP was described as drawing on 1980s sounds while combining electro, EBM and synth-pop. That background makes his involvement on LE002 particularly appropriate: the remix can be understood within the same broad territory of dark electronic music rather than as an unrelated stylistic detour. The Horrorway EP is therefore most compelling when considered as a four-part progression rather than simply an electro record with a remix attached. “My Mind Is Mean” supplies the sub-heavy opening statement; “It's Hell In There, It's Horror” introduces more melodic movement without losing the sinister atmosphere; “Ask Me” shifts into slower, bass-led hypnosis; and C.ru.z's remix transforms that final idea into a more overtly dancefloor-focused groove. Each track has a distinct role while remaining connected through the same dark palette. For DJs, LE002 offers several useful entry points. The A-side can work within electro, dark house and slower techno programming, while the B-side provides a more hypnotic direction for sets that need to reduce tempo without losing physical weight. The C.ru.z remix is the most immediately functional of the four, with the original “Ask Me” offering a more atmospheric alternative. Rather than being restricted to a single genre room, the EP can sit between electro, new wave-influenced club music, tech house and darker late-night programming. For collectors, LE002 is also notable as only the second Life Enigma release and as a clearly defined statement of the label's emerging identity. The physical edition is a standard 12-inch vinyl pressing, with the complete four-track sequence preserved across the record. The Horrorway EP ultimately works through controlled darkness rather than excess. Zuul uses sub-bass, menacing synths, eerie textures, sinister vocals and mid-tempo grooves to create a record that feels deliberately nocturnal, while C.ru.z's remix adds a sharper dancefloor edge to the closing side. As Life Enigma LE002, it is a focused four-track vinyl release for selectors drawn to the space where electro, new wave, bass-heavy house and darker club music overlap.