One might reflect on the sanity of someone who would leave the warm and sunny climes of Florida in the dead ass of winter to venture northward into the nation’s icebox just to perform a handful of shows. A quick sampling of Mike Diaz’s maximum Chillwave soundscapes under the banner of Million Young will eliminate any questions concerning his mental stability. Million Young’s icy Electronica is best served cold as an almost perfect sonic accompaniment to (and tonic for) winter’s razor chill and dour mood.
Diaz began assembling his rink-smooth riffs as Million Young (almost certainly named after the American Analog Set’s song of the same name, from their excellent Know By Heart disc) back in 2008, and attracted fan attention and critical acclaim almost immediately. Across a couple of well-received EPs — Sunndreamm and Be So True — Diaz/MY concocts deep-freeze, space-age bachelor pad music with a contemporary twist, moving effortlessly from exotic Afrobeat and Tropicalia to Polynesian Pop to dream-laden Techno, ultimately finding his own personal sonic identity in the triangulation of those musical ideas. In the process, Million Young has earned more than favorable comparisons to the likes of New Order, Washed Out, The Drums and Beach House, and even listeners who have admittedly grown bored with Chillwave’s predictable structure and pacing are finding themselves drawn to Million Young’s moody and melodic take in his self-described Ambient/Electro/Surf direction.
Although Diaz doesn’t work alone on stage, traveling with a live drummer and keyboardist, the vibe is clearly more adrenalized in the live context. But Diaz manages to maintain his music’s dreamy aspects even as he and his band play at top volume, like Brian Eno at his most poppily Ambient backed by a young and horny Indie Rock outfit. Prepare to move and be moved — Million Young, like that other cold weather gift giver, is coming to town.
