Music Review: Matthew Schultz x Gyptian

Matthew Schultz and Gyptian maximize their emotions on their new collaborative single “Turn Me Up.” Matthew Schultz plows straight into the squall, sails full, heart bursting, and approaches his verses the way Gyptian delivers his whirlwind vocal cries on the chorus. They are both romantics with different approaches but on this song it’s all about containment, channeling every drop of sentiment into finely wrought crystal goblets.

“Turn Me Up” begins with gorgeous filaments of tone, ringed with a halo of fuzzy melodies, and for almost four minutes, everything just swirls into place. The syncopated drum sounds and lush chords are unmistakable, as there’s a bit more of an unhurried drift to the music.

The evolving reggae-dancehall mix expresses love, attraction, and emotional fun in an abstract yet engaging way. Both Matthew Schultz and Gyptian tease out their respective differences across a dance track that’s alternately luminous and wild. It’s a song with small details and big emotions, and when it works, the collaboration represents the best of their tendencies.

Unlike most electronic music, there’s precious little repetition here: Even as the music approaches a long plateau that resembles a hard-worn, Caribbean love song, it remains in constant mutation.

But this is music that emphasizes romantic attraction above all else; it’s considerably alluring with some beautiful moments here as it winds toward a long, gentle ending— like pebbles rolling on the ocean floor— its final climax is ecstatic and sweet. And by the end of it, you find yourself craving a quiet patch of warm, dry sand on which to catch your breath and soak in the summerly rays of the sun.