“Mood Starters” is the result of a collaboration between Belgian artists Pedro Maras (BedouinDrone) and Marc Ceulemans (Brainquake). They share a common vision of music and the atmosphere surrounding it, which has resulted in this 11-track album, released on the Bulgarian label Mahorka.

“Mood Starters” is all about atmosphere—a dark and unsettling mood that evokes a sense of mental anguish. Intense, sometimes overwhelming dark sounds alternately blast you away and carry you along on an imaginary deathbed. The album sits somewhere between Dark-Ambient and Cinematic music, while being spiced up with other Electronic music elements, including a brilliant closing track that opens a window onto IDM. Add a few highly Experimental tracks to the mix, and you get a pretty clear picture of what “Mood Starters” is all about. At times, the music feels almost improvised, which I find to be the album’s weakest aspect. For the most part, however, the tracks sound carefully considered, crafted with a vast arsenal of sounds, effects, and even field recordings.

BedouinDrone and Brainquake seem unconcerned with genre boundaries, preferring instead to experiment freely. The result is a collection of strong tracks that conjure up powerful visual imagery. I can only hope the duo will repeat this experience, as this album demonstrates enormous potential. (Rating:8).

Listen to “Cages”:

About BedouinDrone & Brainquake

BedouinDrone is the dark ambient and illbient project of Belgian artist Pedro Maras, built around dense atmospheres, layered drones and a cinematic sense of storytelling shaped by themes of loneliness, memory and collapsing emotional landscapes. Brainquake is the industrial project of Belgian artist Marc Ceulemans, working with mechanical repetition, distorted textures, fragmented rhythms and psychological pressure rooted in classic industrial traditions. The two artists had never met in person before recording together for the Bulgarian label Mahorka, which released their collaboration album “Mood Starters” on June 5, 2026.

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

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