Browsing Tag

Downtempo

Timothy and the Apocalypse set up a new installation of downtempo disenchanted catharsis with his latest trip-hop single, Shadows of the Lost

Posted on 22 December 2022
Timothy and the Apocalypse

Watching the Sydney, Australia producer Timothy and the Apocalypse as he becomes a rare 21st-century success story with his cinematic indie beats that are shifting him ever closer to the million streams mark with his discography has been a sense of contentment in itself.

With soundscapes crafted for the end of the world, which effortlessly gel with your own despondence, the tranquillity within his downtempo trip-hop tracks offers a breeze of disenchanted catharsis. His latest single, Shadows of the Lost, is no exception. The wavy psychedelic aesthetic of Shadows of the Lost touches on the phenomenon of disconnection which is as steady as the beats in severing connections in our isolated age.

As the synthetic vocals drift in at the mid-point mark, as though they have appeared from a black-and-white film, they remind us that the control we believe we have over our lives is nothing but an illusion. Tony Robins may not agree, but given that he’s probably responsible for the clinical burnout and appeal of pyramid schemes for his fans, we’d like to hear him argue with this compellingly chilling exposition of the end days.

Shadows of the Lost will officially release on December 22nd. Pre-save it here.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Timothy and the Apocalypse – Voice Like an Echo: Meet Your New Favourite Trip-Hop Raconteur

Posted on 25 August 2022

After racking up hundreds of thousands of streams since his 2021 debut, the fatalistically monikered experimental electronica artist, Timothy and the Apocalypse has unveiled his latest leftfield single Voice Like an Echo.

With his knack of adding soul to synthetic textures, Voice Like an Echo is yet another trippy triumph, which carries the trip-hop gravitas of Portishead and the ardent downtempo allure of Massive Attack’s most grippingly progressive productions.

If the endlessly imploring vocals finding synergy with the mellifluous glitches (yes, I know that should be a paradox, he’s THAT good) don’t move you, you can probably consider yourself emotionally paralysed. Who would have thought end times would sound so sweet?

Voice Like an Echo is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Bodisaffa Music has released his cinematic chillwave single, Down.

Posted on 1 October 2021

The collective need for ambience and catharsis has never been greater; on that basis, up and coming electronic artist and producer Bodisaffa Music’s latest release, Down, can be considered serendipitously timely.

The downtempo lo-fi piano soundscape is intricate enough to keep your attention; the ease of the cinematic chillwave progressions means that you will quickly surrender your rhythmic pulses and unwind with the atmospheric and meditative soundscape. Placing this track on your playlists is practically a method of self-care.

Down is just one of the tracks which feature on the artist’s Chill Tracks EP; it is now available to stream in full on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Kattacomb ambiently explores loss in their downtempo single ‘Now You’re Away’

Posted on 30 June 2021
https://soundcloud.com/kattacomb/now-youre-away?in=kattacomb/sets/sleepless-ep

Maryland, US-residing artist and producer Kattacomb has released his ambient EP, Sleepless, capturing the delirium of those sleep-deprived hours that seem to stretch beyond time or reason.

Now You’re Away may not use narrative lyrics or even vocals that still bear any humanistic resemblance. But with those three words in the title paired with the bright melodies, you’re drawn into a soundtrack that compassionately connects with you through the relatability of  loneliness that creeps into bed beside you when your mind refuses to sleep before daylight.

The conceptual use of birdsong around the glitchy, trip-hop minimalist instrumentals was nothing short of ingenious. At the risk of sounding hyperbolic, Now You’re Away may just be the most stunning feat of electronica since Apoptygma Berzerk’s ‘Until the End of the World’.

Now You’re Away is now available to stream via Soundcloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Good Times Again: UK Downtempo act A Better Life take us to beautiful Crete with the exceptionally beautiful ‘Souda Bay’

Posted on 28 April 2021

Mellowing lives like professional music healers and taken off their dashing debut album called ‘Take A Deep Breath, A Better Life ease our head-scratching worries, with a tremendous lead single that will have you daydreaming lustfully on ‘Souda Bay‘.

A Better Life is a stunning UK Downtempo/electronica outfit that incorporates that relaxed state of mind to further your valuable consciousness from dark thoughts, to bring forth a reflective escape to mend our broken fences within.

”The track is inspired by the Souda Bay area of the Greek island of Crete, where A Better Life writer and producer Phil Daniels wrote the vast majority of the music in the summer of 2020. The music was written to convey the tranquility and calmness of the area”. – A Better Life 

The overriding feeling is one of total peace and love, the sunshine-entrenched stunner certainly has your mind in a better place to be productive, or just to relax and replenish your soul from the madness. This is such a mellow beat that you might need your shades on throughout, as the glorious soundscape is one for the books.

‘Souda Bay‘ from new UK Downtempo act A Better Life, does indeed make everything seem okay again with a heart-pulling performance of such classy guitar-filled beats, earthy vocals and much-needed care. You feel like you are indeed somewhere far from all the nonsense of the commercial world and this is the power of great music. It can heal you in an instant, with a cascading ambiance of drifting and much-needed perspective. A Better Life indeed.

Stream this soothing new single on Spotify and see more news on IG.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen

Alex Bright defies convention with his symphonically visceral electronica album ‘Building’.

Posted on 24 April 2021
Alex Bright

Bristol-based artist and producer Alex Bright is set to release his album, Building, which obliterates the notion of genre and introduces the lister to pure uninhibited electronically-crafted expression.

From neo-classic increments to symphonically cinematic scores complemented with pulsing bass to experimentation with elements of nature; you will find it all on the absorbing 7-track release. Alex Bright isn’t afraid to paint across the tonal spectrum, mischievously throwing together light and dark textures to create stunning sense of utopic/dystopic duality.

With such scarcity of reminiscence,  eclecticism of style and veracity of emotion, Alex Bright’s sound expresses what words cannot, making my job impossibly hard but gratifying all the same. Discovering exceptional producers who defy convention and can still speak to you on a primal level don’t crop up every day.

You can check out Alex Bright on his YouTube Channel and by heading over to Instagram.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Burn It Down: Zaeus shows us deep inside to where many hide from ‘In Flames’ (feat. Faye)

Posted on 19 April 2021

With the first single from the upcoming ‘Be Still‘ album, Zaeus raises temperatures to full with the terrifically stellar ‘In Flames’ (feat. Faye).

Zaeus is a breathtakingly intriguing Washington D.C. downtempo electronica/trip-hop music collaboration that breaks all the rules with an ear-bending experience that shakes your perspective and has you gazing deeply outside, to see what the world is coming to.

”A life journey and the themes many of us share: romance, anger, addiction, passion, survival, and spirituality.” – Zaeus

With heart-grabbing vocals that feel so haunting, the beat and visuals make you sweaty as they are so real and invoke that survival mentality. You feel every sinew of this effort as you look within your moral fiber as to see how you feel about everything — as you put your mask on to protect yourself from the dust and smoke of the world — that is slowly healing up to be stronger again, or so we hope.

‘In Flames‘ (feat. Faye) from Washington D.C-based act Zaeus, heats up the speakers as you look deeper into what carnage is going on planet earth. With tensions still on high alert and common sense rare to find, this is an excellent song that shows you what is really going on outside, in this steaming planet that needs a lot of calming energy to cool everything down.

Stream this new single on Spotify and see more on IG.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen

Ponder the beauty of chance with Tenseventeen’s ambient electronica track, ‘Sometimes’.

Posted on 12 April 2021

Californian electronica artist and producer, Tenseventeen has released their second EP, ‘The Little Things’. The timely release is an endless source of tonal optimism, especially the lead single, ‘Sometimes’.

The light and organic synth-crafted soundscape plays on the more melodic side of electronica, as the notes meander with purpose through the downtempo hip-hop-inspired 808s that bring plenty of texture to the experimental feat of ambient future house.

With a traversing air to the constantly momentous yet never over-facing single, it’s one that you can easily get lost in.

Tenseventeen’s sophomore EP is now available to stream via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Figuring out what went wrong: A-A drop new single about how relationships can go icy fast on ‘Cold Hearted’

Posted on 16 February 2021

A-A bring us a riveting new track to full immerse ourselves into, that will leave you a bit chilly called ‘Cold Hearted‘.

Recently formed electronic-pop duo A-A is a joint project from Alex Williamson and Austin Hintz, who make a delightful mixture of up and downtempo music, to fill our hearts with goodness and thoughtful stories of love.

With passionate pop vocals that make you listen so intently and with memories of past relationships rushing through your brain like an express train, you find yourself nodding your head at the stories about how manipulative some people can be as they dramatically put the blame on you, while never admitting anything from their side. This is a vicious circle of blustery winds that will only end with you feeling the brunt of the storm, no matter how hard you try and help their state of mind.

‘Cold Hearted‘ from electro-pop duo A-A is the true story about how sometimes love can be so strong for a while and then after a while you notice that your partner is actually not the right person for you. The relationship then ends and its all over with you questioning why you were with them in the first place-as their heart is not warm and caring like yours.

To be truly happy inside and to unlock to the door to personal freedom, you need to find the special soul that has the kindness key, so you can both walk through and be at peace with one another, no matter what obstacles you both face.

Stream this new single on Soundcloud and see what they get up to next on IG.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen

Finding yourself again: European Electro-Pop/Downtempo duo Anaté drop fascinating debut single ‘Confusion’

Posted on 28 November 2020

The gorgeous vocals and clean production captures your imagination right away as you drift into a visual vortex of emotions that both excites and scares you too. Anaté toys with our emotions to captivating effect here in 2020 with debut song ‘Confusion’.

Anaté is a supremely creative collaboration between elegant singer & songwriter Ana who lives in Paris and Berlin, with Milan based producer Delman handling the soundscapes to electrifying levels of pure enjoyment. You can tell that they share the same vision musically as this is cinematic experience that is so rare and compelling.

“My debut single Confusion talks about duality. It’s about the conflict between what we want and what we are ‘allowed to want’; between who we are and expected to be; between emotion and reason. We all experience moments of inner conflict like that. Confusion explores these contrasting concepts and invites us to embrace both.” – Ana

Set for release on the 28th November 2020, this is a debut track that has so much tease and intrigue already. The deep thoughts of being in that vividly beautiful dreamy world you have created for yourself, while also dealing with what current reality has to offer, has truly opened up your eyes and soul to conflicting emotions.

Anaté’s ‘Confusion’ is an irresistible listen that makes you feel as though you are transporting in the Matrix and can slide from each world as you please. The journey to finally embracing yourself and accepting these thoughts is a long but ultimately self-healing mission. After all, knowing yourself better will help you love deeper and open your heart to many possibilities.

Hear this wonderful creation on Anaté’s Spotify and find out more about their vision on Facebook and IG.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen