Browsing Tag

electronica

SnoZ – Night: The Superlative Twilight Trap Lullaby

Posted on 8 January 2023

Like a twisted lullaby, the concluding single, Night, on the 3-track single from electronica artist and producer, SnoZ, which also melodically flows through Morning and Afternoon, is a trappy instrumental feat of beguile that deserves residence on your ambient and downtempo playlists. If any track is going to enter the sandman, it is Night. Sorry, Metallica.

SnoZ has been involved with the music industry since the early 2000s, experimenting with various genres along the way. In 2016, he exclusively got into bed with instrumental electronica production, and it’s easy to see why after listening to Night. They know just how to set a scintillating tone and capture emotion with their beats.

Night is available to stream on Spotify. For more info on SnoZ, check out their website.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Float with the tropic flotsam in Agaaze’s open psychedelic love letter ‘Cinnamon Paradise’

Posted on 31 December 2022

Rochester, NY multi-instrumentalist, artist and producer, Agaaze reached the pinnacle of sonically sugared electronic dream pop with his latest single, Cinnamon Paradise.

With tropic pop textures adding temperate soul by the smorgasbord, the dreamy release envelopes you with the pure pining emotion which inspired the love letter to his crush. For six sweet minutes, the breakthrough artist takes you on a psychedelic trip through his innocent affection while the genre-fluid instrumentals break the monocultural mould.

Currently attending the University of Michigan, Agaaze built the foundations for his music career at age six while learning classical guitar. In the coming years, he experimented with jazz guitar, trumpet and South Indian Carnatic vocal lessons, winning classical and jazz guitar awards along the way, in addition to performing at the Rochester Jazz Festival and playing classical guitar on WXXI radio in 2019.

In 2020, Agaaze started to compose his own music, inspired by an eclectic array of artists, including Tame Impala, Tyler, the Creator and Pink Floyd. His debut EP, A Portal Inside, arrived in December 2021.

Cinnamon Paradise is now available to stream on Spotify, along with the sophomore single, For You, which dropped on December 30th.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

nasir mf. pushed the boundaries of sonic expression in his emotion-driven EDM hit, fuckin lonely

Posted on 22 December 2022

If the sub-genre emo EDM doesn’t already exist on some dark and despondent corner on the internet, the electronica producer, nasir mf. started it with his trappy trailblazer of a debut single, fuckin lonely.

After a wavy indie trap prelude, the hit blasts off with a high-fire boost of momentum that allows the track to transcend drum n bass before the candid vocals run through pioneeringly bold lyricism to shatter the stigma attached to admissions of loneliness.

To make such an honest track at any point in their career is a brave move; to choose this track to introduce himself to the world, nasir mf. is a total fucking icon. The Brooklyn-based electronica artist made his debut to carry on the legacy of the black artists before him while pushing the boundaries of sound and expression. In the process of succeeding across the board, he became an instant icon in our view.

Nothing compares to the high of hearing an artist speak the unspoken and fuckin lonely let the euphoric floodgates open. We can’t wait to hear what comes next.

fuckin lonely was officially released on December 2nd and is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

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

Stave off existential burnout with James Greenfield’s alt-indie electro single, Turn it Off

Posted on 2 December 2022
https://soundcloud.com/user-93978067/turn-it-off/s-MX2xNnDZDtU?si=f2294089a37a420b8a960ec8c4255b92&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

The Southcoast, UK Songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer, James Greenfield, released the most essential electronica single of the year with Turn It Off.

With soul bleeding equally through his vocals and the organic indietronica-meets-EBM rhythms, the impact of this single isn’t to be underestimated. You get a real sense that he’s harmonising from a position of experience when he verses on the pervasive negativity being too much.

“Not giving up, just rising above” is a mantra we would all benefit from taking in our stride. Nothing about Turn it Off feels preachy and holier-than-thou. It is clear that his warning comes from a place of deep compassion.

With 20 years working in the industry, Greenfield was primed to create a resoundingly empowering hit with Turn It Off. I, for one, will be heeding his advice to curb my doom scrolling and let more positivity shape my mentality.

“The demands being put on people these days are relentless. On any given day, we are exposed to huge amounts of disproportionately negative news and are constantly targeted and manipulated to buy more stuff.

We also have demands from other people’s expectations and how they want us to behave. We also live in a world where a never-ending stream of addictive content keeps us glued to our devices.”

For your own sake, place the efficacious reminder that you owe it to yourself to turn off and tune out now and again before you existentially burn out firmly on your playlists.

Check out Turn it Off from December 2nd on SoundCloud. For more info, check out his website. 

Follow James Greenfield on Facebook and Instagram. 

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Resistance resonates in THE MAINSTREAM OFFICIAL’s harbingering electro-anthem, Part of the Problem

Posted on 30 November 2022

Harbingering signs of the times rarely resound in trancey house mixes, but here to bring consciousness under the club music umbrella is THE MAINSTREAM OFFICIAL with their debut single, Part of the Problem.

Part of the Problem is the first single to drop in a series of resistance-themed singles that the duo has crafted to unshackle us on the dancefloor and awaken our minds to the issues we partake in if we go about our daily lives with blinkers on.

Sobering and liberating in the same glossy produced breath, THE MAINSTREAM OFFICIAL is doing more than just breaking ground; they are fighting for the world we are all respectively attempting to save, destroying, and living in ambivalently. The vocals perfectly gel with the rhythmically arresting, tension-fuelled progressions as they project the myriad of global issues before compelling you to take a stand.

Part of the Problem is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Jeff Goldsmith – Tied to the Track: Melt Into the Darkly Ambient Melancholy

Posted on 15 November 2022

Following the resounding success of his former releases, the Minneapolis composer, musical sound designer and producer Jeff Goldsmith unleashed the lamentfully arrestive atmosphere of his latest score, Tied to the Track.

With the art rock nuances of Radiohead, the progressive feel of Fear of a Blank Planet era Porcupine Tree and deserty Josh Homme-Esque vocals bleeding into the darkly ambient neo-classic electronic arrangements, succumbing to the cinematic melancholy of Tied to the Track is non-optional.

Goldsmith started his venture into creativity aged four at the Suzuki Music Academy, where he learned to play the violin by ear. In 2020, he made his debut with the album, Vodu, subsequently followed by his poetically titled scintillating sophomore album, May You Find the Light Before the Devil Knows He’s Right, in May 2021. In addition to his solo work, Goldsmith scores for TV and film and works with a myriad of other artists, such as Austin Texas’s Sparta. 

After hearing Tied to the Track, I know I will never stop turning to Goldsmith’s visceral sonic proclivities which innovatively amalgamate ambience with exultant ingenuity. He isn’t just one in a million, his presence on the airwaves can’t be quantified. I can’t recommend him enough.

Tied to the Track is now available to stream via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Daylight breaks in the tranquillity of Victor Bomi’s ambient synthscape, Orientkaj Station

Posted on 7 November 2022

After immersing ourselves into his single, Above and Below, there was no forgetting producer Victor Bomi’s signature sound that encompasses soft, warm synths, minimalist rhythm, and intimate international flavour.

His latest standout release, Orientkaj Station, is a tranquil metropolitan exploration which takes you to a new city just as dawn breaks over your fresh surroundings. The wanderlust-driven composition features samples of a metro station around the gently cascading melodies, dark bass notes and ambient breakbeats that swell around the lust for life in a new environment.

It’s a refreshing break from the dystopic soundscapes that are hitting the airwaves in swathes recently. It’s a mellow yet powerful reminder that if you turn off the news, there is ample beauty still out there across the continents.

Orientkaj Station is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Vintage synths create oceanic sanctum in Huts on Beaches’ debut electronica release, Coastal Signals

Posted on 2 November 2022

After finding an affinity for the irreplicable timbre and feel of retro synths, the Mosta, Malta-based electronica duo, Huts on Beaches, collected, restored, and used them to craft their euphonically tranquil debut single, Coastal Signals, which officially released on September 20th.

The instrumental extended release, which bridges the gap between organic house and minimalist techno, was designed to envelop the listener in the catharsis that the ocean brings in with the tides. Bringing the elementally restorative power of the ocean to the airwaves was no easy feat. Huts on Beaches were undeniably successful in their debut, which is an incredibly promising sign of what’s to come from the duo, whose first release wouldn’t be out of place on the iconic soundtrack to The Beach.

The single was produced in the duo’s studio with both members, Karl Gauci & Keith Bunce, contributing to synth & drum machine sequencing.

Here’s what Huts on Beaches had to say after making their debut:

“Coastal Signals is our debut single, inspired by the freedom of expression in all forms of media, but in our case, our music. We live on a busy island; one of the few places to clear your head and readjust is the sea. The calmness and the waves clear our mindset, hence our moniker.

We wanted to give the listener an uplifting and welcoming atmosphere that reiterates the message that courage can always be found to express thoughts, even if it is difficult. Sonically, the single is dreamy yet punchy to reflect the challenge of expression.”

Add Coastal Signals to your downtempo techno playlists on Spotify & SoundCloud.

Follow Huts on Beaches via Instagram, and stay tuned for news of their sophomore soundscape, Leap, which is due to premiere on December 1st.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Paper White and the Lake synthesised Avant Garde electronica in their latest release, Need Everything

Posted on 30 October 2022

For their latest release, ‘Need Everything’, the leftfield electronica producer, Paper White and the Lake collaborated with Chris Peters to create a jazzy feat of synthesised electronica that utilises textures of 80s synthpop in the spacey soundscape that brims with uninhibited authenticity.

The tamed melodic discord that comes complete with stabbing horns may be a little too Avant-Garde for the mainstream, but for any fans of experimental art with the capacity to disturb the comfortable, Need Everything is everything you need on your playlists.

Take the psychedelic trip with Need Everything for yourselves by heading over to YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast