Browsing Tag

neo-classic electronica

Benjamin Witt has made his neo-classic debut with their album ‘Coming Out of It’

Posted on 2 April 2021

North Carolina-based artist, composer and producer, Benjamin Witt has made their debut with their ambient neo-classic album ‘Coming Out of It’. Any fans of Nils Frahm’s tender melodic touch will want to spend time with this remarkably evocative album which could serve as the OST to Hollywood’s next blockbuster.

The best exhibition of Benjamin Witt’s astuteness when it comes to capturing emotion on piano keys is ‘Running Through It’, a soundscape that quiescently captures a break free from stagnation with tentative steps that guide you towards living instead of existing at the mercy of the universe.

Running Through It is now available to stream via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

John McCrea sets a post-classical score with ‘Mantra Mantra’

Posted on 12 February 2021

Dublin-based composer and electronica artist, John McCrea, paints with textures of post-classical, Europop and ambient minimalism, yet his un-constrainable sonic prowess becomes more than just sound through the imagery it inspires and the emotion it evokes. The perfect introduction to their cinematic style is the title single to their latest solo album, ‘Mantra Mantra’.

Mantra Mantra is a progressively sensual whirlwind of intensity which permits flurried piano notes to capture urgency while the low reverberant hum of the bassline is a grounding layer of realism which reflects the dread which is very much a part of our mortal coil.

It’s so much more than your average vibe out playlist essential, crank up the volume and you’ll enter a new world constructed by the enigmatic artist who has made a name for himself writing for theatre and dance. His talent is just as mesmerising as a standalone soundscape, there are a plethora of layers to unpack, any attempt to dissect the soundscape feels like butchery.

Mantra Mantra is available to stream via SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Spielbone has released their neo-classic electronica aid to rumination ‘Les mérites du doute’

Posted on 2 February 2021

German-Ivorian composer, Spielbone, made their debut in 2018 with their minimalist neo-classic twist on ambient electronica, in 2020, he released his pacifyingly immersive album ‘Infinitesimal’ any fans of Nils Frahm or similar contemporaries are going to want to pay attention.

In a time when sanctity of any form is scarce, meditative soundscapes such as Les mérites du doute are worth their weight in aural gold. As Chamber strings draw across the keys, the ruminative soundscape pulls you in deeper into the sanguine essence. Spielbone’s ability to set synapses alight and make heartstrings feel taut will undoubtedly see him going far in 2021 and beyond.

You can hear the album for yourselves by heading over to Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

 

Lose control of your rhythmic pulses with Riesenradler’s fiercely sonic electronica single “The Unsung Hero”

Posted on 2 November 2020

“The Unsung Hero” is the sonically-enticing recent release from Austrian artist and video game developer Riesenradler, with passions for both classical music and Electronica, the artist electronically achieved what composers have been doing for decades; orchestrating soundscapes which become so much more than an aural experience. ‘Mesmeric’ doesn’t seem to cut it when it comes to Riesenradler’s production style, you’re practically vexed by the visceral futurism contained in their releases.

The Unsung Hero is just one of the mind-melting mixes which you’ll find on their sophomore album Under the Nanorain which is due to drop later in November. If The Unsung Hero is anything to go by, you definitely won’t want to miss it.

You can check out The Unsung Hero which dropped on October 20th for yourselves by heading over to YouTube now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Tom Algorithm – To Dust: Exploratively Immersive Electronica

Posted on 23 August 2020

Electronic artist and producer Tom Algorithm released their 5-track Minimalist Techno EP “Sequences” on August 9th, the perfect introduction to their captivatingly immersive style is “To Dust”.

The progressive soundscape offers a complexity which is rarely found in Instrumental Electronica. The vibe of the track isn’t immediately obvious, to make To Dust even more intriguing, the nuanced evolutions in tone leave you even more eager to hear what Tom Algorithm will throw your way next.

Despite their moniker, there’s a serious amount of well-rounded human emotion on offer in the deft progressions which are robust despite the delicacy of the neo-classically-inspired notes around the swelling basslines.

You can check out To Dust along with the rest of the Sequences EP for yourselves by heading over to YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Ryuho Okawa – An epic, swelling, storm of a soundscape in “The Thunder”

Posted on 21 August 2020

Ryuho Okawa’s ‘The Thunder” is an epic, rolling, soundscape – 8’15” of soaring composition in three parts, a gorgeous, haunting female vocal cutting in over the orchestral melodrama. It sounds, and I mean this in the most complimentary way possible, like the end credit music to a Michael Bay movie or, even more, a Hideo Kojima game, Metal Gear Solid or Death Stranding cut scenes rolling as the strings swell and the tympani crash. It’s that expansive and evocative.

It is a beautiful, well-crafted piece; a slow build of melancholy orchestration, deep long-drawn out ‘cello notes underlying pizzicato violin, and then three minutes in there’s a drop, the calm before the musical storm. That stunning vocal cuts in before a huge peal of orchestral thunder, a lift, and the drums rise to a militaristic tattoo, all snare rolls and marching beat, then the resolve at 5’30”, crescendo to key shift and then peace, the slow play out, the fierceness of the storm abating, tranquillity returning as the volume fades.

‘The Thunder’ is stunning; an absolute tempest of a track. You can hear it here, but be warned – you may need to take a moment after to catch your breath.

Review by Alex Holmes.

Mike Soto drops beautiful trance-y electronica with new single ‘Leslie’

Posted on 15 August 2020
https://soundcloud.com/mike5oto/leslie/s-MdXSzptbyU2

It’s 40 years since Brian Eno’s ‘Music For Airports’, but Eno’s notes around form and atmosphere still hold true; ‘Leslie’, then, is the lead track from Mike Soto’s debut album ‘Memories’, 2’44” of downtempo, chilled wandering piano phrases over a background of electronic beats, swells, and trance-y ambience.

It’s reminiscent of the more melodic parts of Eno, Helios’ ‘Caesura’,  or Anitek’s ‘The Refractory’; downtempo but not downbeat, uplifting but not overpowering. It’s a nicely crafted piece, quiet and unobtrusive, the kicker at 1’39” catching you unawares and snapping your attention back to the repeating piano motif before it fades away to nothingness at 2’44”.

Tastefully done, Lo-Fi, and subtle, Mike Soto’s debut album ‘Memories’ is on iTunes; check out Mike on Facebook here.

Review by Alex Holmes