Browsing Tag

Neo Classical Electronica

Circuit Symphony: The Electrified Emotions of Bruce Cohen’s ‘Dance of the Siren’

Posted on 22 November 2024

With ‘Dance of the Siren,’ the virtuosic composer Bruce Cohen unveiled a composition that is as intricate as it is profound, drawn from his latest album, ‘8 BC.’ By blending the ornate richness of neo-classical elements with the pulsating depths of sci-fi intrigue, each note seems to decide whether to comfort or challenge the listener.

Cohen’s mastery in synthesising disparate musical traditions is evident, as ‘Dance of the Siren’ embarks on a voyage through lush, theatrical gravitas and bursts into scintillating sci-fi phases. This duality in tone and texture transforms the listening experience into an exploration of emotions, leaving one oscillating between catharsis and disturbance—a true testament to his unique position in the electronic music sphere.

Cohen’s journey in music has been a kaleidoscope of genre-defying ventures. From scoring plays like ‘Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde‘ at Philadelphia’s Walnut Theatre to forming the heavy, psychedelic jazz trio Big Fun 3, his creative bandwidth stretches far and wide.

His solo projects resonate with a penchant for German electronic minimalism and ambient soundscapes reminiscent of luminaries like Brian Eno and Klaus Schulze. With each album from ‘1 BC’ to ‘8 BC,’ Cohen has progressively dipped deeper into his own experimental ethos, melding ambient, funk, and trance elements to forge a distinct sonic signature.

Dance of the Siren was officially released on November 11th; stream the single on Spotify now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Fabian Jeller took his listeners ‘From Zero to Infinity’ in his latest composition

Posted on 27 September 2023

The classically trained pianist, electronic music producer and composer, Fabian Jeller used every modicum of his training and talent honing to mark his evolution towards a more viscerally stylistic, organic, and colourful tonal palette in his most seminal single to date, From Zero to Infinity.

The synthesis of classical instruments in the electronic soundscape embodies the vivaciousness of a full symphony orchestra to take you on a journey of vibrant transcendence via the arrangement of the synths and strings, which work in absolute synergy to ensure you sonically arrive at the destination the Italian virtuoso intended.

Blissful, rejuvenating, and deeply evocative in inexplicable equal measure, From Zero to Infinity captures the momentum of life, and all the stratospherically colossal twists and turns it leaves us with no option to traverse. As Bill Hicks once famously said, it’s just a ride. Jeller proved the intrinsic beauty in that ride. Strap yourselves in and surrender yourself to it.

From Zero to Infinity arrived on the airwaves on September 16; stream it on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Classical strings meet IDM in Momento’s transcendental orchestration, Sindalah

Posted on 14 May 2023

After their intense classical upbringing, the award-winning Canadian musicians, Jonathan Chan and Jan Bislin, combined their virtuosic forces to forge the genre-fluid outfit, Momento, to unleash a brand-new wave of IDM onto the airwaves.

The electric violins against the entrancingly rhythmic loops and synthesisers in their latest single, Sindalah, will indoctrinate you into a brand-new world of aural pleasure which you will want to visit time and time again for the fantasia created between the upbeat percussive flair and the Eastern strings which carve their way through the transcendent atmosphere.

In addition to touring the globe as a violin duo supporting the likes of John Legend, James Blunt, and Tim Minchin, Momento has also shone in the ever-prevalent digital arena; so far in this phase of their career, they have amassed almost one million streams on YouTube, and counting.

Sindalah is now available to stream via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Berlin electro-acoustic originators klanglomerat created a cathartically seductive Jazz IDM amalgam with ‘Fünf’

Posted on 7 April 2023

The Berlin electro-acoustic outfit, klanglomerat, created a beguiling symbiotic relationship between Jazz and IDM in their fifth evocatively ambient single, Fünf. How they succeeded in soaking the instrumentals in so much pensive emotion is just a fraction of the alchemy that will cathartically seduce you; the gentle yet purposeful melodicism knows just what direction to pull your senses in so that you drift with the sweeping bass lines and are cradled within the ardently accordant drum fills.

Artfulness is often associated with inaccessibility but slipping into Fünf is easier than breathing; the progressive single gently rises with the tides from the quiescent intro into the vortex of swirling piano motifs, which ring with a touch of neo-classical flair, while the nuanced electronica synthetics douse the soundscape with a sense of modernism that will aid klanglomerat well as they define the future of ambience in the Berlin scene and beyond.

Immerse yourself in Fünf from April 7 by heading over to YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

 

London-based Julia Thomsen rises up with spiritual instrumental ”Sea Energise”

Posted on 3 August 2020

London’s Julia Thomsen is a Neo-classical Film & TV composer who loves to create music that is wholeheartedly inspired by our beautiful nature around us. She returns with ”Sea Energise” and this is an instrumental cinematic masterpiece.

At the age of 5, Julia composed a piano piece to symbolize the weather changing from sunshine to rain to wind and into thunderstorms. This is a life-long creative who shines here on this marvelous piece that is so calming. Julia Thomsen makes music for Relaxation, Yoga Sessions, Spa, Boutique Hotels, Adverts, Film and Television. She just wants to make music for us to enjoy and to remind us to just relax.

”Sea Energise” grabs our souls and takes us on a whirlwind of waves that take us into the oceans throughout. Julia Thomsen is a well-known name in the UK scene that is delightfully constructed to give us a song that is truly ahead of other songs in its genre.

Stream this enlightenment here on Soundcloud.

Find out more about Julia here on her Facebook.

For more visuals and music news, head through to Insta.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen

Lumiere – Nyctophillia: Darkly Cinematic Electronica Meets Neo-Classical

Posted on 1 January 2020
Lumiere

A song dedicated to the feeling of finding comfort in the darkness was never going to evade our radar without piquing our bleak curiosity. Lumiere’s stunning composition Nyctophillia certainly didn’t disappoint.

The neo-classically infused cinematic Electronica score hooks you in from the first stabbing piano note. From there on out, you’re guided along by a bitter-sweet melody which allows you to embrace the aural darkness and find the fractures of effervescence through the lighter notes. Nyctophillia is so much more than an arrangement of deftly played instrumentals. It’s an offering of pure, resonant, cathartic emotion.

If you could imagine what it would sound like if the Verve started crafting instrumental scores, you’d get a good idea of what Lumiere has to offer.

Watching the visuals which Lumiere has put together with the evocatively arrestive soundscape in the official music video is an absolute must. You can check it out for yourselves via YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast.