This is the flagship post for my new blog. I'll be sharing recent musical discoveries and thoughts when I feel like updating. Enjoy..
You Always Start It (master) by xxxy
First up is an UK-based producer and artist, xxxy. Under the name Ten Thousand and Yen he released this shining gem less than a month ago and is already making waves. XXXY has the unique ability to move in between genres throughout his tracks and this one is no exception; the 2-step rhythms and perfectly timed voicing samples, along with the wavering synths, mesh together to form a piece that is both danceable and catchy. XXXY tells the truth when he labelled You Always Start It as "not fucking future garage". For sure, it's a sound of its own.
One For Dimlite by Illum Sphere
Next we have another UK producer from Manchester. Illum Sphere has been working in the progressive electronic scene for some time and his influence reaches far, grabbing the attention of artists like Martyn and record labels like Warp Records. This release, while not new, showcases his talent for combining wide dynamics into his work. The description, tersely worded "no samples", just makes this seemingly sampled song work even more miraculous.
Oceania - So It Happened (unreleased) by oceania
Bringing up the rear, though undoubtedly not in talent, is Oceania. Nick Kostylew appeared on the scene less than a year ago but is already stirring waters. His atmospheric, spacey melodies combined with deep, resonating, and powerful bass lines create a subtle soundscape full of cavernous echoes and intense melancholy that will be sure to have you grasping for more.
this music is odd; i think it's trying to express a static emotion more than it is trying to aurally create something like a story. i don't know about all the labels when it comes to electronic music, but i do think most of them are pretty arbitrary, and nobody likes getting labelled, which would explain the 'not fucking future garage' comment. like i even know what that is. it's interesting, though. still have to listen to the third track.
ReplyDeleteokay had to reply again cos the last one was probably the best one. i hear a CR-78 in there, or at least samples. gotta love the classics. the seemingly random piano notes remind me a bit of this track by goldfrapp i have on vinyl, i would have to look it up to remember the name.
ReplyDeletePoint taken, I can see how the music could be interpreted as a single emotion and the progression of the song is more of an unraveling description of that emotion rather than a story. However, when I listen to this kind of music I tend to pull out the subtleties between the measures and see it as a story that changes with the nuances, but to each his own :)
ReplyDeleteI also agree with the labeling, no one likes to be cornered into a specific sound. Each artist has their own style that can't be matched(at least when they are good artists) and I don't like writing them off in to one genre or another, but it makes it hard to describe the general sound without reaching for musical categories. Especially if I'm trying to introduce an audience to a new area of music. How else would they explore the area if they don't know what it is described as? Yeah, I see the catch-22, no one wants to be labelled but without labels there is no was to find other music(easily).
I'll try not to emphasize labeling in my mind in my future posts as much. Thanks for the input!
As for the last song, I'm not sure about the CR-78(I'm no music expert) but you could ask the artist!