20 electrify-ing(!) tales from the recent digital electronic “crop”. From gabber to dubstep and even further…
Fried Dough – ‘Who Is The Dreamer‽’
A dazzling synth-heavy track by Toronto outfit Fried Dough, ‘Who Is The Dreamer‽‘, is the opener for this Electrified round-up. This one is a slow-burner with intense, cinematic atmosphere that leads to a divine outro after the 3rd minute, in the vein of Moderat. Stellar sound & production, and the ideal, imaginary soundtrack for the next “Alien” sequel….
Solven – ‘Diamonds’
Changing mood & vibes with the most recent video ‘Diamonds‘ from a Greek infused music producer, Solven (aka Mike Papadatos), who is heavily into hybrid trap and deep house music. ‘Diamonds‘ is a fine blend of the aforementioned, with a state of the art production & sound, but in the same time highly melodic and catchy. Summer is pretty near, and Thrace Music has gifted us with the ultimate gem!
KLANGPLANET – ‘Dream‘
Will start with a statement for this one: Last Day Deaf loves KLANGPLANET. Munich-based songwriter/producer Frieder Mollat, is not only capable of creating and unleashing tracks of stellar sound & production, but furthermore never stops experimenting with a broad spectrum of electronica, expecting the unexpected by this man.
This time, with ‘Dream‘ he gets catchy & mellow and delivers an impeccable, summery deep house treat for us all to furbish form the “eternal” lockdown. Feel the vibes, feel the energy and escape….
Niels Gordon – ‘Outer Grounds’
Moning further North and in particular, ‘outside of Gothenburg, Sweden just where you feel the distance to the city and the forests starts to grow deep‘. There we find Niels Gordon, with his 7-minute, synth-ambient opus ‘Outer Grounds‘, taken off his latest, recently released debut album out via Lamour Records. The ‘cosmic’ element is intense on this sublime piece of music, which it’s just unmissable for fans of Jean-Michel Jarre & Vangelis.
A hgihly cinematic experience…
Human Is Alive – ‘Embryo’
Hope you are prepared for a 15-minute listening experience by Russian project Human Is Alive; The track is called ‘Embryo‘, and it’s an “endless”, medidative drone to get lost in. Spacey vibes,slow build-up, and for all the brave cosmonauts, who will enter this space capsule, for the out of Stratosphere odyssey, the reward will be unique….
Drahthaus – ‘Skin’
Next up, Electrified’s next stop in in Vienna, Austria, where we catch up with Drahthaus and the superb, glithcy, drum n’ bass track ‘Skin‘. The collective describes the track as ‘the fastest and probably the most catchy track on the album. Its an electronic track with a band vibe and a feeling somewhere between drum and bass, rocky pop and future bass‘.
By all means unique, of great sound & production, and a lot of “soul”…
Alith Berndarn – ‘Right For You’
‘Right For You‘ is the 2nd single from Vienna-native and Hamburg-based producer & visual artist Alith Berndarn, for this year so far. What we love most, in this treat, are the moody downtempo vibes, the sterling noir b&w visuals, the uncommon struture & progression, and the addictive arpeggios.
The track’s concept according to the artist is the following: ‘….The track meaning/essence is to keep your mind clear, even though the situation around you might be a dire one. You should keep your eyes open because you never know that even if you’re thinking that nothing can improve the state, something can happen that turns it in the opposite direction. The beginning of the track aurally conveys the notion of being helpless. The end with its’ uplifting chord progression and the elusive percussions portrays the idea of keeping your eyes open. Also, to be sorry that sometimes you need to endure these moments of helplessness… But these moments are right for you… to grow personally.’
Ochre Mouret – ‘feels like a dream’
For those who love Bicep and Caribou, and underground, indie electro with sky high, diy spirit, ‘feels like a dream‘ by London-based producer Ochre Mouret, should very likely be the ultimate banger. Forget about that ‘pandemic’ thingy, close your eyes, imagine yourselves in a dark room, early morning hours, and get up & dance…. Divine!
John Tejada – ‘Moving 909s’ (Plaid Remix)
John Tejada is a Vienna-born, Los Angeles-based electronic music composer and DJ, and the remix for his ‘Moving 909s‘ by idm titans Plaid, is an ‘ear-gasmic’ experience.The track is an ode to the 90s sound, and it’s just so epic with melodies springing out of everywhere, in classic Plaid fashion.
Melodic tech house + idm + glitch = Eternal masterpiece….
Liotia – ‘Blackout’ (Afrikanz on Marz Vocal Remix)
Liotia‘s ‘Blackout‘ (Afrikanz on Marz Vocal Remix) is a trip-hop gem equivalent to Massive Attack. Well, this might be a bit of an exaggeration, however in this 7-ninute epic track Abigail’s haunting vocals are ideally combined with Matt’s digital soundscapes and drum machine via the smooth sonic filter by Afrikanz on Marz.
Make sure you check also the original mix version over here.
Sethadelik – ‘Desire’ ft. Rosebud
Next up we get ‘electrocuted’ by the drum n’ bass beast ‘Desire‘ from Los Angeles based drum and bass/psychedelic music producer Sethadelik, with Rosebud undertaking the vocal duty. This one is an ultra sexy d n’ b treat with mammoth sound & “Red Bull” energy…
cymek – ‘Last Chance’
American project cymek‘s horror bass/hard trap banger ‘Last Chance‘, is the opening chapter in the artist’s futuristic story: ‘In the year 2084, many power-hungry cloud-based intelligences seek a living host body. When Lazurus’ attempts to takeover David’s body are repeatedly met with resistance, he offers David one last chance to comply. David again refuses, believing he can take down Lazurus and his digital empire of hacker goons and cyber-thieves. This song is about Lazurus’ hunt for David and the chaotic correspondence between the two.’
Intense….. Dystopic….Haunting.
Dstm – ‘Barat’
Italian producer Dstm, delivers the goods, with his hardfloor, techno opus, ‘Barat‘ (the opener of his latest EP) . Astronomical production & sound, and volcanic energy equivalent to Etna, for an endless dance in the (post)-pandemic era…
Benin City – ‘Hold Them Close‘
Benin City have missed their friends, like most of us, and wrote ‘Hold Them Close‘ for this. A super dynamic indie electro song, with a ceaseless tempo, a driving bassline, and great, expressive male/female vocals. What else could we ask for?
This ‘sedative’ is out on Moshi Moshi Records.
Snowsleep – ‘Sleepy Days’
Next stop is Germany, with an existential ambient piece by Snowsleep. ‘Sleepy Days’ is a pictorial, adventure in an isolated planet, in which the only form of life is a weird, tiny plankton chanting vibes.. Psyched out? Perhaps. Top-class psybient for the daring ones…
Isanna – ‘Moshpit of Emotions’
The latest track ‘Moshpit of Emotions‘ by Isanna, is a catchy electro-pop one and the video directed by Alex Massek & Harry Lindley, is its ideal match. The track is sung with emotion and the finely calibrated, electronic soundscapes lift off the listener on top of the world.
A commercial, electro-pop masterpiece!
Safe Jazz – ‘Good Vibes’
Guess it’s a more than ideal time for an instrumental jazz-hop treat! Safe Jazz with the invaluable collaboration with trumpeter, Connor McElwaine ‘Good Vibes‘, is a smooth track with firt-class sound & production, ideal for chillin’…
Zerotonine – ‘Demolition’ (Original Mix)
Need some acid techno by the “patriarch” right now! Last Day Deaf‘s darling Zerotonine delivers a merciless, acid techno ‘attack’ on our sound system, with ‘Demolition‘, that we simply cannot resist…
4 minutes of high voltage techno! Turn it up loud!
juuku – ‘seasons’
juuku skillfully combines future bass, glitch and eerie vocals in his latest tune ‘seasons‘. Like the fact that the track chnages moods and vibes from ethereal to dynamic. From earthly to spacey. An extraordinary electronic creation, which gets better with repeated play…
prodbyicewater – ‘LUXURY’
Ending gem for this Electrified round-up, is a stylish, instrumental trap ‘treasure’ by prodbyicewater. ‘LUXURY‘ is a trippy treat with some cool sampling work and a specail, noir atmosphere to get lost in… Until the next time.
Revisit:
by Christos Doukakis