downtempo

William French – “Light”: An illuminating moment

Written by Atroxity

Four Tets fantastic remix of “Opal” springs to mind when listening to the lead in the Norwegian producer William French‘s latest creation, “Light”. Do I also hear a little bit of Röyksopp?

Not to imply this is a copycat, not at all. But there’s elements sprinkled all across this track that makes one go “hmmm – this reminds me of…”.

But as often is with music, it’s more about how you do it more than what you do. Case in point: Lest we remember the music genius Prince were often called “the Prince of thieves”.

And this track here is an elegant piece of down-tempo, dreamy electronica. Gorgeous stuff. The melody is catchy, the mix is flawless. The arrangement is layered enough to offer new discoveries for many rounds. It’s all in the details.
See, that’s where many less experienced producers fail: You’ve heard it all after the first playthrough. This track, on the other hand, can easily be played on repeat – and that in itself is a stamp of quality.

So, Willy: Shine your light on us! (Pffft… Sorry. Bad pun.)

Add this little beauty to your relevant playlist, because Light deserves to lighten your days!

… Duh. Sorry, I just had to… I’ll close the door on my way out.

Tatum Gale – “Up2u”: Elegance in simplicity.

Written by Atroxity

A buddy and I were discussing music here the other day when I said, “I wonder if I ever will accept a vocal-based track on the blog…”.

Thing is, generally speaking I can’t stand vocals. Not because I hate the human voice – I really don’t – but because there’s so much god damn stupid we choose to use our voice to express*. As soon as a vocalist takes centre stage in an arrangement, I tend to lose interest.

*-The ringing irony here is of course that I regularly do use vocals in my own music, and those lyrics are more often than not just just cheeky nonsense.

But enough about me. Point is, what happened just a couple of days after the above mentioned conversation? Oh but of course: I discover the first vocal based track to include in this blog.

And, it’s not just a track with a vocalist. Oh no. The vocals essentially carries the entire track on its shoulders:

I know, right? You do understand why I say “principles, begone“!

The vocals so clean, rhythmic, unaffected. A perfect deliverance of the melancholic lyrics. A voice of pure human soul in balance with the stripped down electronica soundtrack. The words are as clever as the arrangement, well mixed, well produced, and that surprising intermezzo mid-track… What a find.

A pure class act.

Some might argue, “but is this underground enough for this blog”?
Well, don’t stop with this track. The rest of his EP, with the generic title “EP 1”, is a great showcase for this creative mind. An exciting blend of ambient recordings, instrumentals and vocals. Cue up the wonderful “Do Not Disturb” and hear what I mean.

As of right now he only counts a handful of followers on the various streaming platforms, making this a truly undiscovered artist. And thus, becomes a perfect find for this blog.

A great start of the new week!

Kidsø – “Scandia”: Debut extraordinaire.

Written by Atroxity

When I say Germany – what comes to your mind? Bierstube, ordnung und sauberkeit, industrial techno, the Berlin trilogy and mad weekends at Berghain?
Well, I’m here to tell you there’s more to’em Germans:

The German duo Kidsø have just recently released their debut EP, and in doing so puts far too many other debut releases, especially in this age of self-publishing, to humiliating shame. They serve a plate so delicious, so intercontinental and elegant I can only sit down, put their EP on repeat and smile while writing. 
This is a German duo you just simply need to be introduced to. It’s a cliche but so be it: You will thank me later.

Their music can be compared with those classy french house acts we all fell in love with, maybe a nib of Faithless for good measure. Ambient scenarios that ignites your imagination sneaks out here and there before a gorgeous blend of house beats, exquisite percussion and harmonic arrangements culminates in a melodic electronica De l’excellence.

A sense of loneliness is a recurring association in their tender arrangements, well supported by the fragile yet confident and strong voice of their female vocalist (whose name I fail to find). She is a perfect match to the atmosphere of the tracks. The above track, Scandia, is my pick but I could just as well pick any of the other tracks from the EP, titled “Apart“.

Kidsø. If there is any – ANY – fairness in the world of music, then this duo will be touring for a solid crowd within the next two years.

And you quite possibly heard it here first.