Browsing Tag

instrumental

Spotlight Feature: KAIS transcendentally reflects in his accessible Avant-Garde ambient EP, What If I

Posted on 3 February 2023

On February 3rd, the superlatively talented songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer KAIS will unveil his most experimental EP to date, What If I, as a departure from his indie-psych hits. Bar spoken word philosophical verses in the title single, the instrumental EP allows the dynamic instrumentals to set the tone, atmosphere, and sonic ideology.

The opening single, R.E.M. State, reaches the pinnacle of tranquillity as the lush reverb counters the visceralism of the trip-hop-y backbeats. Before track two, Honey Ripples, gives you an oceanic opportunity to slip away from the fray and enter a subaqueous paradise.

The concluding title single is a disarmingly poignant invitation into the psyche of KAIS. The spoken word verses compel you into matching the deep state of reflection while the experimentalism of the Avant-Garde rhythmically complex arrangement provides a serene atmosphere you will want to visit time and time again. The soulfully accommodating release is inexplicably unparalleled from what any other artist is putting into the ether.

The alchemic feat of audio engineering definitively proves KAIS’ ability to take phenomenological fragments and create sonically serene worlds from them. If I could permanently exist within them, I would take up perpetual residence in their artistic confines.

Kais Said:

“R.E.M. State is inspired by the absorbingly rejuvenating instrumentals in KAYTRANADA’s single, Bus Ride. I wanted to leave a mark on the canvas of mankind’s universe by flowing into rhythmically complex territory without becoming inaccessible to my audience.

Honey Ripples was written on a rainy day, envisioning how water droplets collide with the body of a lake before reflecting the impact through the warm and creamy honey texture of the Rhodes piano, also experimenting with dolphin samples to create an underwater soundscape haven.

What If I traverses themes of revival. The instrumental track with spoken vocals speaks from the dark abyss of mortal defeat. The protagonist weighs up letting his soul disintegrate or summoning an unforeseen strength to claw out of his pit to bring about his soul’s resuscitation.”

What If I will officially release on February 3rd. Check it out on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The Sun Hit an 80s New Wave Atmosphere in Sabet and Doherty’s Single, At the Brink of Dawn

Posted on 30 January 2023

Docking their boat at the harbour of 80s new wave atmosphere, the soundtrackers, professional songwriters and producers, Sabet and Doherty, orchestrated a sonic depiction of when the sun hits in their single, At the Brink of Dawn, taken from their sophomore EP, The Secret.

Starting with cavernously choral angular guitar work in the same vein as Slowdive, the instrumental aural escapade builds into a feat of full-bodied beguile through the percussive fills brought by Doherty, best known for his work with Ben Folds and They Might Be Giants.

The oceanically cathartic testament to the collaborative chemistry that spills between the two artists is a unique invitation to slip array from the fray of typically structured music and become part of the flotsam while you trust in the expert orchestrators, who drift you into one of the sweetest 80s rock crescendos towards the outro.

At the Brink of Dawn is now available to stream on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Under the Sun – Ocean Breeze: an ambient dreamwork of Lynchian cogitation

Posted on 11 January 2023
Ocean Breeze by Under The Sun

Adding a disarming new trajectory to the evolution of shoegaze, the Suffolk-based originator Under the Sun (Matt Catling) constructed an ambient dreamwork of Lynchian cogitation with their three-track release Ocean Breeze.

As hazy as the titular allusion, the opening title single carries the weight of driftwood as it traverses through the meditatively industrial layers of reprising synths and delay-filtered dreamy guitars. Mastered by none other than Simon Scott (Slowdive), Ocean Breeze is a scintillating adaption of the origins of ambient soundscapes, modernised through the essence of caustic 21st-century dystopia that leaks into the transcendence of the track.

The arrestive rhythms in Ocean Breeze are a testament to Under the Sun’s ability to create sonic worlds far more accommodating than the ones we’re physically bound to. Short of taking a trip to the 5th dimension, there’s no better escapism than the sanctity that flows just as mellifluously through the following singles, Whirlwind and Soft Focus.

With Whirlwind unravelling as a tribally psychonautic fever dream and Soft Focus exhibiting Branca-Esque tendencies enveloped by the bleeding lament of the vocals, it’s an evocative conclusion to a release you don’t realise how deeply you have enmeshed with until silence falls.

Stream Ocean Breeze on SoundCloud and Spotify, or purchase the release via Bandcamp.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

RØAD RVNNER is back with Metamorfosi

Posted on 14 November 2022

RØAD RVNNER is an artist who loves to add a lot of vibrance and personality to his sound. His most recent studio release, Metamorfosi, stands out as a great testimony of the freshness and vibe the artist is so seamlessly able to take into his work.

Metamorfosi hits the mark from the get-go: the intro is catchy and immediately easy to connect with, building up the musical world surrounding the artist’s aesthetics right away. RØAD RVNNER’s combination of electro and EDM makes for a very innovative approach to songwriting, while still maintaining that sense of the familiar that is so important for people to immediately experience a connection with the music. RØAD RVNNER’s work should be a great match for fans of artists’ music with a broad and diverse approach.

Find out more about RØAD RVNNER and do not miss out on Metamorfosi. This release can be pre-saved here.

NYC instrumental rock raconteur Alec Berlin has unveiled his latest single, President’s Day

Posted on 24 August 2022

NYC songwriter Alec Berlin has been filling New York venues with his catchy rock hooks since long before telecasters were a twinkle in lockdown-born creative’s eyes. Now he is here with his atmospherically consuming single, President’s Day.

The instrumental track, led by his sublimely overdriven definitively rock guitars and bolstered by the steady percussive panache, takes you through a murky, almost lamenting soundscape, which builds into Foo Fighters-Esque crunchy crescendos and epitomises immersivity. Rarely do instrumental tracks invite you into such evocative depth, but that’s exactly what separates Alec Berlin from the rest.

President’s Day is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Cucurbitophobia carefully slices our imagination awake on the horror-like, ‘The Harbinger’

Posted on 22 May 2022
The Harbinger by Cucurbitophobia

With a spooky experience that will shock you and possibly shake your whole core into a place you least expected, Cucurbitophobia returns with the moody piano-packed and cinematically infused new instrumental single, ‘The Harbinger‘.

Robert Benaquista (Rob Benny) aka Cucurbitophobia is an Avant-Garde/Horror/Dark Neoclassical/Atmospheric Metal/Post-Industrial-fused multi-instrumentalist and composer.

”It portrays a return of an ominous figure who has disappeared after a long absence. The Harbinger bears knowledge, wonder, and dread, as it can shapeshift into the absolutely desirable or the utmost undesirable in the eye of the beholder. Able to predict and summon future events, The Harbinger has left everyone frozen in fear, knowing the inevitable yet not knowing when it will happen.” ~ Cucurbitophobia

With an expert performance that will cause hearts to flutter unexpectedly and mouths to tighten, Cucurbitophobia rampages through our lounge with a skilled display that will please all those who love a bit of mystery and risk-taking in their lives.

‘The Harbinger‘ from the Avant-Garde/Horror/Dark Neoclassical/Atmospheric Metal/Post-Industrial-fused multi-instrumentalist Cucurbitophobia is such an explosive experience that shall take you into the dark alleys that certainly intrigues your whole soul. Causing hearts to skip and emotions to heighten, this is the kind of song that you will find in a scary movie that has just introduced a masked character who has come back from the dead.

With intricate details that will have you completely enthralled, this is a track that might have you covering those eyes and closing the curtains a bit quicker than usual.

Listen up to this new single on Bandcamp and see more via the IG.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen

Israel’s Nokerson takes us for a welcome ‘Sunday Trip’ into a better day

Posted on 13 May 2022

With a stroll-like atmosphere that might have you searching for that shoe you are missing, Nokerson takes our mind away from the wild stress on his latest single, ‘Sunday Trip‘.

Nokerson is a Vladimir Bondar-created Israel-based EDM project from an instrumental artist who continues to grow every year through his wildly creative mind.

”Music that I make now sounds better than previously and I think I’m moving in the right direction.” ~ Nokerson

In a calming ambience that will certainly flip your mood around and get you to sense a renewed energy looming, Nokerson returns with a new creation that shows his progression and a shift in direction that is rather inviting to our intrigued ears.

‘Sunday Trip‘ from Israel-based EDM artist Nokerson is a mellow tune that shall get you feeling rather enthused about what the possibilities are outside your front door. With a mellow style and an intricate beat that might get your tired head moving rather happily, this is a single for anyone who just needs to visualize peace for a while.

In a world packed full of wars and hate, this is a welcome addition to any playlist.

Pre-save the single here to get this track when it’s released on 29th May.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen

HULX lets us know the metaphysical score in his latest composition, SURREALISM

Posted on 11 May 2022

Transcend reality by the hand of the University of Westminster music student, HULX, via his latest instrumental composition, SURREALISM. I don’t know about you, but I’ll take any escape from this material-mortal coil I can get my existentially lovebitten mind on. And under HULX’s futuristic and imaginative duress, you’d struggle to get further away from our battery farm of an unromantic existence.

The sonorous score is cinematically crafted through HULX’s already virtuosic flair over a set of keys, but there’s just enough space dust to take you to a new plateau of consciousness that reminds you of the true beauty of the human experience. It pours through the inexplicably intuitive progressions.

SURREALISM is now available to stream via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Darkness & the Light traverses the cosmos in ‘Nice to be in orbit’

Posted on 31 December 2021
under a distant sun by Darkness & The Light

If any track can remind you of how lucky you are to be a blip in the cosmos, it can be found in Darkness & the Light’s latest album, under a distant sun. Nice to be in orbit is paradoxically grounding in its cinematic delivery; the Sydney-based artist gives you the sense that they have the rare ability to emanate the grandeur of the cosmos in all of its glory instead of choosing crevices to aurally explore.

The ambient synth lines work their way through ethereal layers of reverb while the percussion brings lucidity to the mix, and the guitars take the track to an Avant-Garde, almost post-punk realm. The vocals may never go beyond choral echoes above the psychedelic grooves, and Nice to be in orbit is all the more celestial for it.

Of all the ambient music we have heard this year, nothing comes close to the intricately explorative alchemy in Nice to be in orbit. We can’t wait to hear what follows.

Nice to be in orbit is now available to stream and download via Bandcamp.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The Clock Is Ticking: Fab Manzini Music helps us find the answer on ‘Run The Race To Win’

Posted on 29 December 2021

With a heavy Iron Maiden feel to proceedings on this rip-roaring effort, Fab Manzini Music shows us his new approach to hard rock music on the pulse-enhancing new single ‘Run The Race To Win‘.

Fab Manzini Music is an Australia-based solo artist who has a massive passion for instrumental rock music that will motivate your heart from any gloom imaginable.

Blessing us with a high-tempo melody that encourages us to find that salvation, Fab Manzini Music helps us make our way to that starting gate at all costs as it seems like it is indeed time to start emerging victorious if you haven’t already. Featuring electrifying vocals that shall send you back into another time that was thought lost by many doubters, this is a full-throttle release that sends your mind into a spin.

‘Run The Race To Win‘ from the Australia-based instrumental rocker Fab Manzini Music, is a gigantic effort from one of the most underrated artists in the game. This song shreds the mic into pieces with vocals from Marcello Vieira as he urges us to beat the odds and to never wait for anything or anyone. This is your chance now and if the timing feels right, the best thing to do is to go for it. Living with those regrets later on in life, is no way to live after all right?

Hear this exciting audio on YouTube and see more via the IG music page.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen