Browsing Tag

Neo-Classical

Casey McGrath – Fiddle Rabbit (A Four-Stringed Tribute to Eminem)

Posted on 18 February 2020

Any fans of the aural alchemy which 2cellos can weave will definitely want to turn their attention to the latest piece to be released by classically-trained violinist Casey McGrath.

“Fiddle Rabbit (A Four-Stringed Tribute to Eminem)” revives one of the most iconic Hip Hop melodies of recent decades. You’ll still be able to hear the smacks of the 808s with Casey McGrath’s delicate yet tensile notes quivering atop of them.  Yet, Casey McGrath laced the soundscape with her own distinction. Instead of the fraught momentum pouring from the Rap bars, you’ll hear a frenzied violin which is more than efficacious at evoking emotion as the urgency of the note progressions resonate.

It’s rare that you’ll hear a fraction of Casey McGrath’s talent on the airwaves. Classical music may not be the most accessible of genres. But it’s tracks such as Fiddle Rabbit which have the power to change just that.

You can check out Casey McGrath’s fitting ode to the Rap legend for yourselves by heading over to YouTube now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Kenneth Douglas Mukasa – Dear Little Homie: Classically Cinematic Hip Hop

Posted on 29 January 2020
Dear Little Homie by KD Mukasa

London-based artist Kenneth Douglas Mukasa has brought Hip Hop to evocative new heights with his single “Dear Little Homie”.

While the title may make it sound like your average Hip Hop jam, the cinematic work of classically-infused Hip Hop is anything but your average 808-driven jam. There’s soul, there’s style, and a sensual amount of poised sultry vibes.

With neo-classical piano melodies and the haunting quivers of strings creating the perfect platform for Kenneth Douglas Mukasa’s vocals, it’s hard to say whether it’s the instrumentals or the vocals which bring the most emotive weight to the mix.

But what is incredibly safe to say is that Kenneth Douglas Mukasa has one of the most refreshing new approaches to Hip Hop since Scroobius Pip. And we’re all too excited to have him on our radar.

You can check out Kenneth Douglas Mukasa’s single for yourselves by heading over to Bandcamp.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Martin Krampl Music – Things That Are Coming: The Most Intense Cinematic Neo-Classical Album You’ll Hear This Year

Posted on 19 January 2020

If you’re anything like me, the title to Martin Krampl Music’s debut 13-track album “Things That Are Coming” will leave you with the desperate itch to find out the nature of the things which are coming. Is it a ubiquitous threat, or is it a promise of good things to come?

There is no immediate answer which lies in the multi-layered tonality. The first single only serves to build the tension in this Classical Crossover album as dark harsh tones conflict with the light and optimistic effervescent notes. By the time the first single had drawn to a close, I was left with the affirmation that Martin Krampl may have one of the most Machiavellian composing styles we’ve ever heard.

Throwing an unexpected sample of a crying baby following a prancingly pensive piano melody in the second single was a positively Lars Von Trier-Esque move. Their ability to create urgency through perfect timing and seamless cinematic instrumental evolutions is unparalleled. Each soundscape has its own alchemy, from haunted ethereal mesmerism to dystopic Alt Rock tribalistic tones. I feel as though I’ve been put through an epic aural journey.

If anyone has any tips on how to remove your heart from your throat, it would be greatly appreciated.

You can check out Martin Krampl Music’s debut album which was released on January 17th for yourselves by heading over to SoundCloud now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Dan Salomon – Longing: Delicately Remorseful Neo-Classical

Posted on 9 December 2019

“Longing” was the first track to be released from World Music artist Dan Salomon’s debut album “Contemplation”. The tender Neo-Classical soundscape may be instrumental, but the melancholy poured into the composition efficaciously rings through the tentative pensive piano keys.

Longing may embody delicacy, but there’s a striking amount of remorseful passion within Longing which manifests through forceful convictive bursts in the melodies. Any fans of Nils Frahm, Phillip Glass, Bill Ryder-Jones or Philip D Zach will welcome the introduction to the highly acclaimed virtuoso whose work has become renowned for the cathartic intimacy which it offers.

You can check out Longing along with the rest of the EP which was released in November 2019 for yourselves by heading over to Spotify now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Jenny Q Chai is set to release her three darkly lucid Schoenberg Piano Pieces

Posted on 28 November 2019
Jenny Q Chai

For her latest release, Shanghai and New York City-based Pianist Jenny Q Chai has reinvented three darkly lucid classic Schoenberg piano scores. Each of the compositions makes it all too perceptible how she has picked up rapturous acclaim and numerous awards throughout her career.

The scores may have been archaically composed in the 20th century, but Jenny Q Chai possesses a perceptibly deft ability to take soundscapes from seemingly any decade and make them as striking as they were when originally composed.

While her style lies on the side of eclecticism, with muses such as Bach, Beethoven, Scarlatti and Ravel feeding into her style, there’s plenty of profound resonant familiarity to pick up through the disconcertingly enthralling piano pieces.

The compositions will be available to listen to from November 30th via SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Reverse Context – If I Used: Avant-Garde Alt Rock

Posted on 23 November 2019
Reverse Context

Reverse Context is the latest artistic endeavour by Italian Avant-Garde artist Marcello Liverani. If you haven’t already had the pleasure of experiencing their inventively visceral neo-classical soundscapes which unravel with a chillingly ethereal air, now is a perfect time.

Reverse Context’s upcoming single “If I Used” comes highly recommended to any fans of Bauhaus, Bowie, and Magazine. Reverse Context goes beyond orchestrating your typical soundscapes. It’s perceptible that they play with light and dark, the warmth of the tones to tell unique and explorative stories which you can’t help but become captivated by.

If it’s been a while since you’ve heard a combination of hauntedly phantasmal vocals over minor key piano melodies which come together to pull together through indulgently dramatic alchemy, now is the perfect time to delve into Reverse Context’s eclectic, yet nuanced style.

You’ll have to wait a little longer before you can check out Reverse Context’s evocatively striking single If I Used for yourselves. In the meantime, head on over to Spotify where you can check out their spectacularly dark earlier releases.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Juan Sánchez – Rebirth: Deftly Sorrowful Neo-Classical  

Posted on 1 October 2019

Juan Sánchez has recently released his captivatingly masterful debut album “Rebirth”. After hearing the title track, I became convinced that this deftly sorrowful piano piece is a playlist essential, – especially now that the melancholic grips of Autumn have us.

Rebirth starkly reminds you that despite feelings of frailty, just like the melody we can surpass what has come before with urgency, power, and intensity to experience our own rebirth. There’s such an incredible amount of trepidation which lingers in the prelude, but by the time Rebirth draws to a close, you’re left with the aural resolution.

The Spanish producer, pianist, and composer’s authentic talent when it comes to melodic command is unquestionable. It wouldn’t be an over-exaggeration to say that the stylistic qualities to Rebirth allowed the soundscape to resonate as celestially cinematic.

Rebirth is available to stream along with the rest of Juan Sánchez’s album via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Neo-Classical composer Typical has made their debut with 7 unadulterated minutes of aural captivation.

Posted on 1 October 2019
https://typical4.bandcamp.com/track/typical

Many artists try to impart their presence in the music industry with eye-grabbing visuals, and myriads of distractions which pull you away from the true essence of their creativity. Washington-based Neo-Classical composer Typical took the opposite approach and allowed their debut self-titled piano piece to speak for itself.

With no lexical vocals, just a few echoed harmonies, you’re compelled to read the emotion weaved in between the urgency of the stabbing piano notes. As the piece progresses, you’ll find yourself getting caught up within the plaintive furls of the classical strings as Typical leads the piano melody into an arrangement with the power to confuse your own rhythmic pulses. Typical is a visceral composition which will immerse you in 7 minutes unadulterated aural captivation.

You can listen to Typical’s self-titled piece via Bandcamp now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

ATLYS Release Their Captivating Neo-Classical Score “Chandelier”

Posted on 31 March 2019

The celestially orchestrated intro to ATLYS’ debut single “Chandelier” prepares you for an empyreal, refined soundscape, so when it progresses into something that you’d hear from Bernard Herrmann’s Psycho score, it’s safe to say you’re captivated from there on out.

While there are many neo-classical artists redefining the genre, the layers of texture contained within the progressive orchestration go beyond your average offering. The cutting edges of the strings lace Chandelier with an ominous tonality while the gentle swells in between lull you into a false sense of catharsis. The instrumental score fluctuates between soft to striking, treating you to a visceral offering of contemporary aural alchemy which you aren’t likely to forget in a hurry.

You can check out ATLYS’ latest single for yourselves by heading over to SoundCloud now. Make sure to give them a follow as their album is due to be released on April 5th.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

John Hayes Makes His Neo-Classical Debut with Standout Single “marin”

Posted on 4 February 2019
By The Woods by John Hayes

Minnesota-based Neo Classical Multi-instrumentalist and producer John Hayes made his debut with his album “By the Woods” which was released on December 14th, 2018. And for any fans of Nils Frahm and Phillip Glass, you’re in for a mesmeric aural treat. Yet, you can expect more from the exceptionally arresting soundscapes than a mere assimilation of their sounds, or maybe that should be less. The minimalism of the sound subdues you deeper than most contemporary classical works. There’s a euphonic concordance to the sound which almost allows tracks such as “marin” to resonate as a cinematic dreamscape rather than a soundscape.

For a drop in blood pressure at the same time as drinking in aural alchemy check out John Hayes’ single marin for yourselves by heading over to Bandcamp where you can stream and download the track.

Review by Amelia Vandergast